Changes in the Dynamics and Nutrient Budget of a Macroalgal Community Exposed to Land-Based Fish Farm Discharge Off Jeju Island, Korea

Sun Kyeong Choi, Tae Hyeon Kim, Yun Hee Kang, Sangil Kim, Tae-Hoon Kim, Jang Kyun Kim, Taehee Lee, Young Baek Son, Hyuk Je Lee and Sang Rul Park
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Sun Kyeong Choi: Estuarine & Coastal Ecology Laboratory, Department of Marine Life Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea
Tae Hyeon Kim: Estuarine & Coastal Ecology Laboratory, Department of Marine Life Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea
Yun Hee Kang: Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea
Sangil Kim: Estuarine & Coastal Ecology Laboratory, Department of Marine Life Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea
Tae-Hoon Kim: Department of Oceanography, Faculty of Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
Jang Kyun Kim: Department of Marine Sciences, Incheon National University, Incheon 22012, Korea
Taehee Lee: Jeju Marine Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST), Jeju 63349, Korea
Young Baek Son: Jeju Marine Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST), Jeju 63349, Korea
Hyuk Je Lee: Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, Department of Biological Science, Sangji University, Wonju 26339, Korea
Sang Rul Park: Estuarine & Coastal Ecology Laboratory, Department of Marine Life Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-18

Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the dynamics of the nutrient budget of a macroalgal community exposed to water discharged from aquaculture farms. This study was conducted in the coastal area exposed to water discharged from aquaculture farms located on Jeju Island, Korea, in May and October of 2017. Water-column-dissolved inorganic nutrient concentrations were higher in the intertidal zone than in the subtidal zone. High nutrient concentrations in the intertidal zone resulted in the bloom of Ulva spp., consequently leading to a low species number. This indicates the vulnerability of the intertidal macroalgal community to discharge from land-based aquaculture. Ecklonia cava contributed to 29–53% of the total incorporation of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in the subtidal zone. In the intertidal zone, the highest tissue N content was found in Ulva spp. due to the high and rapid nutrient uptake rate from the effluent with high nutrient concentrations, thereby indicating high total N incorporation. The estimated total C, N, and P incorporation rates by macroalgae were 181.5, 8.6, and 0.95 tons year −1 , respectively. These results suggest that the macroalgal community in this area absorbs or removes large amounts of nutrients from the water column and plays an important role in the budgets and cycling of nutrients in the surrounding coastal areas.

Keywords: ecological role; fish farm effluent; macroalgal community structure; nutrient incorporation; nutrient sink; Ulva spp.; Ecklonia cava (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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