Abstract

This study was performed to know the vertical distribution pattern and community structure of intertidal invertebrates at 9 sampling stations near Songacksan area located in Jeju Island from June 2000 to May, 2001. A total of 104 benthic invertebrate species was recorded during the survey period and it was composed of 50 families, 25 orders, 12 classes and 6 phyla. Among them, the most highest species richness was observed in the mollusks comprising 66.3% (69 species) and the next one in the arthropods showing 16.3% (17 species). Species diversity was largely different depending on their vertical distribution, revealing much higher in the lower intertidal zone than in the middle or upper zone, while there were no distinct differences between sampling stations. The dominant species were Nodilittorina exigua, Littorina brevicula, Pollicipes mitella mitella and Nerita japonica in the upper zone, Monodonta neritoides, Lunella coronata coreensis and Nerita japonica in the middle zone and Notoacmea schrenckii, Omphalius nigerimus, Purpura clavigera and Chlorostoma argyrostoma lishckei in the lower zone. The macrobenthic fauna surveyed could be divided into two groups based on their species similarities between sampling stations but their differences were not distinctive.