Responses of Macrobenthic Communities to Heavy Metal Contamination in Sediments and Seawater: A Case Study in Temperate Bay, South Korea.

ABSTRACT: Although effects of heavy metals in sediments on macrobenthic organisms have been extensively studied, few investigations have simultaneously assessed the influence of heavy metals in seawater and sediments on macrobenthic communities. This study investigated subtidal macrobenthic communities of Asan Bay, a coastal area in South Korea subject to extensive anthropogenic disturbances. It aimed to assess sources of heavy metals in seawater and sediments and evaluate their influence on the structure and composition of macrobenthic communities. Our findings suggest that cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg) in seawater mainly originate from terrestrial inputs. Although the concentrations of heavy metals in seawater and sediments at most sampling stations complied with the

SUBMITTER: Liang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12467039 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature