The effects of different environmental factors on biochemical composition of particulate organic matters in Gwangyang Bay, South Korea
Abstract. Biochemical composition of particulate organic matter (POM) through phytoplankton photosynthesis is important to determine food quality for planktonic consumers as well as physiological conditions of phytoplankton. Major environmental factors controlling for the biochemical composition were seasonally investigated in Gwangyang Bay which has only natural conditions (e.g., no artificial dams) in South Korea. Water samples for the biochemical compositions were obtained from three different light depths (100 %, 30 %, and 1 %) mainly at 3 sites in Gwangyang bay from April 2012 to April 2013. Different biochemical classes (carbohydrates [CHO], proteins [PRT], and lipids [LIP]) were extracted and then the concentrations were determined by the optical density measured with a spectrophotometer. The highest and lowest of PRT compositions among the three biochemical classes were in April 2012 (58.0 %) and August 2012 (21.2 %), whereas the highest and lowest LIP compositions were in August 2012 (49.0 %) and April 2012 (24.8 %), respectively. CHO composition was recorded high in January 2013 and maintained above 25 % during the study period. The calorific contents of food material (FM) ranged from 1.0 Kcal m−3 to 6.1 Kcal m−3 (annual mean ± S.D. = 2.8 Kcal m−3 ± 1.1 Kcal m−3). Based on Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis, a major governing factor for biochemical composition of POM was dissolved inorganic nitrogen loading from river-input in Gwangyang bay. In conclusion, relatively larger amount of FM and higher calorific contents of POM found in this study compared to other regions reflected good nutritive conditions for sustaining productive shellfish and fish populations in Gwangyang bay. Continuous observations are needed for monitoring marine ecosystem response to potential environmental perturbations in Gwangyang bay.