Seasonal Influence on the Relationship between Fish and Piscivorous Birds in the Yeongrangho and Gyeongpoho Lagoons under Environmental Change

Heonwoo Park; Hyojae Park; Jaeyong Lee; Jaeseock Choi

doi:10.22698/jales.20250024

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2025 Vol.37, Issue 4 Preview Page Next Page

Research Article

Seasonal Influence on the Relationship between Fish and Piscivorous Birds in the Yeongrangho and Gyeongpoho Lagoons under Environmental Change

31 December 2025. pp. 280-296

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Abstract

In this study, we aimed to compare and analyze piscivorous bird and fish communities in the Yeongrangho and Gyeongpoho Lagoons, two representative lagoons on the East Coast of Korea, and to elucidate the impacts of environmental changes on their ecosystem composition. Yeongrangho showed higher species diversity, with 42 fish species identified, compared to 25 species in Gyeongpoho. However, the total number of individuals in Gyeongpoho (10,671) was approximately three times higher than that in Yeongrangho (3,478). Gyeongpoho had a concentration of individuals of a few specific species, such as Konosirus punctatus (gizzard shad). Meanwhile, Yeongrangho maintained higher diversity with a relatively even distribution of individuals among species. This reflects the difference between Gyeongpoho’s stable brackish water environment and high productivity and Yeongrangho’s increased artificial seawater exchange and ongoing marinification. The number of piscivorous birds tended to be proportional to the total number of fish. In Gyeongpoho, where the fish abundance was significantly higher, the number of piscivorous birds, especially Phalacrocorax carbo, was higher than that in Yeongrangho. This confirms that food availability is a crucial factor that influences the distribution and abundance of top predators such as piscivorous birds. In lagoons, physical environmental factors, such as water depth, salinity, transparency, and freezing, along with anthropogenic interventions, that is, seawater exchange and pontoon bridge installation in Yeongrangho and wetland restoration in Gyeongpoho, had complex influences on the fish and bird communities. Enhanced seawater exchange in Yeongrangho accelerated the marinification of the fish community. Meanwhile, wetland restoration in Gyeongpoho has likely contributed to the expansion of bird habitats and increased food availability for piscivorous birds. East coastal lagoons commonly face environmental challenges such as eutrophication due to nutrient inflow, which can affect the entire food web. The findings emphasize the importance of tailored conservation and management strategies that consider the ecological characteristics of each lagoon and the impacts of anthropogenic interventions. A sustainable approach that prioritizes the maintenance of ecosystem health and function rather than only development is essential. This study provides important baseline data for understanding the interrelationship between piscivorous bird and fish communities in Yeongrangho and Gyeongpoho.

Keywords

Fish fauna

Fish-eating birds

Food relationship

Lagoon

Population dynamics

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Information

Publisher :Agriculture and Life Sciences Research Institute, Kangwon National University
Publisher(Ko) :None
Journal Title :Journal of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences
Volume : 37
No :4
Pages :280-296
Received Date : 2025-08-18
Revised Date : 2025-09-16
Accepted Date : 2025-09-18
DOI :https://doi.org/10.22698/jales.20250024

Journal of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences ISSN:2233-8322(Print) 2508-870X(Online)

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