All Issue

2025 Vol.37, Issue 4

Research Article

Fish Community Structure and Population Ecology of the Endangered Gobiobotia brevibarba in Pyeongchang River, Korea
Seung-Chul Park1
,
Doupyo Hong2
,
Jaehoon Kim2
,
Jaeseok Choi3*
1Senior Researcher, National Park Institute for Wildlife Conservation, Gurye 57616, Korea
2Researcher, Institute of Environmental Research, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
3Research Professor, Institute of Environmental Research, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
*Corresponding Author
31 December 2025. pp. 261-279
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Abstract

This study, conducted from September 2022 to April 2023, analyzed the fish community composition and population characteristics of Gobiobotia brevibarba in the Pyeongchang River, Yeongwol, demonstrating this riverine ecosystem’s ecological conservation value. The survey identified 2,157 individuals across 23 species belonging to 8 families in the Pyeongchang River. Notably, 17 species (74.0%) were classified as Korean endemic species, significantly exceeding the national average. This suggested that the aquatic environment of the Pyeongchang River is well preserved from anthropogenic disturbances and maintains excellent naturalness. The presence of 5 nationally protected species－Acheilognathus signifer, Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa, Hemibarbus mylodon, Gobiobotia macrocephala, and G. brevibarba (all designated Class II Endangered Wild Animals by the Ministry of the Environment)－further emphasized the importance of the Pyeongchang River for biodiversity conservation. G. brevibarba was the dominant species, suggesting the Pyeongchang River offers an optimal habitat. Analysis of the rank-abundance models of the fish community revealed a distinct pattern: the Preemption, Zipf, and Log-normal models best described upstream (St.1－2), midstream (St.3), and downstream (St.4) sites, respectively. This indicated a clear upstream-to-downstream increase in species richness, evenness, and ecological stability. Such spatial heterogeneity is closely related to differences in habitat characteristics (e.g., current velocity and substrate structure) across river sections, reflecting the provision of preferred habitats for fish of different age classes. Detailed analysis of the G. brevibarba population showed positive allometric growth (b-value > 3.0) in the length-weight relationship, indicating favorable growth conditions for the Pyeongchang River G. brevibarba population. Additionally, the von Bertalanffy growth model estimated an asymptotic length (L∞) of 163.1 mm and a Brody growth coefficient (k) of 0.32, indicating high growth potential. The observed size distribution and growth parameters clearly demonstrated that G. brevibarba in the Pyeongchang River forms a healthy, self-sustaining, and stable population.

Keywords
Fish community
Gobiobotia brevibarba
Length-weight relationship
Rank-abundance curve
Von Bertalanffy growth model
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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 :261-279
  • Received Date : 2025-08-18
  • Revised Date : 2025-09-16
  • Accepted Date : 2025-09-16
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.22698/jales.20250023
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