Spatial biomass variation and community structure of epilithic biofilms were examined using cell counts, chlorophyll a extraction, and remote-sensing techniques. Samples were collected at two levels of wave exposure along the Yellow and East Coasts of Korea in December 2010. Cyanobacteria were dominant, occupying about 88% of biofilm, irrespective of wave exposure levels. The cyanobacteria species, Aphanotece spp. was abundant in the Yellow Coast location and Lyngbya spp. was abundant in the East coast location. The representative diatoms were Navicula spp. and Achnanthes spp. on the rocky shores of all study sites. Average Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was significantly greater in the Yellow Coast (mean 0.46) than that in the East Coast (mean 0.21); a similar pattern was observed in Vegetation Index (VI). Chlorophyll a content was three times greater on the Yellow Coast (20.50 μg/cm<sup>2</sup>) than that on the East Coast (8.21 μg/cm<sup>2</sup>), and it was greater at the Gosapo and Bangpo shore sites than that at the Gyeokpo site, on the Yellow Coast. However, chlorophyll a contents were not different between 23.33 and 17.66 μg/cm<sup>2</sup> at exposed- and sheltered-shores of Yellow Coast, and were 9.62 μg/cm<sup>2</sup> and 6.80 μg/cm<sup>2</sup> on the East Coast. Vegetation indices were positively correlated with chlorophyll a contents. In conclusion, biofilm of Korean upper rocky shore was mainly composed of cyanobacteria and biofilm biomass that differed between the Yellow and East Coast.
KeywordsBiomassCommunity StructureEpilithic BiofilmNDVI and VI
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