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Article

Community Structure and Spatial Distribution of Coastal Birds Observed at 35 Major Coastal Wetlands in Korea from 2016 to 2024

2016-2024년 국내 주요 연안습지 35개소에서 관찰된 바닷새 군집 구조 및 공간 분포 특성

SEUNG-YEON LEE12
,
SEUNG-WOO HAN3
,
EUN-HONG LIM1
,
SANG-MIN JUNG3
,
DAE HAN CHO45
,
SOON-SIK KIM24
,
HAEJIN CHO6
,
TEHAN KANG7
,
SI-WAN LEE8
,
HONG-SHIK OH910*
이 승연12
,
한 승우3
,
임 은홍1
,
정 상민3
,
조 대한45
,
김 순식24
,
조 해진6
,
강 태한7
,
이 시완8
,
오 홍식910*
1Senior Researcher, Korea Institute of Environmental Ecology, Daejeon 34014, Korea
2Ph.D. Student, Faculty of Science Education, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea
3Senior Researcher, Korea Institute of Environmental Ecology, Daejeon 34014, Korea
4Researcher, Korea Institute of Environmental Ecology, Daejeon 34014, Korea
5Ph.D. Student, Department of Biological of Sciences and Biotechnology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
6Director, Korea Institute of Environmental Ecology, Daejeon 34014, Korea
7Director, Korea Institute of Environmental Ecology, Daejeon 34014, Korea
8Director, Korea Institute of Environmental Ecology, Daejeon 34014, Korea
9Professor, Faculty of Science Education, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea
10Professor, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Advanced Convergence Technology and Science, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea
1한국환경생태연구소 선임연구원
2제주대학교 과학교육학부 박사과정
3한국환경생태연구소 책임연구원
4한국환경생태연구소 연구원
5전남대학교 생물과학·생명기술학과 박사과정
6한국환경생태연구소 부소장
7한국환경생태연구소 소장
8한국환경생태연구소 대표
9제주대학교 과학교육학부 교수
10제주대학교 차세대융복합과학기술협동과정 교수
*Corresponding Author
30 November 2025. pp. 240-254
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Abstract

Coastal wetlands serve as transitional zones linking terrestrial and marine ecosystems and provide critical habitats for diverse coastal bird species. However, rapid loss driven by reclamation, development, and climate change has raised global concerns about the decline of coastal bird populations. In this study, we analyzed the community structure and spatial distribution of coastal birds across 35 major coastal wetlands in Korea from 2016 to 2024. A total of 129 species and 579,635 individuals were recorded, with Dunlin Calidris alpina (20.60%) and Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris (15.43%) dominant at the species level, and shorebirds (54.30%) and gulls (21.49%) dominant at the taxonomic-group level. Community index patterns revealed strong regional contrasts: the Southern Jeolla region exhibited high species richness, diversity, and evenness with a ‘lognormal-type’ structure, whereas the Jeju region showed a ‘hollow-curve’ pattern driven by a few highly dominant species. NMDS (Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling) and PERMANOVA (Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance) analyses demonstrated clear separation of bird communities among the West, South, and East/Jeju coasts, indicating that habitat characteristics at the regional scale, rather than geographic distance alone, shape community structure. By taxonomic group, shorebirds were concentrated in western tidal flats, dabbling ducks dominated southern estuarine and brackish habitats, and gull assemblages were characteristic of the eastern coast. Additionally, 25 of the 35 survey sites (71.43%) met the Internationally Important Site (IIS) thresholds, with a total of 36 species (22 of which were shorebirds) identified as exceeding global population criteria. These findings highlight the high ecological significance of Korean coastal wetlands within the EAAF (East Asian–Australasian Flyway). The spatial patterns identified in this study underscore the need to incorporate both community- and habitat-level considerations when establishing region- and seascape-scale conservation strategies for coastal bird habitat networks.

Keywords
Coastal wetlands
Coastal birds
Bird community structure
East Asian–Australasian Flyway (EAAF)
Internationally Important Site (IIS)

연안습지는 육상과 해양을 연결하는 전이지대로서 철새를 포함한 다양한 조류의 핵심 서식지로 기능하지만, 매립·개발·기후변화로 급격히 감소하면서 바닷새 개체군의 국제적 감소가 우려되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 2016–2024년 동안 국내 주요 연안습지 35개소를 대상으로 바닷새의 군집 구조와 공간적 분포 특성을 분석하였다. 총 129종 579,635개체의 바닷새가 관찰되었으며, 종 수준에서는 민물도요(Calidris alpina, 20.60%) 및 괭이갈매기(Larus crassirostris, 15.43%), 분류군 수준에서는 도요·물떼새류(54.30%) 및 갈매기류(21.49%)가 우점하였다. 군집 지표 분석 결과, 전라남부 권역은 종수·다양도·균등도가 모두 높아 lognormal형 구조를 보였으나, 제주는 소수 종의 높은 우점으로 hollow-curve형 구조를 나타냈다. NMDS (Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling) 및 PERMANOVA (Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance) 분석에서는 바닷새 군집이 서해, 남해, 동해/제주로 뚜렷하게 분리되어, 지리적 거리보다는 권역별 서식지 특성이 군집 구조를 규정함이 확인되었다. 분류군별로는 서해안 갯벌에 도요·물떼새류, 남해안 담수·기수역에 수면성 오리류, 동해안에는 갈매기류 중심의 군집이 형성되었다. 또한 조사 지역의 71.43% (25개소)에서 국제적 중요 지역(Internationally Important Site, IIS) 기준을 충족하였으며, 총 36종(그 중 도요·물떼새류 22종)이 확인되어 국내 연안습지가 EAAF (East Asian–Australasian Flyway) 상에서 높은 생태적 중요성을 지니는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구에서 확인된 공간적 군집 특성은 향후 권역·해역 수준의 바닷새 서식지 네트워크 보전 전략 수립 시 군집 및 서식지 단위 접근이 고려될 필요가 있음을 제안한다.

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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Oceanography
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국해양학회
  • Journal Title :The Sea Journal of the Korean Society of Oceanography
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국해양학회지 바다
  • Volume : 30
  • No :4
  • Pages :240-254
  • Received Date : 2025-10-04
  • Revised Date : 2025-11-25
  • Accepted Date : 2025-11-26
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7850/jkso.2025.30.4.240
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