Development of a Wetland Ecosystem Health Assessment Method Using Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community

Benthic macroinvertebrates are a major ecological group in freshwater ecosystems, exhibiting diverse adaptations depending on their habitat. Based on these characteristics, studies using benthic macroinvertebrate communities for aquatic ecosystem health assessments are currently being conducted worldwide, primarily focusing on lotic ecosystems such as rivers, and estuaries. However, due to the significant environmental changes caused by water flow affecting water quality, food sources, and microhabitats, it is essential to develop indices specialized for lentic ecosystems, which have different flow characteristics, to accurately evaluate their health. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a wetland health assessment index using benthic macroinvertebrates. Preliminary indicators were selected from domestic and international health assessment methods, and final indicators were chosen based on their correlation with water quality status, applicability in Korea, redundancy between indicators, and their reflection of wetland characteristics. The verification of each indicator was performed using benthic macroinvertebrate community data from 37 wetlands, while water quality data were used from wetland assessments conducted from 2018 to 2022. Evaluation scores were calculated based on the cumulative distribution function, reflecting the distribution of data for each indicator. The final indicators included the number of taxa, total individual density, the number and percentage of OCH (Odonata, Coleoptera, Hemiptera) taxa and individual density, non-insect taxa (%), Chironomidae spp. individual density (%), functional feeding groups (FFGs), and habitat-oriented groups (HOGs), with a total of eight indicators selected. We developed an index to effectively assess Korean wetland health, providing a foundational resource for health evaluations in Korea.