• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.630-638
• /
• 2021

In this study, we investigated the effects of dissolved inorganic and organic nutrient on the growth of dinoflagellate Alexandrium affine (LIMS-PS-2345). The maximum uptake rates (ρ_max) and half saturation constants (Ks) calculated from the uptake kinetics experiment were 77.0 pmol/cell/hr, 17.6 μM for nitrate and 15.5 pmol/cell/hr, 3.88 μM for phosphate, respectively. These results suggested that this species has high inorganic nutrient demand and a low affinity for inorganic nutrients. During the utilization of organic nutrients for A. affine, growth rates of experimental groups added by organic nitrogen (urea and glycine) and phosphorus (adenosine triphosphate and glycerol phosphate) were above 70 %, compared to the experimental groups added by inorganic nutrients. Thus, A. affine may need to utilize organic nutrients to understand the dominant strategy and advantageous position in the interspecific competition within low inorganic nutrient environments.

• ALGAE
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.285-298
• /
• 2021

The amount of CO₂ absorbed by the oceans continues to rise, resulting in further acidification, altering some functional traits of phytoplankton. To understand the effect of elevated partial pressures of CO₂ (pCO₂) on functional traits of dinoflagellates Alexandrium affine and A. pacificum, the cardinal temperatures and chain formation extent were examined under two pCO₂ (400 and 1,000 µatm) over the range of temperature expected to be associated with growth. The growth rate and chain formation extent of A. affine increased with higher pCO₂, showing significant changes in cardinal temperatures and a substantial increase in middle chain-length (4-8 cells) fractionation under elevated pCO₂ condition. By contrast, there were no significant differences in specific growth rate and any chain-length fractionation of A. pacificum between ambient and elevated pCO₂ conditions. The observed interspecies variation in the functional traits may reflect differences in ability of species to respond to environmental change with plasticity. Moreover, it allows us to understand the shifting biogeography of marine phytoplankton and predict their phenology in the Korea Strait.

• ALGAE
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.237-251
• /
• 2019

The dinoflagellate genus Alexandrium is known to often form harmful algal blooms causing human illness and large-scale mortality of marine organisms. Therefore, the population dynamics of Alexandrium species are of primary concern to scientists and aquaculture farmers. The growth rate of the Alexandrium species is the most important parameter in prediction models and nutrient conditions are critical parameters affecting the growth of phototrophic species. In Korean coastal waters, Alexandrium affine and Alexandrium fraterculus, of similar sizes, often form red-tide patches together. Thus, to understand bloom dynamics of A. affine and A. fraterculus, growth rates and nitrate uptake of each species as a function of nitrate ($NO_3$) concentration at $100{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}s^{-1}$ under 14-h light : 10-h dark and continuous light conditions were determined using a nutrient repletion method. With increasing $NO_3$ concentration, growth rates and $NO_3$ uptake of A. affine or A. fraterculus increased, but became saturated. Under light : dark conditions, the maximum growth rates of A. affine and A. fraterculus were 0.45 and $0.42d^{-1}$, respectively. However, under continuous light conditions, the maximum growth rate of A. affine slightly increased to $0.46d^{-1}$, but that of A. fraterculus largely decreased. Furthermore, the maximum nitrate uptake of A. affine and A. fraterculus under light : dark conditions were 12.9 and $30.1pM\;cell^{-1}d^{-1}$, respectively. The maximum nitrate uptake of A. affine under continuous light conditions was $16.4pM\;cell^{-1}d^{-1}$. Thus, A. affine and A. fraterculus have similar maximum growth rates at the given $NO_3$ concentration ranges, but they have different maximum nitrate uptake rates. A. affine may have a higher conversion rate of $NO_3$ to body nitrogen than A. fraterculus. Moreover, a longer exposure time to the light may confer an advantage to A. affine over A. fraterculus.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.158-170
• /
• 2016

We investigated the occurrence of the dinoflagellate genus Alexandrium in the nineteen Korean coastal sites from July to October 2013. Alexandrium-like planktonic cells were microscopically observed only in four out of the 19 sampling sites. From the samples containing Alexandrium-like cells 22 clonal cultures of Alexandrium species were established by single cell or single chain isolation method. Taxonomic identity of the 4 different strains ascertained by the robust analyses of morphological and molecular genetic characteristics were confirmed to be A. catenella, A. affine, A. fraterculus and an unidentified Alexandrium sp. for which strain WEB-Alex-01 was assigned. It was ascertained that in spite of hot summer diverse Alexandrium species attaining up to four were distributed in the study area, in contrast with the long empirical recognition that the emergence of Alexandrium species is restricted to cooler seasons like spring or autumn in Korean coastal waters. Morphology and genetic characteristics of Alexandrium sp. strain WEB-Alex-01 are different from any other previously reported Alexandrium species from Korean seas, which implies that further studies on taxonomic, physiological, ecological and toxicological properties of the newly recorded Alexandrium species are needed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
• /
• v.37 no.6
• /
• pp.563-570
• /
• 2019

Red tide has caused massive fish kills in Korean coastal waters with devastating economic loss in the aquaculture industry since 1995. Remote sensing technique has shown to be effective for the detection of red tide in wide areas, where the absorption property of red tide water plays a central role in understanding the red tide reflectance. This study analyzed the optical absorption property of sea waters dominated by the dinoflagellate specie of Alexandirum affine, off the Tongyeong area in August, 2017. Water samples collected from 20 stations in the ship-based campaign were measured for absorption by pigment, suspended solid, and dissolved organic matter, with the corresponding water quality variables such as chlorophyll concentration and total suspended solid. The analysis showed that Alexandrium-dominated water exhibits strong absorption in the spectral range below 400 nm unlike that of diatom-dominated waters, and greater fluctuations in the range of 400 nm - 500 nm. The packaging effect in pigment absorption was stronger in Alexandrium-dominated waters, and the exponent in the absorption by detritus and gelbstoff is disparate for diatom and Alexandrium. In the model for the detritus and gelbstoff absorption (a_dg(λ)=a_dg(λ₀)e^-s(λ-λ₀)), the optimal exponent coefficient(s) for the Alexandrium was close to 0.01 rather than to 0.015, which was commonly use for modelling diatom waters.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.229-236
• /
• 2019

The effects of temperature, salinity and irradiance on the growth of dinoflagellate Alexandrium affine were examined. A maximum specific growth rate ($0.69day^{-1}$) was observed with a combination of $25^{\circ}C$ and 25 psu. Optimal growth (80 % of the maximum specific growth rate) was obtained at $20-26^{\circ}C$ with salinities of 20-35 psu. The results indicated that A. affine is relatively stenothermal of given high water temperature and is a euryhaline species. The irradiance-growth curve found can be described as ${\mu}=0.75(I-4.25)/(I+65.47)$. The compensation photon flux density ($I_c$) and half-saturation photon flux density ($K_I$) were $4.25{\mu}mol\;m^{-2}s^{-1}$ and $57.0{\mu}mol\;m^{-2}s^{-1}$, respectively. In conclusion, A. affine has advantageous physiological characteristics that enable it to be a dominant species in coastal areas with high water temperature and a large salinity gradient, in spite of relatively low irradiance.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.18 no.11
• /
• pp.778-784
• /
• 2017

We investigated the possibility of a bio-monitoring system for predicting toxic dinoflagellates (Genus Alexandrium) by the measuring shell valve movements(SVMs) of Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas (Mollusca: Bivalvia) using the Hall element sensor. We then described the SVMs of Pacific oyster exposed to the toxic algae under laboratory conditions. Pacific oyster used for experiment were fed Isochrysis galbana until they stabilized and kept under hunger conditions for three days to prevent the influence of food before the experiment. Pacific oyster were exposed to the toxic dinoflagellate, A. fundyense, and the potentially toxic dinoflagellate, A. affine. When Pacific oyster were exposed to A. fundyense, SVMs increased over 10 times/hr at low cell densities of 20 cells/mL. SVMs increased again at $14.1{\pm}5.7times/hr$ at 500 cells/mL, and $27.9{\pm}11.1times/hr$ at the high cell density of 5,000 cells/mL. However, in the presence of A. affine, SVMs increased at $6.7{\pm}3.9times/hr$ until 300 cells/mL, while they increased greatly to $15.3{\pm}10.8times/hr$ at 1,000 cells/mL. The SVMs of Pacific oyster indicated differences depending on species for toxic dinoflagellates. Therefore, the SVMs of Pacific oyster could be useful for A. fundyense, but would bedifficult to apply for A. affine.

• Proceedings of the Korean Aquaculture Society Conference
• /
• 2003.10a
• /
• pp.136-137
• /
• 2003

The marine dinoflagellate genus Alexandrium has been recognized as the most representative toxic phytoplankton on account of production of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) throughout the world. PSP producers, generally A, tamarense and A. catenella, within the genus Alexandrium have caused high level intoxicauon of fisheries products and even death of human. In addition, more recent increasing of geographical range of this deleterious species has given rise to alarming tension. The study presented here aimed construction of the molecular phylogenetic relationships through sequences-determination from 16 morphotypic species (containing newly sequenced 3 morphotypic species, A. tamiyavainchii, A. fraterculus and A. pseudogonyaulax) in LSU rDNA D1-D2 and 12 morphotypic species (containing newly sequenced 6 - morphotypic species, A. catenella, A. tamiyavanichii, A. fraterculus, A. affine, A. insuetum and A. pseudogonyaulax) in SSU rDNA region, and the sequences were subjected to comparative-analysis in respect to regional population using functionally expressed rDNA genus and pseudogenes. And we discussed on genetic differentiation between A. tamarense and A. catenella together with putative PSP divegence of the genus Alexandrium. The results of phylogenetic analysis showed the robust monophyletic 14 distinct classes of A. tamarense, A. excavatum, A. catenella, Tasmanian A. tamarense, A. affine (and/or A. concavum), Thai A. tamarense, A. tamiyavanichii, A. fraterculus, A. margalefii, A. andersonii, A. ostenfeldii, A. minutum (and/or A. lusitanicum), A. insuetum, and A, pseudogonyaulx clade. A. fraterculus and A. tamiyavanichii were sister relationship and they were positioned independently between A, affine cluster and those of A. margalefi, A. andersonii, A. ostenfeldii, A. minutum and A. insuetum. A. pseudogonyaulax appeared to be an ancestral taxon among Alexandrium.

• ALGAE
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.299-314
• /
• 2021

Some species in the dinoflagellate genus Alexandrium are bioluminescent. Of the 33 formally described Alexandrium species, the bioluminescence capability of only nine species have been tested, and eight have been reported to be bioluminescent. The present study investigated the bioluminescence capability of seven Alexandrium species that had not been tested. Alexandrium mediterraneum, A. pohangense, and A. tamutum were bioluminescent, but A. andersonii, A. hiranoi, A. insuetum, and A. pseudogonyaulax were not. We also measured the bioluminescent intensity of A. affine, A. fraterculus, A. mediterraneum, A. ostenfeldii, A. pacificum, A. pohangense, A. tamarense, and A. tamutum. The mean 200-second-integrated bioluminescence intensity per cell ranged from 0.02 to 32.2 × 10⁴ relative luminescence unit per cell (RLU cell^-1), and the mean maximum bioluminescence intensity per cell per second (BL_Max) ranged from 0.01 to 10.3 × 10⁴ RLU cell^-1 s^-1. BL_Max was significantly correlated with the maximum growth rates of Alexandrium species, except for A. tamarense. A phylogenetic tree based on large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU rDNA) showed that the bioluminescent species A. affine, A. catenella, A. fraterculus, A. mediterraneum, A. pacificum, and A. tamarense formed a large clade. However, the toxicity or mixotrophic capability of these species was split. Thus, their bioluminescence capability in this clade was more consistent than their toxicity or mixotrophic capability. Phylogenetic trees based on LSU rDNA and the luciferase gene of Alexandrium were consistent except for A. pohangense. The results of the present study can provide a basis for understanding the interspecific diversity in bioluminescence of Alexandrium.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.172-185
• /
• 2004

LSU rDNA D1-D2 and SSU rDNA genes of 23 strains in seven Alexandrium (Halim) species, A. tamarense (Lebour) Balech, A. catenella (Whedon et Kofoid), A. fraterculus (Balech) Balech, A. affine (Inoue et Fukuyo) Balech, A. insuetum Balech, A. pseudogonyaulax (Biecheler) Horiguchi ex Yuki et Fukuyo and A. tamiyavanichii Balech, were sequenced and the data were used for molecular phylogenetic analysis. The sequence data revealed 11 and 7 ribotypes in the LSU rDNA D1-D2 region and 4 and 17 ribotypes in the SSU rDNA region of A. catenella and A. tamarense, respectively. Other Alexandrium species had also 1 to 5 ribotypes in the two regions. With the exception of CMC2 and CMC3 of A. catenella, all A. tamarense and A. catenella strains had a common ribotype, a functionally expressed rRNA gene (here termed type A), in both gene regions. In addition to the functionally expressed gene, several pseudogenes were obtained that were found to be good tools to analyze the population designation of regional isolates by grouping them according to shared ribotypes. From the phylogenetic analysis of the sequence data determined in this study and retrieved from GenBank, the genus Alexandrium was divided into 14 groups: 1) A. tamarense, 2) A. excavatum, 3) A. catenella, 4) Tasmanian A. tamarense, 5) A. affine (and/or A. concavum), 6) Thai A. tamarense, 7) A. tamiyavanichii, 8) A. fraterculus, 9) A. margalefii, 10) A. andersonii, 11) A. ostenfeldii, 12) A. minutum (or A. lusitanicum), 13) A. insuetum, and 14) A. pseudogonyaulax. The SSU rDNA gene sequence of A. fundyense was so similar to those of A. tamarense used in this study that the two species were difficult to discriminate each other. A. tamiyavanichii was closest to the A. tamarense strain isolated in Thailand and close to the long chain-forming species of A. affine and A. fraterculus. The phylogenetic tree showed that A. margalefii, A. andersonii, A. ostenfeldii, A. minutum and A. insuetum constituted the basal relative complex, and that A. pseudogonyaulax is an ancestral taxon in the genus Alexandrium.