• ALGAE
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.251-255
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• 2008

In Gamak Bay, Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) was first detected from seafoods in 2003, however the toxin source is unknown yet. In this study, we report potential PSP producers of toxic dinoflagellates, describing morphology and abundance of cysts isolated from surface sediment of Gamak Bay. The most abundant type in these cysts was characterized with ellipsoidal and transparent wall identical to Alexandrium catenella and/or A. tamarense. Germination experiment of the cysts revealed that all motile cells germinated were morphologically identified as A. tamarense. This result suggests that A. tamarense may relate to PSP contaminations in Gamak Bay. Moreover, bottom water temperature in Gamak Bay is favorable for germination of A. tamarense cysts. Further studies are required to carry out the PSP monitoring for preventing the risk of PSP events that may outbreak in future at Gamak Bay.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Fisheries Technology Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.271-272
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• 2001

Taxonomic studies of HAB species have been hindered by paucity of informative morphology, phenotypic variation under different environmental ifluences, lack of knowledge on their sexual reproduction. In Korea, two PSP incidents resulting in human deaths after eating contaminated mussels broke out in 1985 (Chang et al.1987 and 1996 (Lee et al, 1997). (omitted)

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.248-255
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• 2010

This study was carried out to assess the feasibility of the electron beam irradiation as a mean of red tide control in coastal water. Prorocentrum minimum, Prorocentrum micans, Cochlodinium polykrikoides, Heterosigma akashiwo, Alexnadrium catenella were selected and cultured for experiments, and red tide occurring in Tongyeong(2007. 8. 15) was also tested under the same conditions. The irradiation dose were 1 kGy, 2 kGy, 4 kGy and 8 kGy. The result showed 50~65% extinction in red tide cells was observed right after irradiation dose of 1 kGy and 86~97% within 1 day after irradiation, compared with control. Chlorophyll-a concentration of red tide was reduced by 50~64% immediately and it was drastically reduced up to 86~97% 1 day after irradiation. When the culture was irradiated at 1 kGy, 28~47% of s-protein was released immediately, and 77~138% was released 1day after irradiation. 77~212% of s-carbohydrate was excreted after 1 day while 16~45% of s-carbohydrate was excreted immediately. A transmission electron microscope(TEM) observation for the irradiated red tide revealed that the cell was destroyed and intracellular biopolymeric substance was leached out from the damaged cell as a result of electron beam irradiation. These results imply that electron beam irradiation is enable to control red tide by flocculation with extracellular biopolymer. The paralytic shellfish poisoning(PSP) toxin contents produced by Alexandrium catenella was decreased 48% by 1 kGy of electron beam irradiation compared with the unirradiated cells. As a result, electron beam irradiation was effective for detoxication as well as destruction of red tide.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.163-167
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• 2003

Identification of species within the toxin-producing genus Alexandrium is vital for biotoxin monitoring and mitigation decisions regarding shellfish industry. In particular, the discrimination of resting cysts of only A. tamarense from that of Alexandrium spp. is considerable important to fundamentally monitor and predict this species before vegetative cells occur in the nature. Fluorescent cTAM-F1 DNA probe was responsible to not only binding the activity of the vegetative cells in A. tamarense, but also to the resting cysts, which was treated with methanol after fixation and stained by primuline on the surface The location of fluorescence in cultured vegetative cells and resting cysts was almost at tile bottom of the nucleus. The optimal incubation temperature and time using in situ hybridization were 50-$54^{\circ}C$ and 40-60 min, respectively, to penetrate the DNA probe into cell.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2007

Distributional characteristics of dinoflagellate cysts in surface sediments were investigated in relation to environmental factors in the eastern part of Geoje Island, Korea. Samples were collected from 10 stations in February of 2004 and water temperature and salinity were measured in February, May, September and November of 2004. Total 30 taxa of dinoflagellate cysts were identified representing 19 genera, 28 species and 2 unidentified species. Among these dinoflagellate cysts, Brigantedinium spp. of which relative proportion in th e total dinoflagellate cysts was 23.5%, was the most abundant at all stations except St. 1, and was followed by Spiniferites bulloideus (8.6%), Lingulodinium machaerophorum (8.2%) and Diplopsalis lenticula (6.7%). In addition, ellipsoidal cysts of the genus Alexandrium (Alexandrium catenella - tamarense type) and Gymnodinium catenatum, known to be causative organisms for PSP, occurred with high concentrations. Scrippsiella trochoidea was also found; however, its cyst concentration was low. Generally, species composition in the study area was similar to these reported from Jinhae Bay and Busan Harbor and several dinoflagellate cysts reflected the eutrophic condition. Cyst distribution in th e eastern part of Geoje Island seems to be influenced by the Tsushima Warm Current flowing from the southwest. The mean water temperature was $12.0^{\circ}C$ in February, $14.7^{\circ}C$ in May, $20.9^{\circ}C$ in September and $17.2^{\circ}C$ in November, which was most favorable for Alexandrium spp. growth. The abundances of dinoflagellate cysts rang e d from 528 to 2,834 cysts/g dry sediment. Higher concentrations were recognized in sediments of west area of the Jisimdo than at other stations. The cyst composition of this area was closely related to these of Jinhae Bay and Busan Harbor from which currents flow into this area. Higher cyst concentration in the west area of Jisimdo might be due to formation of the gyre.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.202-208
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• 2004

The spatio-temporal distribution of dinoflagellate resting cysts was investigated by palynological processing to understand the harmful algal bloom (HAB) potential in the sediment of the Saemangeun area in 2003. In total, thirty-two dinoflagellate species were identified, and their concentrations were in the range of $6-1,618\;cysts{\cdot}g^{-1}$ (dry weight). The concentrations of resting cysts were higher in the spring (26 species, $64-1,101\;cysts{\cdot}g^{-1})$ and summer (30 species, $81-1,618\;cysts{\cdot}g^{-1})$ than in the autumn (32 species, $6-1,150\;cysts{\cdot}g^{-1})$ and winter (24 species, $25-728\;cysts{\cdot}g^{-1}).$ The composition rate of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate species to the total, which is closely related to the eutrophication process, to ranged from 6 to $29\%$ in the study area. The most dominant species was toxic Alexandrium tamarense/catenella $(25\%)$ followed by Gonyaulax scrippsea $(9\%)$ and toxic Protoceratium reticulatum $(5\%).$ Given the high abundance of the toxigenic dinoflagellate species, the Saemangeun area is considered to have the great potential for HABs in the future.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.959-966
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• 2004

Twenty-three cultures of harmful algal bloom (HAB)-(causing dinoflagellates were isolated from the coastal waters of Korea. For each of the 14 morphospecies, the nuclearencoded small subunit (SSU) rDNA was analyzed to determine the phylogenetic relatedness of the species. Despite temporal and spatial isolation, 3-4 clonal cultures of Alexandrium catenella, Cochlodinium polykrikoides, and Gymnodinium catenatum had 100% identical SSU rDNA sequences. In contrast, heterogeneities in the SSU rDNA sequences were observed in Akashiwo sanguinea and Lingulodinium polyedrum strains. Extreme sequence polymorphism was shown within the SSU rRNA genes of an Al. tamarense clonal culture. A homology search in GenBank revealed that 11 dinoflagellate species were located in clusters corresponding to their morphological classification. The SSU rDNA sequences of C. polykrikoides, Gyrodinium instriatum, and Pheopolykrikos hartmannii, which were determined for the first time in this study, showed the following phylogenetic relationships: C. polykrikoides formed an independent branch separated from other dinoflagellates; Gyr. instriatum was placed in a monophyletic group with Gyr. dorsum and Gyr. uncatenum; and Ph. hartmanii, which forms a distinct two-celled pseudocolony, belonged to Gymnodinium sensu Hansen and Moestrup.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.6958-6965
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• 2014

This study examined the occurring pattern of potential risky species and the related abiotic factors for port-specific environmental management considering the control of ballast water-induced foreign species at Incheon seaport. From a total of 62 species observed during the study, 13 red-tide and 7 toxic phytoplankton, normally occurring species in Korean waters, occurred from the seasonal investigation at the inner and outer sites of the Incheon seaport from 2007 to 2009. The number of potential risky phytoplankton was relatively high at the outer site of the port during summer and winter. Red-tide species, such as Skeletonema spp., Thalassiosira nordenskioldii, and Paralia sulcata, dominated the total standing crops at the inner site (avg. 72.4%) and outer site (avg. 77.6%) in spring and summer, being positively correlated with the concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS) and pH (p<0.05). In summer, the red-tide species (Skeletonema spp.) and toxic species (Alexandrium catenella, A. tamarense, Dinophysis acuminata and Pseudo-nitzschia spp.) co-dominated (avg. 74.2%) at the inner site, while Skeletonema spp. and P. sulcata predominated (avg. 67.2%) at the outer site. During the study periods, the toxic species were significantly and positively correlated with the chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved inorganic nitrogen, silicate and phosphate (p < 0.05). The chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration of phytoplankton at the outer site ranged from 1.49 to $5.46{\mu}g/L$ on average, which was 3-5 times higher than that at the inner site in spring, summer and autumn, whereas there was no difference in the concentration between inner (avg. $0.94{\mu}g/L$) and outer (avg. $0.95{\mu}g/L$) sites in winter. In summary, diverse red-tide species dominated and a relatively high chl-a concentration existed at the outer site, whereas a relatively high number of toxic species and low chl-a concentration was observed at the inner site in summer. The potential risky species can outbreak in association with the concentration of nutrients, COD and TSS, suggesting that distinctive management of potential risky species is needed considering the environmental characteristics of Incheon seaport.