• ALGAE
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.171-185
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• 2002

The standing crop of genus Microcystis, microcystin concentrations and environmental factors were monitored at stations of the lower reaches of the Nakdong River in 1998 and 1999 during the periods of its occurrence. The Microcystis were observed from May to Octorber, and the cell density was highest at Station Seonam up to 250,000 cells${\cdot}ml^{-1}$ forming scum over the water surface. There were signigicant relationships between the standing crop of Microcystis and nitrate nitrogen, total phosphorus concentrations and Ph. Presumably these parameters were important in the succession to Microcystis dominated phytoplankton community in the summer period in the river. However, Ammonium nitrogen, phosphate phosphorus concentrations and N/P ratio were not critical factors. The Microcystis bloom was notable above $25^{\circ}C$ of surface water temperature. Microcystins were detected from May to November in the algal materials from the river. The 84.2% of algal materials with Microcystis exhibited the microcystin with the maximum of 1711.8 ${\mu}g{\cdot}g^{-1}$ dw. The microcystin concentrations in the algal materials were significantly related to the stading crop of Microcystis, which was the primary determinant factor in the toxin levle of algal materials. The concentrations were also significantly related to pH of the water column in the positive pattern.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.214-218
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• 2014

We introduce a technical equipment of GATe (Green (algae)-tide) water combine developed by K-water. The GATe water combine consists of five modules: main body and buoyant, transfer hopper, screen conveyer, sludge remover, and separator of algae and waste. Also a sprinkler, as the pre-treatment step if necessary, is equipped to the device to spread out environmental-friendly algaecide under the circumstance that the level of algal bloom does not reach to the scum-forming condition. The overall module system of this device is very simple. Based on the field test, the device covers surface area of ca. $500,000m^2day^{-1}$ during the period from May to July, and treats water volume as much as $500,000m^3day^{-1}$ in spite of some variation depending on the water quality condition. The removal efficiency of the device appeared to be over 90%. In addition, the operating duration of the device was able to expand to cover the period between March and November. We expect this new technology can be used to solve algal bloom problems in drinking water resource and public water area.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.538-545
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigate growth response and toxigenicity under various temperature and nutritional conditions, in order to understand the physioecological characteristics of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, which is a bloom-forming cyanobacterium in the Nakdong River. The strain was inoculated into media under combinations of four temperatures (4, 12, 21, $30^{\circ}C$) and three nutrients (modified CB medium, P-depleted CB medium, N-depleted CB medium) for 28 days. The algae-inhibition tests were performed to assess the potential allelopathic effects of the strains' filtrates on the growth of four algae strains (Microcystis aeruginosa, Aulacoseria ambigua f. spiralis, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Scenedesmus obliquus). Toxin production of a strain was measured by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSolbent Assay (ELISA). The optimal growth temperature (Topt) of strains was $19.9^{\circ}C$ ($18.3-21.2^{\circ}C$), and the temperature range for growth was from $-0.3^{\circ}C$ to $34.3^{\circ}C$. Specific growth rate (${\mu}$) in modified CB medium varied from 0.10 to $0.16day^{-1}$, and the maximum growth rate (${\mu}_{max}$) was $0.17day^{-1}$. Although growth curves under N-existed and N-depleted conditions were almost the same, growth under N-depleted condition was relatively slowed (${\mu}=0.09$ to $0.14day^{-1}$), with a decreased maximum cell density. However, growth under the P-depleted condition was restricted for all temperatures, Two stains of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae were confirmed as not producing toxins, because saxitoxin and cylindrospermopsin were not detected by ELISA. The exudates or filtrates from the Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (DGUC003) resulted in significant inhibition of algal growth on the Aulacoseira ambigua f. spiralis (DGUD001) and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (DGUC001) (p < 0.01).

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.86-91
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• 2005

Three haptophyte algae, Isochrysis galbana, Prymnesium parvum and P. patelliferum were offered to the marine copepod Tigriopus japonicus as food. Growth rate of larvae, egg production, mortality and comsumption rates of T. japonicus were measured for each of the haptophyte species offered. The growth rate of larvae, egg production and algal ingestion of T. japonicus fed on P. parvum and P. patelliferum were much lower than those fed on I. galbana and corresponding high mortality rates were also observed during the experimental period. The harmful effects observed during the present study indicate that bloom-forming haptophyte algae, P. parvum and P. patelliferum are not suitable feed species for culture of copepod, T. japonicus.

• ALGAE
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.49-59
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• 2016

Ulva pertusa, a common bloom-forming green alga, was used as a model system to examine the effects of elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) and temperature on growth and photosynthetic performance. To do this, U. pertusa was grown under four temperature and CO₂ conditions; ambient CO₂ (400 μatm) and temperature (16℃) (i.e., present), elevated temperature only (19℃) (ET; i.e., warming), elevated CO₂ only (1,000 μatm) (EC; i.e., acidification), and elevated temperature and CO₂ (ET and EC; i.e., greenhouse), and its steady state photosynthetic performance evaluated. Maximum gross photosynthetic rates (GP_max) were highest under EC conditions and lowest under ET conditions. Further, ET conditions resulted in decreased rate of dark respiration (R_d), but growth of U. pertusa was higher under ET conditions than under ambient temperature conditions. In order to evaluate external carbonic anhydrase (eCA) activity, photosynthesis was measured at 70 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ in the presence or absence of the eCA inhibitor acetazolamide (AZ), which inhibited photosynthetic rates in all treatments, indicating eCA activity. However, while AZ reduced U. pertusa photosynthesis in all treatments, this reduction was lower under ambient CO₂ conditions (both present and warming) compared to EC conditions (both acidification and greenhouse). Moreover, Chlorophyll a and glucose contents in U. pertusa tissues declined under ET conditions (both warming and greenhouse) in conjunction with reduced GP_max and R_d. Overall, our results indicate that the interaction of EC and ET would offset each other’s impacts on photosynthesis and biochemical composition as related to carbon balance of U. pertusa.

• ALGAE
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.373-378
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• 2016

Cochlodinium polykrikoides is a red-tide forming dinoflagellate that causes significant worldwide impacts on aquaculture industries and the marine ecosystem. There have been extensive studies on managing and preventing C. polykrikoides blooms, but it has been difficult to identify an effective method to control the bloom development. There is also limited genome information on the molecular mechanisms involved in its various ecophysiology and metabolism processes. Thus, comprehensive genome information is required to better understand harmful algal blooms caused by C. polykrikoides. We estimated the C. polykrikoides genome size using flow cytometry, with detection of the fluorescence of DNA stained with propidium iodide (PI). The nuclear genome size of C. polykrikoides was 100.97 Gb, as calculated by comparing its mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) to the MFI of Mus musculus, which is 2.8 Gb. The exceptionally large genome size of C. polykrikoides might indicate its complex physiological and metabolic characteristics. Our optimized protocol for estimating the nuclear genome size of a dinoflagellate using flow cytometry with PI can be applied in studies of other marine organisms.

• ALGAE
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.207-216
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• 2005

Myrionecta rubra, a mixotrophic ciliate, is a cosmopolitan red tide species which is commonly found in neritic and estuarine waters. M. rubra had long been listed as an “nculturable protist”until 2 different laboratory strains were finally established in 2 research groups at the beginning of this century, enabling us to perform initiative investigation into various aspect of the live M. rubra strains (Gustafson et al. 2000; Yih et al. 2004b; Johnson and Stoecker 2005). Field sampling was carried out on high tide at 2 fixed stations around Kunsan Inner Harbor (St.1 near the Estuarine Weir and St.2 off Kunsan Ferry Station) every other day for 4 months from mid-February 2004 to understand detailed figure of the recurrent spring blooms of M. rubra following the onset of the water gates operation of the Keum River Estuarine Weir on August 1994. With its maximum abundance of 272 cells mL$^{-1}$ in St.1, fluctuation pattern of the M. rubra population at the 2 stations was strikingly similar. Notable growth of M. rubra population started on late April, to cause M. rubra red tides during one month from mid-May in which “xceptionally low salinity days”without its red tide were intermittently inserted. High abundance of M. rubra over 50 cells mL$^{-1}$ was recorded at samples with their water temperature and salinity higher than 15${^{\circ}C}$ and 4.0 psu, respectively. During pre-bloom period when salinity fluctuation is moderate and the water temperature is cooler than 15°C, Skeletonema costatum, a chain-forming centric diatom, was most dominant. Cyanobacterial species such as Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Phormidium sp. replaced other dominant phytoplankters on the days with “xceptionally low salinity”even during the main blooming period of M. rubra. To summarize, M. rubra could form spring blooms in Keum River Estuary when the level of salinity fluctuation was more severe than that for the dominant diatom Skeletonema costatum and milder than that for the predominance by freshwater cyanobacteria. Therefore, optimal control of the scale and frequency of freshwater discharges might lead us to partially modify the fluctuation pattern of M. rubra populations as well as the period of spring blooms by M. rubra in Keum River Estuary. Sampling time interval of 2 days for the present study or daily sampling was concluded to be minimally required for the detailed exploration into the spring blooms by M. rubra populations in estuaries with weirs like Keum River Estuary.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.292-301
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• 2014

Akinete germination may be a starting point of some akinete-producing cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophic freshwater systems. This study examined germinability of akinete of a cyanobacterium Anabaena circinalis isolated from the sediment of the North Han River (Cheongpyung Dam), Korea, under several environmental factors such as temperature ($5{\sim}25^{\circ}C$), light ($0{\sim}100{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$), nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and pH (5~12). The high germination rate appeared at high temperature: >55% at $25^{\circ}C$, followed by 15% at $15^{\circ}C$, $10^{\circ}C$ and 10% at $5^{\circ}C$. Low light intensity was favorable for akinete germination. Over 45% of germination occurred at low light intensities (5, 15 and $30{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$), while less than 10% of germination occurred at both 50 and $100{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$. No germination occurred in the dark condition. Akinete germination rate increased with nutrient (phosphorus and nitrogen) enrichment, and nitrogen addition showed greater effect on the germination compared to phosphorus addition. Akinetes germinated well at neutral or slightly alkaline pH condition (pH 7 and pH 8: >55%), but no germination was observed at pH 11~12. The present study demonstrates some favorable ambient conditions of Anabaena circinalis germination, which could provide useful information to study the germination conditions of other Anabaena species or akinete-forming algae and predict its bloom in eutrophic freshwaters.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.213-224
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• 2013

Between May 2006 and November 2009, we investigated the relationship between fluctuations in environmental factors and phytoplankton communities in Saemangeum Artificial Lake, South Korea. Nutrient concentrations in the lake increased because of the inflow of water from Mankyung and Dongjin Rivers during the summer rainy season; in particular, high concentrations were detected at an inner zone close to the estuaries. During the summer rainy season, salinity at the inner zone reduced more rapidly than that at the other zones, and it was similar to the changes in nutrient concentrations. Variations in phytoplankton communities were caused by fluctuations in environmental factors: the abundance of phytoplankton at the inner zone was higher than that at the other zones. Diatoms were the dominant species in the phytoplankton communities. A small centric diatom, Skeletonema costatum like species, was predominant, with a mean abundance of 19.5% in Saemangeum lake. Because of accelerated eutrophication in the lake, phytoplankton abundance increased continuously and the total number of species present in the community decreased. In particular, some dinoflagellates could intermittently cause red tides during low temperature and salinity conditions (at the inner zone). In 2006~2007, a red tide-forming dinoflagellate, Prorocentrum minimum, was the predominant species, while Heterocapsa triquetra, Karlodinium veneficum, and Heterocapsa rotundata were the newly recorded species in late 2008 to early 2009. Therefore, the dynamics of phytoplankton communities under the perennially eutrophic conditions in Saemangeum lake appear to be primarily affected by changes in water temperature and salinity. In particular, the growth of harmful algae may have been accelerated by the low salinity and temperature conditions during the spring season at the inner zone.