• ALGAE
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.185-192
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• 2013

A new cold-adapted Arctic strain of Haematococcus pluvialis from Blomstrandhalv${\o}$ya Island (Svalbard) is described. This strain is predominantly always in non-motile palmelloid stage. Transmission electron microscopy showed the presence of very thick cell wall and abundant lipid vesicles in the palmelloids, including red and green cells. The external morphology of the non-motile palmelloid and motile bi-flagellated cells of our strain is similar to H. pluvialis; however it differs from H. pluvialis in physiology. Our strain is adapted to live and produce astaxanthin in the low temperature ($4-10^{\circ}C$), whilst the usual growth temperature for H. pluvialis is between $20-27^{\circ}C$. Phylogenetic analysis based on 18S rRNA gene data showed that our strain nested within the Haematococcus group, forming a sister relationship to H. lacustris and H. pluvialis, which are considered synonymous. Therefore, we identified our Arctic strain as H. pluvialis.

• ALGAE
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.79-89
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• 2020

Pythium species are ubiquitous organisms known to be pathogens to terrestrial plants and marine algae. While several Pythium species (hereafter, Pythium) are described as pathogens to marine red algae, little is known about the pathogenicity of Pythium on marine green algae. A strain of a Pythium was isolated from a taxonomically unresolved filamentous Ulva collected in an intertidal area of Oslo fjord. Its pathogenicity to a euryhaline Ulva intestinalis collected in the same area was subsequently tested under salinities of 0, 15, and 30 parts per thousand (ppt). The Pythium isolate readily infected U. intestinalis and decimated the filaments at 0 ppt. Mycelium survived on U. intestinalis filaments for at least 2 weeks at 15 and 30 ppt, but the infection did not progress. Sporulation was not observed in the infected algal filaments at any salinity. Conversely, Pythium sporulated on infected grass pieces at 0, 15, and 30 ppt. High salinity retarded sporulation, but did not prevent it. Our Pythium isolate produced filamentous non-inflated sporangia. The sexual stage was never observed and phylogenetic analysis using internal transcribed spacer suggest this isolate belongs to the clade B2. We conclude that the Pythium found in the Oslo fjord was a pathogen of U. intestinalis under low salinity.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.192-199
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• 2009

Freshwater green algae are one of the important sources of bioenergy in the future. Spirogyra is a conjugating filamentous zygnematacean green algal genus that is widely distributed worldwide with more than 400 species. Despite its widespread occurrence throughout the world, cytological studies of the genus have been limited. We investigated karyological features and chromosome numbers for seven Korean Spirogyra species. Most of the species examined in the present study showed significant karyological features, inner organization of nucleolus, heavily stainable nucleolar substance and the diffuse-centric nature of chromosomes, typical of the Conjugales. Chromosome number ranged from n=12 in S. varians to n=38 in S. africana. Aberrant cytokinesis resulted in binucleate and tetranucleate cells, which sometimes provide cytological explanation for different morphology and ploidal changes in clonal culture of Spirogyra or even different cells within the same filament. The present chromosome data also substantiates the earlier held assumption that aneuploidy must have been the chief driving force for speciation and evolution of the genus Spirogyra.

• ALGAE
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.349-359
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• 2020

Specimens of Umbraulva with greenish iridescent were collected in the subtidal zone of Jeju Island, Korea. To investigate these collections, plastid rbcL and tufA sequencing of six greenish iridescent specimens, including four Umbraulva japonica, were analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis of a concatenated multigene alignment found that the greenish iridescent specimens belonged to a yet undescribed taxon in the genus Umbraulva. We herein propose the name Um. yunseulla sp. nov. for this specimens. Juveniles of Um. yunseulla sp. nov. resemble the generitype Um. japonica in appearance, showing globular to subglobular and funnel-shaped habits, but the blades of this new species are not split longitudinally like those of Um. japonica. Although the multigene phylogenetic tree showed the polyphyletic clade of Umbraulva with respect to the genus Ryuguphycus, Um. yunseulla sp. nov. formed a clade with Um. japonica and Um. amamiensis by weak bootstrap support. These findings, Um. yunseulla sp. nov., highlight the importance of studying the biodiversity of subtidal habitats from Jeju Island, Korea and further emphasize the need for investigations of macroalgae in the mesophotic zone around the Korean peninsula.

• Mycobiology
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.345-356
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• 2022

The fungal distribution, diversity, and load were analyzed in the geographically segregated island groundwater systems in Korea. A total of 79 fungal isolates were secured from seven islands and identified based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. They belonged to three phyla (Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Chlorophyta), five classes, sixteen orders, twenty-two families, and thirty-one genera. The dominant phylum was Ascomycota (91.1%), with most fungi belonging to the Cladosporium (21.5%), Aspergillus (15.2%), and Stachybotrys (8.9%) genera. Cladosporium showed higher dominance and diversity, being widely distributed throughout the geographically segregated groundwater systems. Based on the diversity indices, the genera richness (4.821) and diversity (2.550) were the highest in the groundwater system of the largest scale. As turbidity (0.064-0.462) increased, the overall fungal count increased and the residual chlorine (0.089-0.308) had low relevance compared with the total count and fungal diversity. Cladosporium showed normal mycelial growth in de-chlorinated sterilized samples. Overall, if turbidity increases under higher fungal diversity, bio-deterioration in groundwater-supplying facilities and public health problems could be intensified, regardless of chlorine treatment. In addition to fungal indicators and analyzing methods, physical hydrostatic treatment is necessary for monitoring and controlling fungal contamination.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.40-49
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• 2020

This article emphasized the physiological characteristics of the selected marine microalgal strains obtained from the culture collection of the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK). Therefore, in this study, 13 different marine microalgal strains belonging to the phylum Chlorophyta were analyzed for the composition of fatty acids, elements, photosynthetic pigments, and monosaccharides, as well as the lipid and protein contents. The results presented that the primary fatty acids were palmitic (C_16:0), palmitoleic (C_16:1 n-7), stearic (C_18:0), oleic (C_18:1 n-9), linoleic (C_18:2 n-6), and α-linolenic (ALA, C_18:3 n-3) acid in the evaluated microalgae. The lipid contents of heterotrophically grown strains ranged from 15.1% to 20.4%. The calorific values of the strains were between 17.4 MJ kg^-1 and 21.3 MJ kg^-1. The major monosaccharides were galactose, glucose, and mannose, while the primary photosynthetic pigments were chlorophyll-a (Chla), chlorophyll-b (Chlb), and lutein, respectively. Based on the results, the microalgal strains showed high potentials in the use of microalgae-based technologies to produce biochemicals, food, and renewable fuels as they are rich in sustainable sources of high-value bio-compounds, such as antioxidants, carbohydrates, and fatty acids.

• ALGAE
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.141-153
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• 2010

Seagrass epiphyte blooms potentially have important economic and ecological consequences in Tampa Bay, one of the Gulf of Mexico's largest estuaries. As part of a Tampa Bay pilot study to monitor the impact of environmental stresses, precise characterization of epiphyte diversity is required for efficient management of affected resources. Thus, epiphyte diversity may be used as a rational basis for assessment of ecosystem health. In May 2001, epiphytic species encompassing green, brown and red macroalgae were manually collected from dense and sparse seagrass beds of Thalassia testudinum and Syringodium filiforme. A total of 20 macroalgal epiphytes, 2 Chlorophyta, 2 Phaeophyta, and 16 Rhodophyta, were found on T. testudinum and S. filiforme seagrass at the four sampling sites (Bishop Harbor, Cockroach Bay, Feather Sound, and Mariposa Key). The Rhodophyta, represented by 16 species, dominated the numbers of species. Among them, the thin-crusted Hydrolithon farinosum was the most commonly found epiphyte on seagrass leaves. Species number, as well as species frequency of epiphytes, is higher at dense seagrass sites than sparse seagrass sites. Four attachment patterns of epiphytes can be classified according to cortex and rhizoid development: 1) creeping, 2) erect, 3) creeping & erect, and 4) erect & holding. The creeping type is characterized by an encrusting thallus without a rhizoid or holdfast base. Characteristics of the erect type include a filamentous thallus with or without a cortex, and a rhizoid or holdfast base. The creeping and erect type is characterized by a filamentous thallus with a cortex and rhizoid. A filamentous thallus with a cortex, holdfast base, and host holding branch is characteristics of the erect and holdfast attachment type. This study characterized each species found on the seagrass for epiphyte identification.

• ALGAE
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.339-347
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• 2004

Seaweed community of the sub tidal rocky habitats along the coast of Geumo Archipelago in the central South Sea of Korea is described. This area is characterized by archipelago in which islets are separated by shallow bottom sediments (primary, muddy sand), and turbidity is generally high due to the resuspension of bottom sediments. The hard substrata available for algal attachment are limited to less than 10 m in depth. Thirty sites were randomly chosen along the coast from August 2003 to September 2003 and a 50 m long transect was established at each site. The transect began at a depth of 1 m and ended at the depth of 9 m. The percent cover of all species other than crustose coralline algae was estimated at 2 m depth intervals along the transect using a 0.25 m$^2$ PVC quadrat with 25 squares. Thirty-six species were identified including 6 Chlorophyta, 10 Phaeophyta and 20 Rhodophyta. Species with more than 5% mean bottom cover were Gelidium amansii, Corallina pilulifera, Amphiroa dilatata and Carpopeltis cornea, which formed dense turf-forming algal assemblages at 1-5 m depth. At all sites except S11-S15 located in the western coast of Sorido, bottom covers of seaweed species at the depth deeper than 7 m were less than 6%. The lower limit of algal assemblages was 9 m in depth. We speculate that the limited water clarity and vertical extent of hard substrata available for the settlement of seaweed species are the direct cause of reducing the diversity, abundance and distributional extent of algal assemblages in the area.

• ALGAE
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.197-205
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• 2015

The genus of leafy green algae, Prasiola Meneghini, includes marine, terrestrial, and freshwater species. A total of 11 species and one variety have been identified in China, Korea, and Japan. In Korea, Prasiola formosana var. coreana has been reported in Muncheon, North Korea, while a different type of Prasiola species has been reported in South Korea. The South Korean species has been found growing along a small stream originating from Chodanggul Cave, a limestone cave in Samcheok, Gangwon Province. Here, we revised the morphological characteristics of the South Korean Prasiola species and analyzed plastid rbcL, psaB, and tufA genes to clarify its identity. Although the external and anatomical morphologies varied among individuals, our results were very similar to previous reports. Plastid three genes sequences of the South Korean specimens were identical to those of P. japonica collected from Japan as well as to published sequences of P. yunnanica from China. A short rbcL-3P sequence (196 bp) from P. formosana var. coreana, which was identified in the type specimen, was also identical to a sequence from P. japonica. These Prasiola species and variety from Korea, Japan, and China are all distributed in areas characterized by limestone bedrock. Based on morphological, phylogenetic, and distributional features, the South Korean Prasiola species is regarded herein as P. japonica. Here, we also propose to synonymize P. formosana var. coreana and P. yunnanica with P. japonica.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.225-233
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• 2018

In this exploratory study, eight types of microalgae from different phyla (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella species, Haematococcus pluvialis, Porphyridium purpureum, Porphyridium cruentum, Isochrysis species, Isochrysis galbana, and Pavlova lutheri) were tested for their antibacterial activities against eight target pathogenic bacterial strains. The agar well diffusion method and broth micro dilution assay were conducted to estimate the antibacterial activity. Microalgae cell-free supernatants, exopolysaccharides (EPS), water, and organic solvent extracts were used for inhibition analysis. EPS extracted from P. lutheri showed activity against Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Inhibition zone diameters of 14-20 mm were recorded on agar plates, while the minimum inhibitory concentrations in the broth micro dilution assay were $0.39-25mg\;ml^{-1}$. During this study, haptophyte microalgae, Isochrysis species, and P. lutheri extracts showed the highest activity against most of the tested pathogenic bacterial strains, while most of the extracts were active against the important foodborne pathogen P. aeruginosa. This study showed promising results regarding important microalgae phyla, which will further aid research related to extracts and exploitation of bioactive metabolic compounds in the food and pharmaceutical industries.