• ALGAE
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.253-266
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• 2019

Several species classified to the genus Ulva are primarily responsible for causing green tides all over the world. For almost two decades, green tides have been resulted in numerous ecological problems along the eastern coast of Jeju Island, Korea. In order to characterize the species of Ulva responsible for causing the massive blooms on Jeju Island, we conducted DNA barcoding of tufA and rbcL sequences on 183 specimens of Ulva from eight sites on Jeju Island. The concatenated analysis identified five bloom-forming species: U. australis, U. lactuca, U. laetevirens, U. ohnoi and a novel species, U. pseudo-ohnoi sp. nov. Among them, U. australis, U. lactuca, and U. laetevirens caused to the blooms coming mainly from the substratum. U. ohnoi and U. pseudo-ohnoi sp. nov. were causative the free-floating blooms. Four species, except U. australis, are characterized by marginal teeth. A novel species, U. pseudo-ohnoi sp. nov., is clearly diverged from the U. lactuca, U. laetevirens, and U. ohnoi clade in the concatenated maximum likelihood analysis. Accurate species delimitation will contribute to a management of massive Ulva blooms based on this more comprehensive knowledge.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.79-85
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• 2010

To examine the effect of Codium fragile on blood cholesterol and lipid metabolism, hyperlipidemia was induced in experimental animal rats through the administration of a hypercholesterolemic diet. Codium fragile powder was then administered to the rats for 5 weeks, after which, blood biochemical changes such as blood cholesterol, Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST: serum SGOT) and Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT: serum SGPT) enzyme activity, etc. were determined. And histological changes in liver cells were examined using an electron microscope. Codium fragile treatment resulted in a significant reduction of the levels of total cholesterol, blood triglyceride and low-density cholesterol (LDL. Chol) compared to the control rats. In contrast the expression levels of high-density cholesterol (HDL. chol.) were increased. The AST value of the Codium fragile administration group was significantly reduced and the blood ALT value of the Codium fragile group showed a significant decrease in comparison to the negative control group. In summary, this study demonstrated the beneficial possibilities of Codium fragile in improving the abnormality of lipid metabolism caused by liver cell damage and hyperlipidemia.

• ALGAE
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.197-204
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• 2010

Cytoskeletal changes were observed during cell division of the green alga Zygnema cruciatum using flourescein isothiocynate (FITC)-conjugated phallacidin for F-actin staining and FITC-anti-$\alpha$-tubulin for microtubule staining. Z. cruciatum was uninucleate with two star-shaped chloroplasts. Nuclear division and cell plate formation occurred prior to chloroplast division. Actin filaments appeared on the chromosome and nuclear surface during prophase, and the F-actin ring appeared as the cleavage furrow developed. FITC-phallacidin revealed that actin filaments were attached to the chromosomes during metaphase. The F-actin ring disappeared at late metaphase. At telophase, FITC-phallacidin staining of actin filaments disappeared. FITC-anti-$\alpha$-tubulin staining revealed that microtubules were arranged beneath the protoplasm during interphase and then localized on the nuclear region at prophase, and that the mitotic spindle was formed during metaphase. The microtubules appeared between dividing chloroplasts. The results indicate that a coordination of actin filaments and microtubules might be necessary for nuclear division and chromosome movement in Z. cruciatum.

• ALGAE
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.369-377
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• 2005

Seashore joining with land and sea, which is typical habitat for marine macroalgae, is classified two types of shore as soft- and hard-bottom shore according to topographical (geological) and ecological features. We compared two of Ulva pertusa Kjellman from two contrasting habitats, sandy (soft-bottom, Haenam) and rocky shore (hard-bottom, Hadong) in terms of chlorophyll-a fluorescence and its parameters, and various photosynthetic pigment and nutrient content in the tissue of those. Both of habitats were different in the light environment such as light attenuation coefficient and even in nutrient concentration of ambient seawater. Electron transport rate (ETR) of Ulva from sandy shore was higher than from rocky shore. The range of photosynthetic pigment content in the tissue of U. pertusa was significantly much more in from sandy shore, and also nitrogen and phosphorus content were significantly higher except for carbon content. However, there were no significant differences in the ratio of among photosynthetic pigments, and N:P ratio was similar between each other, even though significantly different. Our result implied on the reason of why most of green tides in the worldwide concentrated and frequently occurred at sites with sandy, muddy and silty bottoms, being classified as soft-bottom shore.

• ALGAE
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.269-281
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• 2012

Marado is a small rocky island located off the south coast of Jeju Island and acts as the first gateway of the Kuroshio Current to Korean coastal ecosystems. This island is one of the most unpolluted and well preserved sea areas around the Jeju coast. We extensively observed macroalgal assemblages of species and functional forms in the intertidal and subtidal zones through four seasons on Marado, Jeju Island, Korea to demonstrate the seasonality of vertical distribution patterns and biomass. A total of 144 species (14 Chlorophyta, 40 Phaeophyta, and 90 Rhodophyta) were identified in quadrats and were analyzed seasonally and vertically to define the variation patterns. The annual mean biomass of macroalgae was $2,932.3g\;wet\;wt\;m^{-2}$ and the highest value was recorded in spring and the lowest was in winter. The annual dominant species by biomass was Ecklonia cava followed by Sargassum fusiforme, S. macrocarpum, Amphiroa galapagensis, Chondria crassicaulis, and S. thunbergii. Obvious biomass zonation patterns of macroalgal species were detected in relation to tidal height and depth. Macroalgal biomass, diversity index (H'), and community dynamics were the highest in the shallow subtidal zone. Species number was higher in the subtidal than in the intertidal zone and similar throughout the entire subtidal zone. Our results provide revealing insights into the distribution patterns of macroalgal assemblages in an unpolluted sea area around Jeju Island.

• ALGAE
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.225-234
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• 2012

Zygnema is a conjugating filamentous green algal genus that is distributed in a broad range of freshwater habitats, from sea level to alpine summits. Although more than 150 species have been described worldwide, their taxonomy remains unclear, probably owing to their relatively simple morphology. We investigated the detailed morphology of Korean Zygnema species, combined with analysis of the plastid psbA gene from 22 specimens of the genus and putative relatives, in order to develope a key to their identification and isolation, and to determine their relationships. We recognized two species of Zygnema; Z. insigne and Z. leiospermum, based on morphological characters such as width of the vegetative cell, position of zygospores, dimensions and form of spores, shape of female gametangia, and color of mesospores. The analysis of psbA data was consistent with morphological comparison. The pairwise divergence between two species was 3.7-4.1% (34-38 bp) in psbA sequences. The phylogeny of psbA revealed the monophyly of Z. insigne and Z. leiospermum together with two isolates of Z. circumcarinatum from Germany and Scotland. This is the first report on the psbA gene phylogeny of Zygnema.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.219-226
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• 2009

Seasonal variation in the biomass of eelgrass (Zostera marina) and epiphytic algae in two eelgrass beds (Dongdae and Aenggang Bay) around Namhae Island was investigated throughout 2005. Shoot density and eelgrass biomass differed across months and locations. Peak shoot density occurred from April to August 2005, whereas eelgrass biomass was higher in July and August 2005. Shoot density as well as eelgrass biomass were higher in Dongdae Bay compared to Aenggang Bay. A total of 21 epiphytic algal species (4 Chlorophyta, 2 Phaeophyta, and 15 Rhodophyta) were collected, and dominant species included Polysiphonia japonica, Lomentaria hakodantensis, Symphyocladia latiuscula, Champia sp., and Heterosiphonia japonica. Seasonal variation in both the species composition and biomass of epiphytic algae was substantial: peak epiphytic algal biomass occurred in January and December 2005. We also observed high epiphytic algal biomass in the eelgrass bed of Dongdae Bay. Seasonal changes in the biomass of eelgrass and epiphytic algae were primarily influenced by water temperature, whereas those of the epiphytic algal community were also correlated with eelgrass (substrate) morphology and growth, the life cycle of epiphytic algae, and physical characteristics within eelgrass beds. The spatial variation of eelgrass density and biomass were also limited by sediment characteristics.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.1037-1043
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• 2014

We extensively observed macroalgal assemblages of species composition and biomass of summer benthic marine algae at Dokdo in the East sea of Korea. A total of 102 species (12 Chlorophyta, 36 Phaeophyta, and 54 Rhodophyta) were identified in quadrats and were analysed qualitatively to define the variation patterns. Biomass in dry weight according to various depths ranged between 146.0 to 764.2 g m-2 at study sites. Mean biomass at the investigated sites was greater in the 10m depth range than in the 5 and 15m depths at Dongdo. The flora could be classified into six functional groups: coarsely branched form (51.0%), filamentous form (17.7%), thick leather form (15.7%), sheet form (5.9%), jointed calcareous form (4.9%) and crustose form (4.9%). The R/P, C/P and (R+C)/P value were 1.67, 0.50 and 2.17, respectively. The number of marine algae species and the biomass in Dokdo area were markedly reduced as compared with those in the previous studies. This result suggests possible future changes in the algal vegetation, considering coastal marine environment of this area.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.156-164
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• 2002

Enteromorpha prolifera of the isomorphic diploid sporophyte and the haploid gametophyte generations inhabit rocks, tidal flats and tidal pools in the middle parts of intertidal zones. In this experiment, their thalli were observed by bare eyes from October and experienced $74\pm16.5cm$ maximum growth the following March and April. The rate of occurrence of the thalli per month was highest in March, while their biomass peaked at $1,464\pm41.5 g/m^2$ in Jangheung in April. Genetic similarity was investigated samples of E. prolifera collected from Muan, Wando, Jangheung, Yosu and Jinhae, at the south coast of Korea. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used. For the RAPD analysis, 3 ng of the DNA extracted from the thalli using he phenol/chloroform method was amplified by PCR with a 25 {\mu}L$ reaction solution, arbitrary primers and 36 cycles. Among the 60 primers used, 31 yielded products, most of which showed diverse electrophoresis patterns. Similarities among the groups compared ranged from 0.37 to 0.58. We conclude that the use of RAPD analysis is appropriate to characterize the genetic variability of this commercial species along its geographical distribution.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.323-331
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• 2011

Biodiversity and the community composition of micro-eukaryotic organisms were investigated in the Upo wetland in Korea using molecular analysis. Molecular identification was performed using cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA). The genomic DNA was isolated directly from soil samples. The COI and SSU rDNA regions were amplified using universal primers and then sequenced after cloning. In a similarity search of the obtained sequences with BLAST in the Genbank database, the closely related sequences from NCBI were used to identify the amplified sequences. A total of six eukaryotic groups (Annelida, Arthropoda, Rotifera, Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta, and Stramenopiles) with COI and six groups (Annelida, Arthropoda, Rotifera, Alveolata, Fungi, and Apicomplexa) with SSU rDNA genes were determined in the Upo wetland. Among 38 taxa in 20 genera, which are closely related to the amplified sequences, 10 genera (50%) were newly reported in Korea and five genera (25%) were shown to be distributed in the Upo wetland. This approach is applicable to the development of an efficient method for monitoring biodiversity without traditional taxonomic processes and is expected to produce more accurate results in depositing molecular barcode data in the near future.