• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.264-270
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• 2003

A quantitative survey of the protozoa microfauna at bioreactor of advanced sewage treatment plant was carried out during a period of 11 months. In this study, 32 genera were identified, including 17 ciliates. The abundance of the important protozoa were compared with the operating parameters and water quality of the effluent of the plant using statistical procedure. Statistical analysis revealed a relationship between the abundance of some genera and removal rate. In particular, correlation analysis on the quality of effluent and protozoa indicated that Lepadella may be used as the bioindicator of TP removal and Trochilia, Entosiphon, Colepus may be used as the bioindicator of TN removal when water temperature was below $20^{\circ}C$.

• ALGAE
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.309-324
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• 2017

Recently, the heterotrophic nanoflagellate Katablepharis japonica has been reported to feed on diverse red-tide species and contribute to the decline of red tides. However, if there are effective predators feeding on K. japonica, its effect on red tide dynamics may be reduced. To investigate potential effective protist predators of K. japonica, feeding by the engulfment-feeding heterotrophic dinoflagellates (HTDs) Oxyrrhis marina, Gyrodinium dominans, Gyrodinium moestrupii, Polykrikos kofoidii, and Noctiluca scintillans, the peduncle-feeding HTDs Luciella masanensis and Pfiesteria piscicida, the pallium-feeding HTD Oblea rotunda, and the naked ciliates Strombidium sp. (approximately $20{\mu}m$ in cell length), Pelagostrobilidium sp., and Miamiensis sp. on K. japonica was explored. We found that none of these heterotrophic protists fed on actively swimming cells of K. japonica. However, O. marina, G. dominans, L. masanensis, and P. piscicida were able to feed on heat-killed K. japonica. Thus, actively swimming behavior of K. japonica may affect feeding by these heterotrophic protists on K. japonica. To the contrary, K. japonica was able to feed on O. marina, P. kofoidii, O. rotunda, Miamiensis sp., Pelagostrobilidium sp., and Strombidium sp. However, the specific growth rates of O. marina did not differ significantly among nine different K. japonica concentrations. Thus, K. japonica may not affect growth of O. marina. Our findings suggest that the effect of predation by heterotrophic protists on K. japonica might be negligible, and thus, the effect of grazing by K. japonica on populations of red-tide species may not be reduced by mortality due to predation by protists.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.4 s.114
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• pp.494-502
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• 2005

Antialgal bacteria and ciliates were tested alone and in combination for their abilities to decrease the densities of the warm-weather cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa, and the cold-weather centric diatom, Stephanodiscus hantzschii. Our results indicate that the density of M. aeruginosa was effectively suppressed by the bacterium, Streptomyces neyagawensis, and the heterotrich ciliate, Stentor roeselii. However, co-treatment with both bio-agents stimulated the algal density rather than decreasing it, suggesting that S. neyagawensis and S. roeselii may have an antagonistic relationship. Additional experiments revealed that the density of S. hantzschii was effectively suppressed by the bacterium, Pseudomonas putida, and by the above mentioned strain of S. roeselii. Co-treatment with both bio-agents had a higher antialgal activity than treatment with each alone, indicating that the bio-agents may act synergistically. These results suggest that the anti-alge efficacy of co-treatment with multiple biological control agents is likely to differ depending on the bio-agents and target organisms.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.281-291
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• 2016

Bloom of small centric diatom Stephanodiscus is quite occasional in winter season in temperate freshwater ecosystems. It often leads to degradation of water quality and affects the quality of supplied drinking water. In a previous study, we have found that naphthoquinone (NQ) 4-6 derivate is an effective tool for efficient mitigation of natural S. hantzschii blooms. In the present research, polylactide (PLA) and agar foam were used as immobilized agent for NQ 4-6 to improve the efficiency of NQ 4-6 compound releasing process for its application under various field conditions. Mesocosm experiments at 10 ton scale suggested that the abundance of S. hantzschii was continuously increased in the control and upon treatment of the mesocosm with immobilized NQ 4-6 from PLA and agar foam. Their algicidal activities were 78.8% and 77.1%, respectively, on S. hantzschii after 10 days. In the mesocosm experiments, the dynamics of biotic (bacteria, HNFs, ciliates, zooplankton) and abiotic (water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, nutrients) factors remained unaffected. They exhibited similar trends in the control and treatment groups. Therefore, the immobilized NQ 4-6 from PLA and agar foam has potential to be used as an alternative algicidal substance to effectively mitigate natural S. hantzschii blooms under various field conditions. In addition, it not only can be used to control S. hantzschii, but also is an effective technique. The immobilized NQ 4-6 showed stable controlled release in desired system.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2000

The photosensory ciliates Blepharisma japonicum and Stentor coeruleus use the hypericin-derived pigments blepharismin and stentorin, respectively, as photoreceptor chromophores. Fluorescence quenching studies have shown that the first excited singlet state of hypericin and the purified chromophores blepharismin and stentorin can be deactivated by electron transfer to an acceptor molecule with a suitable reducing potential [1,2]. This paper reports the result of a series of photobehavioral experiments performed with the aim to ascertain if the same electron accepters which quench the photoreceptor pigment fluorescence in vitro may also compete with the native acceptor molecule in its natural physiological environment. Individual cell trajectories were examined before and after light stimulation, in the presence and in the absence of potential "in vivo" electron accepters, with a microvideo-recording apparatus. Our data, on Blepharisma cells, showed that as the negative reduction potential of the electron acceptor increases, a pronounced decrease in cell photoresponsiveness was detected. A dramatic effect on cell photoresponsiveness was noticed in the presence of 1,4-benzoquinone that has the lowest negative reduction potential. Such an effect on the percentage of photoreacting cells was moderate in the case of 1,4-naphthoquinone, with a relatively higher negative reduction potential. In the presence of benzophenone, which has the highest negative reduction potential, no significant effect on photoreacting cells was noticed. Our results can support the hypothesis that in the pigment granules such a light-induced charge transfer from excited blepharismin to a suitable electron acceptor triggers sensory transduction processes in B. japonicum.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.99-108
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• 2006

Diseased tiger puffer (Takijugu rubripes) showed anorexia and severe anemia in the gills. In wet mount preparations Heterobothrium sp. with 4 sets of clamps on the opisthohaptor attached to the gill filaments of the diseased fish. From the drum-shaped filter for filtration of the culturing water and the sediment of aquarium held the diseased fish in the laboratory, their eggs forming long strings through connection of the bipolar filaments could be easily collected. The parasites with 4 pairs of clamps on the opisthohaptor were 2.38mm in length and 0.71 mm in width, but had no isthmus which was separated the opisthohapor from the body proper. The parasites could be easily distinguished from Heterobothrium tetrodonis and H. okamotoi in the absence of distinct isthmus, and resembled H. yamagutii described from the gills of Takifugu xanthopterus in Japan. Their eggs were yellowish spindle in shape and 180-200 x 5-6 Iffil in size, which were pointed at both ends. The eggs were linked to adjacent egg shells like a string of beads by the filaments. Onchomiracidia, ciliated larvae spawned from the eggs were 133 Iffil (120-146 Iffil) x 751ffil (68-80 Iffil) in size. The length of the ciliates was 12 Iffil in the anterior part of the larvae and 14 Iffil in the posterior part. Round or leaf-shaped young parasites attached on the secondary gill lamellae. There was a tendency that most of round smaller parasites without an opisthohaptor were found in the middle part of the gill lamellae while leaf-shaped larger ones with a opisthohaptor attached on the distal part of the gill filaments. Each clamp of mature parasites grasped one secondary gill filament which resulted in bending of the filaments and hyperplasia of the epithelium and mucous cells. In the branchial cavity around the pseudobranch, mature parasites grasped the adjacent ones by means of the clamps, and the epithelia of the branchial cavity around the parasites showed severe irregular hyperplasia and erosion with strongly PAS-positive mucous cells.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.37-49
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• 2018

Two hypotrich ciliates, Australocirrus shii (Shi et al., 1997) Kumar & Foissner, 2015 and Afrokeronopsis aurea (Foissner & Stoeck, 2008) Foissner et al., 2010 isolated from freshwater habitats in Korea and were studied based on the specimens from live and after protargol impregnation. Australocirrus shii is redescribed based on morphology and 18S rRNA gene sequence, whereas Af. aurea is the first record for Korea. Main morphological features of the Korean population of Au. shii are as following: body size $100-200{\times}40-80{\mu}m$ in vivo; elongate to ellipsoidal or slightly elongate obovate, dorsoventrally flattened; transverse cirri arranged in (3+2) pattern, anterior pretransverse ventral cirrus distantly anterior of the first transverse cirrus; eight or nine dorsal kineties; and three caudal cirri. Main morphological features of the Korean population of Af. aurea are as following: body size $230-375{\times}70-145{\mu}m$ in vivo; shape elongate obovate or ellipsoidal, widest at the mid-body; undulating membranes in Australocirrus pattern with a buccal depression; and three caudal cirri. The Korean population of A. shii is similar in morphology with previous descriptions except for the presence of indentation at the posterior end in the Korean population. The Korean population of A. aurea is slightly shorter than the South African population and has slightly less marginal and mid-ventral cirri. The phylogenetic analysis of present two Korean hypotrichs and relevant species based on 18S rRNA gene sequences generated almost similar tree topologies compared with previous studies.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.37 no.2 s.107
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• pp.149-179
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• 2004

In order to understand the taxonomic and ecologic characteristics on ciliates plankton, surface water samples were collected once a weekly from March 2001 to December 2001 except once a monthly from December 2001 to January 2001 and twice a monttdy at February 2001 at Pal'tang reservoir in Korea. Totally 12 species belonging to 10 genera in 7 families of 6 order, were identified and all species new record in Korea. All of them had been recorded in eutrophic water bodies. Succession of dominant species occurred obviously according to seasonality. Large -sized Codonella cratera, Rimostrombidium lacustris, Strobilidium caudatum, Limnostrombidium viride, Pelagostrombidium fallax, Stylonychia sp., Pseudostrombidium plaktonticum and Phascolodon vorticella dominated during the period of outbreak of nanophytoplankton in winter to spring. However, small-sized Rimostrombidium hyalinum, rimostrombidium brachykinetum, Halteria gradinella and Vorticella convallaria occurred when the bacteria abundance increased in summer to autumn.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.327-337
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• 2007

Plankton communities have close relationships with environmental changes in water columns. Thus, the use of plankton as a biological tool for assessing the marine ecosystem health may be effective. Major issue regarding coastal pollution has been usually recognized as phytoplankton blooms or red tides caused by the eutrophication, an increase in concentration of inorganic nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. However, in order to understand the effects of the overall pollution on marine ecosystem, the organic pollutants as well as the inorganic nutrients should be also considered. For understanding the effects of the organic pollution, among the planktonic organisms, heterotrophic bacteria, heterotrophic flagellates and ciliates should be investigated. Generally, there are three approaches for assessing the marine ecosystem health using the plankton taxa or plankton communities. The first one is a community-based approach such as diversity index and chlorophyll a concentration which are common in analysis of the plankton communities. The second is an indiviual-based approach which is to monitor the pollution indicative species. This approach needs one's ability to identify the plankton to species level. The last approach is a bioassay of toxicity, which can be applied to the plankton. A pilot study in Masan Bay was conducted to assess the effects of the inorganic and organic pollution. In this article, a new approach using plankton communities was tentatively presented as a biological tool for assessing the ecosystem health of Masan Bay.

• ALGAE
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.127-140
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• 2019

The species in the dinoflagellate order Suessiales have 5-24 latitudinal paraplate series and include many fossil and extant species. There have been a few studies on the ecophysiology of the phototrophic species Biecheleriopsis adriatica, and no study on its predators. Thus, we explored the feeding occurrence by common heterotrophic protists on B. adriatica and the growth and ingestion rates of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis marina on B. adriatica BATY06 as a function of prey concentration. The common heterotrophic dinoflagellates Aduncodinium glandula, O. marina, Gyrodinium dominans, Gyrodinium moestrupii, Luciella masanensis, Pfiesteria piscicida, and Oblea rotunda and two naked ciliates Strombidinopsis sp. and Pelagostrobilidium sp. were able to feed on B. adriatica, but the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Polykrikos kofoidii was not. However, B. adriatica supported the positive growth of O. marina, but did not support that of G. dominans and O. rotunda. With increasing prey concentrations, the growth and ingestion rates of O. marina on B. adriatica increased and became saturated. The maximum growth rate of O. marina on B. adriatica was $0.162d^{-1}$. Furthermore, the maximum ingestion rate of O. marina on B. adriatica was $0.2ng\;C\;predator^{-1}\;d^{-1}$ ($2.0cells\;predator^{-1}\;d^{-1}$). In the order Suessiales, the feeding occurrence by common heterotrophic protists on B. adriatica is similar to that on Effrenium voratum and Biecheleria cincta, but different from that on Yihiella yeosuensis. However, the growth and ingestion rates of O. marina on B. adriatica are considerably lower than those on E. voratum and B. cincta, but higher than those on Y. yeosuensis. Therefore, B. adriatica may be less preferred prey for O. marina than E. voratum and B. cincta, but more preferred prey than Y. yeosuensis.