• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 2017

This study illustrates changes in the epilithic diatom assemblages in response to urban climatic conditions. We further assess the impact of abnormal urban climate to the urban stream environment. Epilithic diatoms, water chemical and physical variables were sampled every quarter, and assessed at 3 Oncheon stream sites, for a period of two years(from 2013~2014). The variation of physiochemical properties such as BOD, COD, T-N and T-P, show that the water quality was strongly influenced with long periods of drought and flood disturbance. Epilithic diatom assemblages were separated along the stream sites; however, the physical disturbance from urban drought and stormwater changed the composition of diatom assemblages instead of decreasing the taxonomic richness. Thus, our results suggest that epilithic diatom assemblages are altered in response to urban climatic changes, resulting in variations of stream conditions. Hence, strategies of climate change adaptation are required when considering urban stream environments.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.180-194
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• 2011

In this study, We were investigated the interrelationships between epilithic diatom communities and physico-chemical factors at Banbyeon stream, Gilan stream and Nakdong river in the Lake Imha basin from September 2008 to June 2009. Epilithic diatom communities were identified a total 120 taxa which were composed to 2 Orders, 3 Suborders, 7 Families, 22 Genera, 108 species and 12 varieties. The dominant species were 4 taxa, which were Achnanthes alteragracillima, A. convergens, A. minutissima and Fragilaria construens var. venter during the investigation periods at 8 sites. Correlation coefficients between epilithic diatom communities and physicochemical factors were from -0.94 to 0.97. Correlation coefficients (r) between turbidity, QHEI and density, species number and indices of diatom communities were from -0.18 to 0.42 which was showed lower values than the values of chemical factors. Correlation coefficients (r) between QHEI and Epilithic diatom communities were showed the low values. Correlation coefficients (r) between TP and diatom indices (DAIpo, TDI) were 0.79 and 0.78, respectively. Therefore, epilithic diatom communities were greatly influenced by TP.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.213-222
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• 2017

Background: This study was conducted to assess the physicochemical water quality and the altitudinal distribution of low-temperature and mountain epilithic diatom (LTMD) community in Buk and Hangae streams that are located in Seorak Mountain with the height of 1708 m in Korea. And the community characteristics of LTMD found in the Buk and Hangae streams were compared to that of LTMD from the Han River system. Results: The physicochemical water qualities of Buk and Hangae streams were determined to be very clean. As a result of analyzing the community composition, 135 taxa of epilithic diatoms were determined, and 22 taxa appeared including Hannaea arcus var. subarcus which are known to have low-temperature and mountain ecological characteristics in the literatures. The relative frequencies of LTMD were 37.0~0.9% range from the upper to lower regions. Although Diatoma tenuis, Eunotia minor, and Gomphonema affine are known to be ubiquitous in streams and lakes, in this research, the three taxa were added into low-temperature and mountain epilithic diatom, since D. tenuis and E. minor appeared only in altitudes above 600 m, and G. affine had the highest relative frequency during spring and fall in altitudes above 700 m, when water temperature was around $10^{\circ}C$. Conclusions: Among the 24 taxa of low-temperature and mountain epilithic diatom (LTMD) (including the 3 taxa added in this study), 14 taxa (Diatoma hyemalis, D. mesodon, D. tenuis, Hannaea arcus, H. arcus var. subarcus, Ulnaria inaequalis, Eunotia bilunaris, E. implicata, E. minor, E. muscicola, E. silvahercynia, E. septena, Delicata delicatula, and Gomphonema affine) represented the characteristics of LTMD very well; they grow best in water temperatures below $15^{\circ}C$ in Buk and Hangae streams and Han River system.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.784-795
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to assess biological river water quality by using epilithic diatoms at 40 selected sites in Geum, Youngsan, and Seomjin River systems. The sampling and analyses were performed during three seasons including January, April and June in 2005. Various water quality parameters also were analyzed. We attempted to classify the water quality condition by epilithic diatom indices (DAIpo and TDI) with the results of corresponding analyses of various chemical water quality parameters. A five class system was delivered to describe the water quality condition ranged from "very good" to "very poor." We also proposed a way of classifying water quality condition by combining two diatom indices of DAIpo and TDI. Our results showed that biomass of epilithic diatoms varied not only seasonally but spatially; it was not likely that winter diatoms represent average water quality condition, due to high concentration of nutrients. Water quality status assessed by diatom indices was generally worse than that assessed by BOD, indicating that BOD standard likely underestimates the biological condition of the water body. Importantly, nutrient-based diatom index (TDI) generally overestimated organic matter-based index (DAIpo) at most study sites, indicating that diatoms in studied rivers were likely more affected by nutrients than organic matter. Thus, management strategy to improve river water quality in Korea is suggested to emphasize more on the nutrients than organic matters.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.45-50
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• 2004

To investigate the epilithic diatom community and water quality of the Osan stream, water samples were collected from the eight stations from April to September 2003. Sampling was two times before and after heavy rain. Total 52 diatom were identified and divided into 12 saproxenosus taxa, 6 saprophilous taxa and 34 indifferent taxa, respectively. The DAIpo values higher after heavy rain than before that. According to tolerance degree to the organic water pollution, all sampling stations ranged from $\alpha$-oligosaprobic to $\alpha$-mesosaprobic. Thus, the result indicates that the water quality of Osan stream is gradually improved by heavy rain.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.137-143
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• 2008

The abundance and community structure of epilithic diatoms grown on different substrata were investigated in two first-order streams located in a limestone and granite area, north of the Suzuka Mountains in Central Japan. Experiments were conducted as follows: limestone and granite without algae were submerged in their own streambed or another stream station and incubated for seven weeks, while limestone and granite with algae were transferred to another stream station and incubated at the same time. The diatom biomass was consistently high in the lime-stone station experiments compared to those at the granite station. In addition, there was more diatom biomass on granite substrata than on the limestone substrata at both stations. The present results suggested that the difference in water chemistry including the major nutrient concentrations was the limiting factor for algal growth in these two streams; however, when the water chemistry was the same in each stream, the difference in substratum characteristics became the important factor affecting the diatom abundance. The diatom community grown on the transferred substrata with and without algae became similar to those grown on the original substrata in each stream during the incubation period. It was suggested that the effect of the substrata characteristics on the diatom community structure was rather small.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.283-291
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• 2014

To study the distribution characteristics of diatom communities in relation to the gradient of water quality and land-use, water samples and epilithic diatoms were collected from 90 sites including mainstream and tributaries, in the Geum River System (GRS) during no rainfall, May 2011. Of 239 taxa identified, Achnanthes convergens and Cymbella minuta were dominated over all the sites. Cluster analysis on the GRS divided into three groups. Group 1 (G1) is the mountainous upstream, a relatively good water quality, and mainly consisted of saproxenous species. Group 2 (G2) is the urban sites, polluted (high in electric conductivity, total phosphate and soluble reactive phosphorus), and saproxenous and common species. Group 3 (G3) is the agriculture sites, and polluted (turbidity, total nitrogen, nitrate), and saprophilous species. There were some discrepancies between abiotic and biotic variables in GRS; biologically similar between G1 and G2, but abiotically similar between G2 and G3. These differences may attribute to not only physiological characteristics of diatom cells, but complicate relationships between microhabitat and water quality. Thus, an urgent development of generalized or standardized methods to diminish the differences between epilithic diatom community and environments is advent.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.598-609
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• 2013

Spatial and temporal distribution of environmental factors and epilithic diatom communities in major rivers (30 rivers and 58 sampling points) of the Korean peninsula were surveyed each one time before (May) and after the monsoon (October) 2012. The stream of the east harbor (EAST), the south harbor (SOUTH), and the west harbor (WEST) was sampled in order. Over the survey, a total of 284 taxa were classified, and the number of diatom species in each harbor did not show significant changes after the monsoon, but a biomass significantly decreased. Results also showed that EAST deterioration of water quality and chlorophyll-a after the monsoon, was opposite to SOUTH. Five major dominant species including Nitzschia inconspicua, which contained higher biomass over the survey, were common species which widely distributed in brackish water. Indicator Species Analysis showed that a large number of clean water species in EAST and polluted water species in SOUTH and WEST were emerged respectively. In sum, the Asian monsoon significantly decreased a biomass of epilithic diatoms and water qualities over the harbors (lower stream) in the Korean peninsula, but did not change the major species indicating water quality.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.124-133
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• 2009

Effects of substrates on the relative immigration activities (RIAs) of epilithic diatoms were examined in Sum River, a tributary of South Han River, Korea. Two hundreds of tile substrates coated with 5% agar were deposited at seven study stations (30 tiles per site) for one month from March 7 to April 7, 2008. Water sampling, physico-chemical factor measurement, and diatom analysis were performed in the field and laboratory. Over the study, major epilithic diatom species were Nitzschia amphibia, Navicula subminuscula, Cymbella minuta in both the natural and artificial substrates. Two dominant species, Nitzschia amphibia and Cymbella minuta often found at seven stations. Among all observed taxa, Nav. subminuscula and Caloneis silicula showed the highest RIA, with the value over 15 throughout the study. Regarding the algal morphology, the biraphe type species showed higher RIA than any other morph, while they comprised over 55% of total biomass, indicating a density effect. Additionally, a significant relationship between RIA and 20-day deposited substrate (p<0.05) showed in two diatom species, Nitzschia fonticola, Gomphonema quadripunctatum, which showed relatively high RIAs. These results indicate that the relative immigration activities of epilithic diatom species can be influenced by algal density in the water and substrate, nutrients, and deposited time at least 20 days.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.232-241
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• 2010

Epilithic diatom communities and water quality were monitored to evaluate the ecological impact of the inflow of Wonju-stream passing through the urban area in the Seom River Watershed. We selected the 14 sampling stations (5 main stream sites and 9 tributary sites), and collected diatom and water samples between October 2007 and September 2008, on the seasonal basis. The results indicate that most water quality parameters showed the site-specific patterns over the study, except for water temperature and dissolved oxygen. The levels of water quality parameters were highest at the site of Wonju stream, whereas the lowest in the upstream sites, and intermediate or gradually decreased in the downstream sites of the Seom river. One species, Achnanthes convergens, showed the highest biomass and frequency over the sites, while three saprophilous species-Navicula goeppertiana, Navicula subminuscula, Nitzschia palea were appeared only in Wonju Stream and other polluted sites. According to trophic diatom index (TDI) values, which were highly correlated with nutrients and EC, the study sites were classified into three classes: upstream and tributary (Class A and B), Wonju Stream (Class D), and mixed zone and downstream (Class C). A cluster analysis supported the result of TDI classification. Therefore, Wonju-stream located in populated urban area exerted the adverse ecological effects on the epilithic diatom community and water quality of the lower Seom River System, although its severity gradually decreased downstream.