• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.952-961
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• 2019

Chlorella spp. are green algae that are found across wide-ranging habitats from deserts to arctic regions, with various strains having adapted to survive under diverse environmental conditions. In this study, two novel Chlorella strains (ABC-002, ABC-008) were isolated from a freshwater lake in South Korea during the winter season and examined for possible use in the biofuel production process. The comparison of ABC-002 and ABC-008 strains with Chlorella vulgaris UTEX265 under two different temperatures ($10^{\circ}C$, $25^{\circ}C$) revealed their cold-tolerant phenotypes as well as high biomass yields. The maximum quantum yields of UTEX25, ABC-002, and ABC-008 at $10^{\circ}C$ were 0.5594, 0.6747, and 0.7150, respectively, providing evidence of the relatively higher cold-resistance capabilities of these two strains. Furthermore, both the biomass yields and lipid content of the two novel strains were found to be higher than those of UTEX265; the overall lipid productivities of ABC-002 and ABC-008 were 1.7 ~ 2.8 fold and 1.6 ~ 4.2 fold higher compared to that of UTEX265, respectively. Thus, the high biomass and lipid productivity over a wide range of temperatures indicate that C. vulgaris ABC-002 and ABC-008 are promising candidates for applications in biofuel productions via outdoor biomass cultivation.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.240-258
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• 2018

Background: Several investigations carried out from large brackish lagoons in South Korea. However, no studies have yet examined phytoplankton in lagoons that changed to freshwater, such as Cheonjin Lake. The present study examined the algae from Cheonjin Lake. Methods: Samples were collected at monthly inetrvals from May 2017 to April 2018, from the surface layer using a plankton net (mesh size $20{\mu}m$), and sequeezing submerged macrophytes. Microscopic examinations were conducted at a magnification of 200 to 1000x using a Zeiss microscope (Axio Imager. A2), and photographs were taken with an AxioCam HRC camera. Silica-scaled samples of Chrysophyta for SEM were placed on coverglass, air dried, coated with gold, and then examined with a Hitachi SV8220 SEM. Results: A total of 376 taxa from six major algal groups (Chlorophyta, Chrysophyta, Euglenophyta, Cyanophyta, Dinophyta, and Cryptophyta) were identified. Among these algae, 28 taxa of desmids, 9 taxa of Euglenophyceae, 4 taxa of Chlorophyceae, 2 taxa of Chrysophyceae, and 1 taxon of Xanthophyceae are reported for the first time in Korea. A new species, Cosmarium hexagonum sp. nov was described. The phytoplankton communities were characterized by an abundance of Desmids (within Charophyceae) accounted for 148 taxa from 22 genera. Species richness were particularly high in the Autumn. Conclusion: In this study, a total 376 taxa of 148 desmids (Charophyceae), Chlorophyceae (103 taxa), Chrysophyceae (53 taxa), Euglenophyta (49 taxa), Dinophyta (8 taxa), and Cryptophyta (2 taxa) were identified from Cheonjin Lake. Twenty-eight taxa of desmids including a new species (Cosmarium hexagonum sp. nov.), 9 taxa of Euglenophyceae, 4 taxa of Chlorophyceae, 2 taxa of Chrysophyceae, and 1 taxon of Xanthophyceae were newly recorded in Korea.

• ALGAE
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.303-324
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• 2020

Cocconeis coreana and C. sijunghoensis are described as new based on micromorphological and molecular data. C. coreana is represented by five unialgal cultures from four different freshwater bodies, two from North Korea and three from South Korea. C. sijunghoensis is represented by two unialgal cultures from a brackish water body in North Korea. Except for one, all of the strains auxosporulated and showed an almost quadrupling of size in length and width. Morphologically, these species with their two different elliptical valves belong to the Cocconeis placentula group. The raphe valve has striae with uniseriate areolae continuing across a pronounced submarginal hyaline rim to the edge of the valve. The sternum valve has uniseriate dash-like areolae continuously from the valve face until the valve edge. Micromorphologically, these species possess two different open valvocopulae: only the raphe valvocopula has fimbriae; the sternum valvocopula has none. Based on p-distances of currently available DNA sequence data, i.e., rbcL and 18SV4, both species are pronouncedly different from the epitype strain of C. placentula, with C. coreana closest to the published molecular data of the strain UTEX FD23 named C. placentula from Iowa, USA, while C. sijunghoensis is closest but not the same as the published molecular data of strain D36_012, the epitype strain of C. placentula from Berlin, Germany. Based on scanning electron microscope observations, differentiating features are discussed concerning valvocopula fimbriae, central area, areolation of the sternum valve and on the raphe valve especially between the submarginal hyaline rim and edge.

• ALGAE
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.317-329
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• 2022

Carotenoids are effective antioxidants that are found in various photosynthetic organisms. Marine microalgae are an advantageous bioresource for carotenoid production because they do not compete with other crops for freshwater and arable land. This study reports a newly isolated Dunaliella strain from the Geumhong Saltpan on Yeongjong Island, West Sea, Korea. The new strain was isolated and classified as Dunaliella salina through phylogenetic analysis and was named the OH214 strain (Deposit ID: KCTC14434BP). The newly isolated strain can survive in a wide range of NaCl concentrations (0.3-5.0 M NaCl), but grows well in 0.6 to 1.5 M NaCl culture medium. Under high-light conditions (500 ± 10 μmol photons m^-2 s^-1), the cells accumulated three times more β-carotene than under low-light conditions (50 ± 5 μmol photons m^-2 s^-1). The cells accumulated 2.5-fold more β-carotene under nitrogen-deficient (1 mM KNO₃) conditions (3.24 ± 0.36 ㎍ 10⁶ cells^-1) than in nitrogen-sufficient conditions (>5 mM KNO₃). The lutein content under nitrogen-deficient conditions (1.73 ± 0.09 ㎍ 10⁶ cells^-1) was more than 24% higher than that under nitrogen-sufficient conditions. Under the optimized culture condition for carotenoid induction using natural seawater, D. salina OH214 strain produced 7.97 ± 0.09 mg g DCW^-1 of β-carotene and 4.65 ± 0.18 mg g DCW^-1 of lutein, respectively. We propose that this new microalga is a promising strain for the simultaneous production of β-carotene and lutein.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.437-450
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• 2010

Ecological influences of indigenous freshwater bivalve Unio douglasiae on the water quality and epilithic diatom community was examined with artificial stream (AST), which constructed in a laboratory daily receiving the eutrophic lake water. For the colonization of new periphyton community, forty commercial slide glasses were deposited as a substrate into the lowest part of each AST. Prior to 1 week, the AST was operated to induce the freely-colonization of the algal community in the absence of mussels. After the mussels was introduced at 435 indiv. $m^{-2}$ between step 1 and step 5, the passed water and substrates were daily collected to analysis the change of water quality and lotic and lentic algae abundance for 10 days. Compared to the control, turbidity (60.0% of control), suspended solids (62.5%), and chlorophyll-$\alpha$ (72.2%) in mussel-passed waters were decreased significantly, while a strong increase of ammonia (up to 800% of control) was companied with the decrease of dissolved oxygen (19.5% of control) and total phosphorus (23.9%), respectively. On average, the concentrations of suspended solids (67.0% of control) and chlorophyll-$\alpha$ (89.4%) in mussel-treated substrates were remarkably increased, however algal abundance in its water simultaneously decreased. These results indicate that incidentally or purposely mussel introductions can decrease organic matter of the stream and increase transparency of stream water, however, mussel-mediated nutrient and pseudofeces release may stimulate the adverse growth of periphyton or phytoplankton community in the lower stream or reservoir.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.50-60
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• 2007

Ten taxa of green algae collected at 8 stations of reservoirs and one of aerial habitat were reported newly in Korea. They belong to 7 genera, 2 species, 6 varieties and 2 forms and include one taxon of Scenedesmus, Actinotaenium, Euastrum, Hyalotheca, Staurastrum and Teilingia respectively, 4 taxa of Cosmarium. The Korean green algae, including these newly reported ones, totals to 1,131 taxa, and classified as 1 class, 10 orders, 34 families, 140 genera, 728 species, 318 varieties and 85 forms. Actinotaenium cucurbita var. cucurbita f. rotundatum cultured in this study was appeared to be variable in the size of isthmus. In the Korean taxa of Cosmarium lapponicum var. granulatum, C. portianum var. orthostichum and Euastrum denticulatum var. rectangulare, cell sizes were shown smaller than previously reported ones. Five taxa including Cosmarium lapponicum var. granulatum were occurred in the eutrophic states, and Cosmarium decedens, previously reported as present in the freshwater area, was collected at the aerial habitat in this study.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2002

For elucidating the correlation between the eubacterial community structure and environmental parameters in Nammae Reservoir located in Kyungsan, Kyungbuk, the bacterial community structure and their structure affecting environmental parameters were analyzed using Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH) monthly over year. $\alpha$ . $\beta$ . $\gamma$-subclasses of Proteobacteria and Cytophaga-Flavobacterium (CF) group known as dominant bacterial group in freshwater were detected in 3 stations over year. The ratio of each subclass to total bacteria was determined; $\alpha$.$\beta$ . $\gamma$-subclasses and CF group varied in the range of 4.0~29.2%, 1.7~25.8%, 1.8~12.8%, 4.9~36.3%, respectively and there was no substantial differences between stations. In terms of the correlation between each group specific bacteria and environmental parameters such as temperature, SS, pH, DOC, NH$_4$-N, NO$_3$-N, PO$_4$-P, standing crops of algae, the results were as follows: 1) total bacterial numbers correlated positively with temperature, SS and DOC, 2) Eubacteria positively with DOC and Chl-$\alpha$, 3)${\gamma}$-subclass positively with DOC, and 4) CF group positively with standing crops of chlorophyceae, 5) whereas $\beta$-subclass bacteria correlated negatively with standing crop of cyanobacteria and that of total algae.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.48-54
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• 2011

Risk assessments of pesticides detected in six major rivers during peak season were estimated for algae, Daphnia, and fish using hazard quotient (HQ) indexes. The eight pesticides (isoprothiolane, hexaconazole, diazinon, chlorpyrifos, prothiofos, alachlor, butachlor, molinate) were detected within the range of 0.027~12.871 ${\mu}g/L$. Detection frequency of isoprothiolate was estimated to be high at 67.5%, and those of the others varied from 15.0 to 37.5%, Hazard Quotients (HQ) indexes varied by freshwater organisms (algae, Daphnia, and fish). Overall, the ecological risk probability due to exposure of pesticides detected in major rivers did not reveal based on HQ indexes below 1.0. Particularly, butachlor and molinate for algae, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, prothiofos for Daphnia, and chlorpyrifos for fish acted as dominant contributors in increasing the ecological risk in six major rivers. This implied that integrated ecological risk assessment is required using various biological species, reflecting toxicity sensitivity. This study may provide the essential data in establishing the priority for pesticides management in major rivers, Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.119-133
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to develop riverbed techniques to activating ecological function of hyporheic zone. Hyporheic zone maybe simply defined as an active eco-tone between surface water and groundwater, which facilitates to exchange water, nutrients and aquatic habitat occur in response to variation in discharge and bed geomorphology. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an applied riverbed technique for two years since its installation in the hyporheic zone. The experimental riverbed technique has been implemented on Anyang stream penetrating Anyang city in Gyunggi province. The dimension of the installed structure is 5.0 m in width, 46 m in length. Bottom layer is filled with rip-rap covered with gabion. After the implementation of the technique, the study conducts follow-up monitoring in two years of between 2011 and 2012. The results of follow-up monitoring for two years are as follows:1) In Hydro geomorphic process, the riverbed technique maintains hydraulic stability despite of several flood events in 2011, 2012. 2) After transformation to form pool-and-riffle habitat, for aquatic community composed of freshwater fish, macro invertebrate, and attached algae, the species diversity and population gradually increased. 3) The riverbed technique achieved desired effect on enhancement of ecological function in hyporheic zone.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.191-200
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• 2004

DAF process has been designed considering raw water quality characteristics in Korea. Although direct filtration is usually operated, DAF is operated when the freshwater blooms occut or raw water turbidity become high. Pre-sedimentation iS prepared in case when raw water turbidity is very high by rainstorms. A main feature of this plant is that the operation mode can be changed (controlled) based on the characteristics of raw water to optimize the effluent quality and the operation costs. Treatment capacity (surface loading rate) and efficiency of DAF was found to be better than conventional sedimentation process. Moreover, low-density particles (algae and alum flocs) are easily separated while it is difficult to remove in sedimentation. One of the main concerns in adoption of DAF (Dissolved Air-Flotation) process is a high raw water turbidity problem. That is, DAF is not adequate for raw water, which is more turbid than 100NTU. In order to avoid this problem, pre-sedimentation basins are prepared in DAF plant to decrease the turbidity of DAF influent. For simulation of the actual operation, bench and full-scale tests were performed for highly turbid water conditions. Consequently, DAF process coupled with sedimentation is suggested that pre-sedimentation with optimum coagulation prior to DAF would be appropriate.