• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.180-189
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• 2001

This study was conducted to investigate the macrobenthic community in Ulsan Bay and Onsan Bay, in November of 1997. The density of benthic animals was 535 md./m2, and the number of species was 117. Polychaeta was the most dominant faunal group, comprising a total of 63 species, and its density was 380 md./m2 The most dominant benthic macrofauna was Cirratulrus cirratulas (2.7%), and followed by Tharyx sp. (16.6%), Ruditapes philippinarum (16.1%), Lumbrineris longifolia (10.3%) and so on. The dominant species occupied their distinct unique distribution area. Tharyx sp., R. philippinarum and Grandidierella sp.1 occurred mainly in Ulsan Bay, L. longifolia and Euchone sp. in Onsan Bay, and C. cirratulas and Cirriforimia tentaculata in both bays. By cluster analysis, study area was divided into 4 station groups: Northern Ulsan Bay (Al), the middle area of Ulsan Bay (Bl), offsea area between Ulsan Bay and Onsan Bay (Bll), and Onsan Bay (C). Northern Ulsan Bay was characterized by low species number and high density. The dominant species were C. cirratulas R. philippinarum and Tharyx sp. The middle area of Ulsan Bay was by low species number and density, and its characteristic species was Grandidierella sp.1. The offsea area between Ulsan and Onsan Bay was by high species number and low density. Onsan Bay was by high species number and high density, and its important species were L. longifolia and Euchone sp.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.215-224
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• 2006

Spatial variation of heavy metal accumulation was investigated in Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum collected from several tidal flats. Sediment metal levels varied highly among the sites, which was attributed primarily to differences in Fe and organic carbon contents and in part to gain size. Significant differences in metal concentrations also were found in the clam tissue among the different sampling sites. However, except for a few metals (Mn, Zn, Pb), which showed some elevation, the variations in the clam tissue were not related to the variations in the sediment. This is likely because most metals in filter-feeding herbivores such as R. philippinarum accumulated as a result of feeding on suspended particles such as phytoplankton and organic detritus in the water column, not in bottom sediment. In addition, tissue weight for a specific shell size varied significantly among the sites, and increased tissue mass indicating a good nutritive condition likely caused a subsequent dilution of body metals leading to reduced weight-specific concentrations of some metals (Cd, Zn, Cu, Co).

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of oil dispersant and ultraviolet (UV) radiation on the toxicity of crude oil. The toxicity of water-accommodated fraction (WAF) and chemically enhanced water-accommodated fraction (CEWAF) of Hebei Spirit crude oil was investigated in the embryo of the Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum with- and without ultraviolet radiation. The WAF and CEWAF with- and without UV radiation affected significantly the embryonic development of R. philippinarum. The EC50s of WAF without UV, WAF with UV, CEWAF without UV, and CEWAF with UV were 2.82, 0.79, 1.60, and 0.45 g/L, respectively. CEWAF was 1.6 times more toxic than WAF. UV radiation increased crude oil toxicity to 3.6 times for both WAF and CEWAF. The oil dispersant and UV radiation did not affect the acute toxicity to the embryo but retarded the period of embryonic development up to 26%. R. philippinarum proved to be a sensitive species to reflect the toxic effects of oil spill combined with oil dispersant and UV radiation. It is suggested that the chemical analyses on the WAF and CEWAF is important for the identification and quantitative explanation of the phototoxic compounds in crude oil.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.247-254
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• 2010

Single cell PCR analysis and light and scanning electron microscopic techniques were utilized to identify free living bivalve larvae in the coastal waters of Tae-an, on the west coast of Korea. Through DNA sequencing, venerid clam larvae were isolated and identified as Ruditapes philippinarum (99% similarity) and Meretrix lusoria (99%). Under microscopic observation, the D-veliger stage of R. philippinarum exhibited symmetrical shoulder angles and an elliptical ventral form. In contrast, M. lusoria displayed asymmetrical shoulder angles and a round ventral form in the umbonal stage. Size of the R. philippinarum larvae was $156{\pm}22{\mu}m$ in length, $126{\pm}12{\mu}m$ in height, $92{\pm}14{\mu}m$ in width with a length: height ratio of 1.23. Meretrix lusoria was $202{\pm}44{\mu}m$ in length, $161{\pm}35{\mu}m$ in height, $96{\pm}38{\mu}m$ in width with a length: height ratio of 1.25. Experimental results indicate that morphological and molecular characteristics provide evidence for the larval identification of these two venerid clam larvae species in nature.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.371-381
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• 2014

The bioaccumulation of 16 United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkylated PAHs in the Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum exposed to sediments artificially contaminated by Iranian Heavy Crude Oil was measured and the biota-sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) was estimated through laboratory experiments. The proportion of 16 PAHs accumulated in the tissue of R. philippinarum was only from 3 to 7% of total PAHs. Among 16 PAHs, the concentration of naphthalene was highest in the tissue. Alkylated PAHs were highly accumulated more than 93% of total PAHs. The C3 dibenzothiophene was most highly accumulated. The relative composition of alkylated naphthalenes in the tissue of R. philippinarum was lower than in the sediments. In contrast, those of alkylated compounds of fluorenes, phenanthrenes, dibenzothiophenes were higher in the tissue than the sediments. The BSAF for sum of 16 PAHs was 0.11 to 0.13 g carbon/g lipid and that for alkylated PAHs was 0.05 to 0.06 g carbon/g lipid. Naphthalene showed the highest BSAF value. Alkylated PAHs with the same parent compound, BSAF tended to increase with the number of alkylated branch increased, except for alkylated chrysenes. BSAF of total PAHs lies between that of field-based values, and are also similar to those of other persistent organic pollutants (PCBs, DDTs, HCHs). This study provides the BSAF values of individual alkylated PAHs accumulated in R. philippinarum for the first time and will be used as a basis for further understanding the bioaccumulation of organic contaminants in the marine benthic organisms.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.123-127
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• 2015

${\beta}$-Glucan is a polysaccharide that is widely used as an adductive in fish feed to facilitate immune stimulation. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ${\beta}$-glucan on immune responses in the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum. For this purpose, three groups of R. philippinarum were exposed to 0%, 0.1%, or 1% ${\beta}$-glucan in sea water for 1 hr/day for 2 weeks using an immersion method. Thereafter, two immune parameters-phagocytic rate and antibacterial activity-were measured. R. philippinarum exposed to 1% ${\beta}$-glucan showed an approximate 30% significant increase in phagocytic rate. In addition, ${\beta}$-glucan significantly limited the growth of the pathogenic bacteria Vibrio tapetis, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. ordalii. Moreover, the mortality rates of ${\beta}$-glucan-treated clams decreased during a 17-day experiment. Our study suggests that treatment with ${\beta}$-glucan significantly increases the immune responses in R. philippinarum, and that immersion is a simple and effective method for immune stimulation in this species.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.181-190
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• 2011

This study was investigated to find out the change of reproductive and histological biomarkers of Ruditapes philippinarum exposed to nonylphenol (NP). Experimental period was 16 weeks. Experimental groups were composed of one control condition and three NP exposure conditions (0.05, 0.1, $0.2 mg\;NP\;L^{-1}$). Gonad index was higher in exposure group than control in female and higher in control than exposure group in male. Intersexuality in the NP exposure group was 14.56% with male exhibiting higher ratio than female. Histological analysis of organ system illustrated expansion of hemolymph sinus, loss of striated border of inner epidermis and degeneration of mucous cell in the mantle. In the gill partially disappearance of frontal and lateral cilia, degeneration of mucous cell were observed. Also, hyperplasia of epithelium and disappearance of striated border were observed in the foot. As the concentration of NP increased, the accumulation of lipofuscin increased in the digestive gland. The results of this study suggest that NP induces reduction of survival rate, histopathology and intersex of R. philippinarum. Furthermore, it is indentified that NP functions as an estrogenic effector on the reproduction of R. philippinarum.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2016

To evaluate the applicability of cellular energy allocation (CEA) in the bivalves as a biomarker for the assessment of environmental contamination, the energy contents and energy consumption in several tissues of the Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum were analyzed. The contents of lipid, glucose, protein and electron transport system (ETS) activity in the foot, siphons, gills, and body of R. philippinarum exposed to crude oil-spiked sediments were measured at 1, 2, 4, 7, 10 days after exposure. The reserved energy (energy available, EA) in the lipid, glucose and protein decreased as contamination level and exposure time increased. In contrast, the ETS activity (energy consumed, EC) showed the reverse tendency. The order of available energy contents were foot > siphons > gill > body. Significant differences in both EA and EC were found only at the highest contamination level (58.3 mg TPAHs/kg DW). EA decreased significantly in the foot and gill at 1 day, in the body at 2 and 7 days after exposure. EC increased significantly in the body at 4 days after exposure. CEA showed higher sensitivity to the contamination than EA or EC. Especially, CEA in the foot and body decreased significantly at lower ranges of contamination level (as low as 6.5 mg TPAHs/kg DW) during 1 to 7 days after exposure. The CEA is more useful than EA or EC alone for the assessment of sediment contamination at lower level that acute toxicity could not be detected. CEA analyses in the body of R. philippinarum after 4 days' exposure to contaminated sediments seem to be the most sensitive and reliable.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.22 no.1 s.35
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• pp.51-61
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• 2006

Oogenesis and the reproductive cycle in female Ruditapes philippinarum were investigated by cytological and histological observations. R. philippinarum is dioecious and oviparous. During vitellogenesis, the Golgi complex, glycogen particles and mitochondria were involved in the formation of lipid droplets and lipid granules in the cytoplasm of the early vitellogenic oocyte. In the late vitellogenic oocyte, cortical granules, the endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria were involved in the formation of proteid yolk granules in the cytoplasm. At this time, exogenous lipid granular substance and glycogen particles in the germinal epithelium passed into the oocyte through the microvilli of the vitelline envelope. The spawning period was once a year between early June and early October, and the main spawning occurred between July and August when seawater temperature was approximately $20^{\circ}C$. The reproductive cycle of this species can be categorized into five successive stages: early active stage (January to March), late active stage (February to May), ripe stage (April to August), partially spawned stage (May to October), and spent/inactive stage (August to February). Percentages of female clams at frst sexual maturity of 15.1-20.0 mm in shell length were 52.6% (50% of the rate of group maturity was 17.83 mm in length), and 100% for the clams > 25.1 mm.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.80-88
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• 2013

The present study was conducted to evaluate relationship between nonylphenol uptake rate and clearance rate of Ruditapes philippinarum, Corbicula japonica and Mytilus edulis. Variation of the temperature and body size of the bivalves was used to modulate clearance rate and nonylphenol uptake rate in this experiment. Clearance rate and nonylphenol uptake rate experiments were determined for two different size classes of the bivalves (R. philippinarum: 0.35, 0.73 g, C. japonica : 0.047, 0.1000g, M. edulis: 0.30, 0.37 g; mean flesh dry weight) and three different temperature regime (5, 13 and $18^{\circ}C$). Weight-specific clearance rate in all animal size and temperature ranges increased in the order of R. philippinarum, C. japonica and M. edulis. The weight-specific nonylphenol uptake rate did not show specific trend among species. The clearance rate and nonylphenol uptake rate generally decreased with animal size and increased with water temperature. For all three species nonylphenol uptake rate had a strong relationship with clearance rate. For a given clearance rate ranges, the nonylphenol uptake rate was in the order of R. philippinarum > C. japonica > M. edulis. The results suggest that water ventilation capacity of filter-feeding organisms is an important physiological factor controlling uptake rate of dissolved nonylphenol.