• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.31-41
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• 2011

To optimize the natural chemical agents against nuisance phytoplankton, we examined algal removal activity (ABA) of Plant-Mineral Composite (PMC), which already developed by our teams (Kim et al., 2010), on various conditions. The PMC are consisted of extracted-mixtures with indigenous plants (Camellia sinensis, Quercusacutissima and Castanea crenata) and minerals (Loess, Quartz porphyry, and natural zeolite), and characterized by coagulation and floating of low-density suspended solids. A simple extraction process was adopted, such as drying and grinding of raw material, water-extraction by high temperature-sonication and filtering. All tests were performed in 3 L plastic chambers varying conditions; six different concentrations ($0{\sim}1.0\;mL\;L^{-1}$), six light intensities ($8{\sim}1,400\;{\mu}mol\;m^{-2}s^{-1}$), three temperatures ($10{\sim}30^{\circ}C$), four pHs (7~10), five water depths (10~50 cm), and three different waters dominated by cyanobacteria, diatom, and green algae, respectively. Results indicate that the highest ABA of PMC was seen at $0.05\;mL\;L^{-1}$ in treatment concentrations, where showed a reduction of more than 80% of control phytoplankton biomass, while $1,400\;{\mu}mol\;m^{-2}s^{-1}$ in light intensity (>90%), $20{\sim}30^{\circ}C$ temperature (>60%), 7~9 in pH (>90%), below 50 cm in water depth (>90%), and cyanobacterial dominating waters (>80%), respectively. Over the test, ABA of PMC were more obvious on the algal biomass (chlorophyll-${\alpha}$) than suspended solids, suggesting a selectivity of PMC to particle size or natures. These results suggest that PMC agents can play an important role as natural agents to remove the nuisant algal aggregates or seston of eutrophic lake, where occur cyanobacterial bloom in a shallow shore of lake during warm season.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.187-201
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• 2019

This study examined the physicochemical water quality and evaluated the ecological health in 14 sites of Geum River (upstream, mid-stream, and downstream) using the fish community distribution and guilds and eight multi-variable matrices of FAI (Fish Assessment Index) during June 2008-May 2009. The analysis of the water quality variables showed no significant variation in the upstream and mid-stream but a sharp variation due to the accumulation of organic matter from the point where the treated water of Gap and Miho streams flew. The analysis of physicochemical water properties showed that BOD, COD, TN, TP, Cond, and Chl-a tended to increase while DO decreased to cause eutrophication and algae development from the downstream where Miho and Gap stream merged. The analysis of fish community showed that the species richness index and species diversity index increased in the mid-stream area but decreased in the downstream area, indicating the stable ecosystem in the upper stream and the relatively unstable ecosystem in the downstream. The analysis of the species distribution showed that the dominant species were Zacco platypus that accounted for 20.9% of all fish species and Zacco koreanus that accounted for 13.1%. The analysis of the fish tolerance and feeding guild characteristics showed that the sensitive species, the insectivore species, and the aquatic species were dominant in the mid-stream point. On the other hand, contaminants from the sewage water treatment plant of Miho stream had a profound effect in the downstream to show the dominance of tolerant species, omnivorous species, and lentic species. Therefore, it is necessary to improve water quality by reducing the load of urban pollutants and to pay attention to the conservation and restoration of aquatic ecosystems.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.39 no.1 s.115
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• pp.119-130
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• 2006

As unialgal cultures to examine the growth kinetics of an algal species, Microcystis aeruginosa was grown in chemostats with nitrogen and phosphorus limitation. The nutrient concentrations of $NH_4\;^+\;and\;PO_4\;^{3-}$ to limit the growth of M, aeruginosa were approximately 200 ${\mu}M$ and 7 ${\mu}M$, respectively. Cell size of the algae decreased towards the $NH_4$-nitrogen limitation under a constant dilution rate, while it increased in the $PO_4$-limitaion. The cell quota of nitrogen under nitrogen-limited conditions was 6.1 ${\mu}mol$ mg $C^{-1}$ and, under nitrogen sufficient conditions, ranged from 9.5 ${\mu}mol$ mg $C^{-1}$ to 12.4 ${\mu}mol$ mg $C^{-1}$. In addition to the cell quota, the half-saturation constants for nitrogen uptake ($K_s$) and the growth rate (${\mu}_m$) was 36 ${\sim}$ 61 ${\mu}M$ and 0.28 ${\sim}$ 0.35 ${\mu}mol$ cell ${\cdot}$ $hr^{-1}$ to show high values in comparison with other algal species. As the limiting concentration, cell quota and uptake rate of M. aeruginosa were higher than those of any other species, the its nitrogen requirement would be great. In the other side, as the half saturation constant ($K_s$) for nitrogen uptake was higher, and the ratios ofmaximum uptake rate ($V_m$) and $K_s$ was relatively low, the species would have the low competitive ability in the low nitrogen concentration in the ambient water. However, the low concentration of nitrogen in the Nakdong River during the Microcystis outbreak would be the inevitable results of the algal blooms. In the lower Parts of the Nakdong River, the nutrient status was coupled with the growth kinetics of the blooming algae to have clear seasonal variations through a year.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.3 s.104
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• pp.235-241
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• 2003

The effect of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on the characteristics of algae-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) was examined by comparing the biodegradability and DOM fraction distribution of algal DOM before and after UV exposure. Algal DOM from two axenic cultures of Microcystis aeruginosa and Oscillatoria agardhii were irradiated for 24 h at a UV intensity of 42 W/$m^2$. A complete degradation of algal DOM during the UV exposure did not occur, remaining at constant concentrations of dissolved organic carbon(DOC). After UV exposure, however, microbial degradations were reduced by 17% in M. aeruginosa and 53% in O. agardhii, respectively, and decomposition rates also were two times lower in UV exposed algal DOM. In addition, the chemical compositions of algal DOM altered substantially after UV radiation exposure. The proportions of hydrophilic bases (HiB; protein-like DOM) decreased considerably in both algal DOM sources after UV exposure (16.8% and 20.0% of DOM, respectively), whereas those of hydrophilic acids (HiA; carboxylic acids-like DOM) increased as much as the decrease of the HiB fraction. Capillary ion electrophoresis (CE) analysis showed that several carboxylic acids increased significantly after UV exposure, further confirming an increase in HiA fractions. The results of this study clearly indicate that algal DOM can be changed in its chemical composition as well as biodegradability without complete degradation by UV radiation.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.1 s.102
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• pp.38-47
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• 2003

The water quality of the Pyeongtaek Reservoir and its main streams has been eval uated far water pollution state in March, June, September and December,2000. The following are the findings: $NH_4$ accounts for the majority of TN in the inflow streams. In the reservoir, TN and $NH_4$ are the more present in the winter season and less in the summer season, with $1.6{\sim}2.4$ times of $NO_3$ and $5.3{\sim}11.4$ times of $NO_2$ found in December and June compared with other seasons. The concentration of each component is different between streams: $NH_4$ among inorganic nitrogen has the highest concentration in the upstream, and $NO_3$ is more prevalent in the downstream. SRP accounts for $25{\sim}69%$ of TP in the stream. Unlike N component, P component in the reservoir rapidly decreases from upstream toward downstream, except in the summer. Average SRSi slightly increases in the fall, i.e., immediately after rainfall. In the streams, the average concentration of chlorophyll-a ranges from 9 to $33{\mu}g/l$, and is relatively high in the downstream. In contrast, in the reservoir, it is the highest in the upstream where $NH_4$ and SRP are frequently found. In particular, diatom and cryptomonad algae are bloomed in March, and blue-green algae in September; their maximum values are $108{\mu}g/l$ and $130{\mu}g/l$, respectively. Considering the concentration of N and P nutrients, pollution loads can affect the Pyeongtaek Reservoir in the downstream in this order: Ansong Stream

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.247-257
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• 2014

The construction of eight large weirs in the Nakdong River, Korea, caused a decrease in the water flow velocity and several physical changes to the water environment. Here, changes in phyto- and zooplankton communities and water quality in the areas near the eight weirs were investigated from 2011 to 2013, and relationships between phytoplankton abundances and environmental factors were analyzed. Special emphasis was given to the succession patterns in algal abundance based on temperature fluctuations. At the eight weirs, 24 dominant species were found. The most abundant phytoplankton species was Stephanodiscus sp. (39.4% of dominant frequency). Cyanobacteria of the genus Microcystis dominated during the summer, with an dominant frequency of 8.5% and cell abundance ratio of 36.6%. Significant correlations were observed between temperature and abundance of eight of the main dominant species; seven species showed positive correlations with temperature. Stephanodiscus sp., however, showed a negative correlation with temperature (r=-0.26, p<0.01). In addition, this species showed a significant negative correlation with the dominant algal species-Aulacoseira granulata and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, with the zooplankton Copepoda and with Cladocera. On the contrary, seven other dominant species of algae showed significant positive correlations with zooplankton. Thus, we showed that the seasonal succession of plankton communities in the Nakdong River was related to the water temperature changes.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.spc
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• pp.86-92
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• 2008

This study was conducted to determine removal effect on phytoplankton (chlorophyll-${\alpha}$ as whole algae) and cyanobacteria by a fish Pseudorasbora parva and macroinvertebrate Palaemon paucidens in September 2006. Three treatments with 25 (T1), 50 (T2) and 100 (T3) individuals along with control (C1, no input fish), and two treatments with 25 (T4) and 50 (T5) individuals along with control (C1) were made for fish and macroinvertebrate, respectively. The initial concentrations of chlorophyll-${\alpha}$ $(Chl_i)$ in each 10L test tank were set up for the levels of $95{\sim}100{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$ and the daily values were monitored in the test tank during 7 days. In the lab tests, P. parva did not show Chl-${alpha}$ removal effect; the removal rate of Chl-${alpha}$ for P. parva was -58% in T1, -56% in T2, and 61% in T3 during the test period. In contrast, P. paucidens. in the treatments of T4 and T5 removed the phytoplankton effectively and the removal effect were appeared to be 33% and 22%, respectively. Also, P. paucidens showed high feeding efficiency in the removal of cyanobacteria. The levels of cyanobacteria were greatly lowed from 6,048 to 927 cells $mL^{-1}$ in T4 and from 6,539 to 1,053 cells $mL^{-1}$ in T5, resulting in 85% and 84% in the removal effect, respectively. Our results for biomanipulation tests suggest that P. paucidens may be used as a potential candidate organism for algae control in spite of the preliminary results by laboratory tests.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.2 s.103
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• pp.181-190
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• 2003

An investigation was conducted on the aquatic environment of the Okchon Stream watershed six times from May to September 2002. The results of investigation revealed that variation of environmental factors were quite significant for each stream and reach, showing a significant difference between running water and stagnant water. Aquatic nutrients were relatively low in the upstream, gradually increasing as the influx of treated wastewater into the stream increased. This suggests that the point source definitely affected the nutrient content of the stream. In particular, the variations of SRP and $NH_4$ were very distinct in the watershed compared to other nutrients. Thus, it can be considered as a major factor in evaluating the effect of treated wastewater. Immediately after the influx of treated waste-water, the average content of SRP rose to 919.3 ${\mu}g$ P/l. This was a very effective level in the watershed, suggesting that the percentage of the nutrients in the water was controlled by the content of P. The constant supply of treated wastewater was found to be a critical factor in triggering the increase in chl-a in the embayment of the stream. With the proliferation of the blue-green algae, the content of chl- a ranged 234.5${\sim}$1,692.2 ${\mu}g/l$. The maximum standing crops exceeded $1.0{\times}10^6$ cells/ml in August, which was more than 200 times the level for red tide in the freshwater. This result was well reflected in other environmental factors, with 100% of AFDM/TSS reflecting the severity of water pollution by algae. Therefore, the reduction of P and N con-tents in the treated wastewater is critical in improving the aquatic environment of the stream as well as water quality management for the reservoir.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.268-286
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• 2018

The eutrophication and algal blooms by harmful cyanobacteria (CyanoHAs) and freshwater redtide (FRT) that severely experiencing in typical regulated weir system of the Nakdong River are one of the most rapidly expanding water quality problems in Korea and worldwide. To compare with the factors of rainfall, hydrology, and dominant algae, this study explored spatiotemporal variability of the major water environmental factors by weekly intervals in eight weir pools of the Nakdong River from January 2013 to July 2017. There was a distinct difference in rainfall distribution between upstream and downstream regions. Outflow discharge using small-scale hydropower generation, overflow and fish-ways accounted for 37.4%, 60.1% and 2.5%, respectively. Excluding the flood season, the outflow was mainly due to the hydropower release through year-round. These have been associated with the drawdown of water level, water exchange rate, and the significant impact on change of dominant algae. The mean concentration (maximum value) of chlorophyll-a was $17.6mg\;m^{-3}$ ($98.2mg\;m^{-3}$) in the SAJ~GAJ and $29.6mg\;m^{-3}$ ($193.6mg\;m^{-3}$) in the DAS~HAA weir pools reaches, respectively. It has increased significantly in the downstream part where the influence of treated wastewater effluents (TWEs) is high. Indeed, very high values (>50 or $>100mg\;m^{-3}$) of chlorophyll-a concentration were observed at low flow rates and water levels. Algal assemblages that caused the blooms of CyanoHAs and FRT were the cyanobacteria Microcystis and the diatom Stephanodiscus populations, respectively. In conclusion, appropriate hydrological management practices in terms of each weir pool may need to be developed.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.71-80
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• 2019

Effects of environmental factors on phytoplankton succession and community structure were studied in Lake Chuncheon located in Bukhan River, South Korea. The data were sampled at three sites such as CC1 (lower side), CC2 (middle side), and CC3 (upper side of Lake Chuncheon) from 2014 to 2017. The annual average precipitation in Lake Chuncheon was 992 mm during the study period (2014~2017), and the annual precipitation was lower than 800 mm in 2014 and 2015. The annual average water temperature, total phosphorus (TP), and total nitrogen (TN) ranged from 17.0 to $21.1^{\circ}C$, 0.012 to $0.019mg\;L^{-1}$, and 1.272 to $1.922mg\;L^{-1}$, respectively. The TN concentration was relatively high in 2015 compared with the other study years, as a drought continued from 2014 to 2015. When comparing the correlation between precipitation and environmental factors, water temperature (p<0.01) and TP(p<0.05) showed positive correlations with rainfall. The average numbers of phytoplankton cells by branch were 2,094, 2,182, and $3,108cells\;mL^{-1}$ in CC1, CC2, and CC3, respectively. CC3 is considered advantageous for phytoplankton growth, even in small pollution sources due to low water depth. As a result of analyzing the relationship between precipitation and phytoplankton, the correlation between the two was shown to be high for 2016 (p<0.01) and 2017 (p<0.05), which is when precipitation was high. However, the correlation was not clear to 2014 and 2015. The relationship between water temperature and phytoplankton indicated a negative correlation with diatoms (p<0.01), yet positive correlations with green algae (p<0.01) and cyanobacteria (p<0.01). Diatoms increased in spring and autumn, which are characterized by low water temperature, and green algae and cyanobacteria increased in summer, when the water temperature is high. Our findings provide a scientific basis for characteristics of phytoplankton and water quality and management at the Lake Chuncheon.