• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.357-369
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• 2007

Water fleas are very important organisms in aquatic ecosystem because they are key constituents of food webs as either glazers or foods for predators. Daphnia magna is a representative test species and it has been extensively used in ecotoxicity evaluation. However, Daphnia magna has not been found yet in Korean water environment. There are limitations of using the foreign species such as Daphnia magna to reflect domestic situations in Korea. Consequently it is mandatory to find domestic species suitable for bioassay, and to develop corresponding toxicity test methods using the domestic species. In this study, we widely collected the domestic and foreign toxicity test methods performed by using domestic water fleas in Korea. The 58 test methods were collected from the standard methods (OECD, US EPA, ASTM), government reports, SCI papers and domestic papers. Ten domestic water fleas selected were Bosmina longirostris, Ceriodaphnia dubia, Ceriodaphnia reticulata, Daphnia obtusa, Daphnia puex, Moina macrocopa, Moina micrura, Simocephalus mixtus, Simocephalus serrulatus, and Simocephalus vetulus. We suggested the domestic ecotoxicity test methods using domestic water fleas in Korea through providing a range of test conditions, and future directions for toxicity test using water flea. This study could be a useful basis for establishing the aquatic toxicity test methods with domestic organisms in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.173-183
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• 2007

The Ministry of Environment plans to introduce the Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) system in Korea. The WET test is well established in developed countries with recognizing of the limitations of physicochemical analysis method and potential risk of chemicals in water medium. Therefore, it is essential to build the ecotoxicity infrastructure for the induction of WET test. In this study, we extensively collected the domestic and foreign toxicity test methods which employ native test species to Korea. And we suggested that the domestic ecotoxicity test methods with domestic test species in Korea through extracting the range of test conditions. Five domestic fish species selected were Carassiu auratus (Crucian carp), Cyprinus carpio(Common carp), Gasterosteus aculeatus (Three spine stickleback), Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Oriental weather fish) and Oryzias latipes (Japanese medaka), The toxicity test methods with native test species to Korea were collected from the standard methods (OECD, U.S. EPA, ASTM), government reports, SCI papers and domestic papers. We collected the 32 test methods, and suggested the suitable aquatic toxicity test methods for fish. It is expected that this study could prove a useful information to establish the ecotoxicity test methods with domestic aquatic organisms in Korea henceforth.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.395-400
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• 2002

Lead is one of the most toxic metal and is detectable in practically all phases of environment and in all biological system. Transport, industrial and domestic waste products are the main sources of this pollutant. Ingested lead is rapidly absorbed and widely distributed throughout the body, causing extensive tissue damage. In this study, we chose the freshwater decapods Maceobrachium nipponnese as a sensitive indicator organism for environmental pollution. In order to investigate the possibility in use of $Na^+/K^+ATPase$ activity as a biomarker of lead pollution, we tested the acute toxicity of lead to Maceobrachium nipponnese. The $LC_{50}(96hr)$ value for lead in Maceobrachium nipponnese was found to be $446{\mu}g/L$ with the 95% confidence limits. The lead exposure group at $LC_{50}$ showed a significant $Na^+/K^+ATPase$ inhibition, depending on the exposure time. Comparision of several concentrations of lead revealed that the $Na^+/K^+ATPase$ activity in Maceobrachium nipponnese was significantly decreased in a concentration dependent manner. These results suggest that $Na^+/K^+ATPase$ activity in Maceobrachium nipponnese may possibly be used as a biomarker of lead pollution in aquatic ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.117-127
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• 2008

Green algae are important primary producers in aquatic ecosystem, and they are sensitive test species in bioassay. Green algae are broadly used to assess the adverse effects of various chemicals by measuring the inhibition of metabolism, reproduction and survival. In this study, we extensively gathered domestic and foreign toxicity test methods conducted using green algae, which are distributed in Korean water environment. Selected eight domestic green algae were Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Desmodesmus subspicatus (=Scenedesmus subspicatus), Scenedesmus abundans, Scenedesmus acutus, Scenedesmus quadricauda, Podohedriella falcata (=Ankistrodesmus falcatus), Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (=Selenastrum capricornutum), and Chlorella vulgaris. Forty four test methods were collected from the standard test ones, government reports, SCI papers and Korean research papers. P. subcapitata and D. subspicatus are the most common test species recommended by the standard test methods. Initial cell density and dilution water were the main differences among the test methods we collected. We proposed the suitable ecotoxicity test methods based on domestic green algae in Korea. This study could be a fundamental basis to establish the ecotoxicity test methods by green algae distributed in Korea.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.87-99
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• 2024

Global climate change, followed by an increase in anthropogenic activities in aquatic ecosystems, and species invasions, has resulted in a decline in aquatic organism biodiversity. The Batanghari River, Sumatra's longest river, is polluted by mercury-containing illegal gold mining waste (PETI), industrial pollution, and domestic waste. Several studies have provided evidence suggesting a decline in fish biodiversity within the Batanghari River. However, a comprehensive evaluation of the present status of biodiversity in this river is currently lacking. The species under investigation were identified through various molecular-based identification methods, as well as morphological identification, which involved the use of neighbor-joining (NJ) trees. All collected specimens were initially identified using morphological techniques and subsequently confirmed with molecular barcoding analysis. Morphological and DNA barcoding identification categorized all specimens (1,692) into 36 species, 30 genera and 16 families, representing five orders. A total of 36 DNA barcodes were generated from 30 genera using a 650-bp-long fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Based on the Kimura two-parameter model (K2P), The minimum and maximum genetic divergences based on K2P distance were 0.003 and 0.331, respectively, and the average genetic divergence within genera, families, and orders was 0.05, 0.12, 0.16 respectively. In addition, the average interspecific distance was approximately 2.17 times higher than the mean intraspecific distance. Our results showed that the COI barcode enabled accurate fish species identification in the Batanghari River. Furthermore, the present work will establish a comprehensive DNA barcode library for freshwater fishes along Batanghari River and be significantly useful in future efforts to monitor, conserve, and manage fisheries in Indonesia.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.388-408
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• 2024

The assessment of aquatic environments within Korea's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system primarily relies on physico-chemical parameters. Specifically, evaluations of aquatic ecosystems are limited to certain aspects of aquatic organism diversity (species composition and community characteristics), with no comprehensive assessment of ecosystem health or condition. This study investigates the application of aquatic ecosystem health indices in 89 projects involving the "Use and development of rivers," conducted as part of EIAs between 2000 and 2022. It proposes improvements to the EIA system through the adoption of biological evaluation methods based on key aquatic organisms. This study conducts a comparative analysis of international cases of aquatic ecosystem health assessments and EIA systems to identify the limitations of Korea's EIA system and propose improvements. It also investigates the application of aquatic ecosystem health indices in 89 projects involving the "Use and development of rivers," conducted as part of EIAs between 2000 and 2022. Based on these findings, it suggests adopting biological evaluation methods based on key aquatic organisms to enhance the EIA system. Globally, 12 countries, including the United States and Germany, conduct river monitoring and biological evaluations. Among them, six countries, including the United States, employ biological indices in their assessments. The United States, in particular, uses the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) to evaluate aquatic ecosystem health. Furthermore, biological health assessments are incorporated into EIAs under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) through the implementation of Rapid Bioassessment Protocols (RBPs). In Korea, aquatic ecosystem health assessments within EIAs primarily utilize indices from the National Biological Monitoring Network, established under the Water Environment Conservation Act (provisions for aquatic ecosystem health surveys and evaluations). The use of biological assessment indices includes 75 applications of the benthic macroinvertebrate index, 35 of the diatom index, and 21 of the fish index. Since the introduction of riverine aquatic ecosystem health evaluations in 2007, the frequency of their use has steadily increased, highlighting the growing recognition of ecosystem-level assessments in evaluating impacts on aquatic environments. However, the assessment of aquatic ecosystem health has yet to be institutionalized as a formal component of domestic EIAs, resulting in limited continuous evaluation and practical implementation. This study underscores the critical importance of ecosystem-level evaluations in EIAs of aquatic environments, such as rivers and lakes. It recommends incorporating aquatic ecosystem health indices as standardized survey items within the existing EIA framework for water environment assessments.