• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.spc
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• pp.12-16
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• 2005

Seasonal change in cell number and biomass expressed as chlorophyll a of picophytoplankton community in surface waters was investigated in the north basin of Lake Biwa from September 2001 to November 2002. Two main peaks, in May and summer (from July to October), were observed by change of the cell density of picophytoplankton. It is considered that peak in May was due to water temperature rise and summer peak was attributed to mass-specific nutrient uptake by picophytoplankton. Horizontal distribution in cell number and biomass of picophytoplankton community in surface water of Lake Biwa was investigated at 56 stations on June 6 ${\sim}$ 7 2002. DIN and DIP concentrations were lower in the north basin than in the south basin. The cell density and chlorophyll a of picophytoplankton were distributed almost uniformly in all area. The contribution of picophytoplankton to total phytoplankton chlorophyll a was higher in the north basin than in the south basin. These results suggest that picophytoplankton is important as a primary producer in low nutrient periods and areas of Lake Biwa.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.77-87
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• 2017

Picophytoplankton, an important primary producer especially at the oligotrophic region, is known to contribute a significant portion of the total phytoplankton biomass in the East Sea of Korea. During autumn in the southwestern East Sea, frequent upwellings and oligotrophic conditions occur and annual variation of primary productivity is known to be significant. Moreover sea surface temperature (SST) of the East Sea is steeply increasing compared to global average increase, so various changes in marine ecosystem related with increase of SST are reported. Taking such circumstances into consideration, we measured the contribution from picophytoplankton fraction to total phytoplankton composition by size fraction of phytoplankton biomass during the autumn seasons from 2011, 2013 and 2015 and examined the variation of the phytoplankton composition. As a result of size fraction analyses, we found that the variation of contribution from picophytoplankton(<$3{\mu}m$) to total community of phytoplankton was high and the average fractions of picophytoplankton were measured as 38% (2011), 59% (2013), 7% (2015), respectively. The difference between measured SST and annual mean SST (${\Delta}T$) was highest ($+1.6^{\circ}C$) in autumn of 2013 and lowest ($-0.9^{\circ}C$) in autumn of 2015. The close positive correlation between ${\Delta}SST$ and fraction of picophytoplankton was confirmed($R^2$ > 0.9). The increase in SST at the southern East Sea was confirmed as one of the main environmental factors in the increase in the increase of the contribution from picophytoplankton. Monitoring of changes in the community structure of primary producers and the influences of the environmental factors including SST in the East Sea is necessary to understand the interactions of ecosystem of the East Sea and the climate change in the near future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.525-535
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• 2023

In thi study, we unveil the intricate interplay among picophytoplankton (0.2-2 ㎛) communities, warming surface water temperatures, and major inorganic nutrients within the southwestern East Sea from 2003-2022. The observed surface temperature rise, reflecting global climate trends, defies conventional seasonal patterns in temperate seas, with highest temperatures in summer and lowest in spring. Concurrently, concentrations of major dissolved inorganic nutrient display distinct seasonality, with peaks in winter and gradually declining thereafter during spring. The time course of chlorophyll-a concentrations, a proxy for phytoplankton biomass, reveals a typical bimodal pattern for temperate seas. Notably, contributions from picophytoplankton exhibited a steady annual increase of approximately 0.5% over the study period, although the total chlorophyll-a concentrations declined slightly. The strong correlations between picophytoplankton contributions and inorganic nutrient concentrations is noteworthy, highlighting their competitively advantageous responsiveness to the shifting nutrient regime. These findings reflect significant ecological implications for the scientific insights into the marine ecosystem responses to changing climate conditions.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.24 no.1 s.61
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• pp.81-88
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• 2006

The cell abundance and marker pigment distribution patterns of picophytoplankton in the Chuuk Lagoon, tropical South Pacific, were analyzed flow cytometry and HPLC. Also, respective contribution of Synechococcus, Prochlorococcus and picoeukaryotes on estimated carbon biomass was evaluated. Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus showed contrasting distributional patterns in the waters of Chuuk Lagoon. Relatively high concentration of Synechococcus was observed near Weno Island but the concentration decreased toward the Northeast Passage. However, Prochlorococcus showed an opposite distributional pattern. Picoeukaryotes did not show any significant variable difference. The range of divinyl chlorophyll a (Chl. $\alpha$) concentration, marker pigment of Prochlorococcus, was $1.2\sim180.3\;ng\;L^{-1}$ and higher concentrations were observed at the stations near the Northeast Passage than stations near Weno Island. This pigment pattern was similar to cell abundance pattern indicating that chi. a2 may be a useful biomass indicator. On the other hand, the range of zeaxanthin concentrations was $61.4\sim135.8\;ng\;L^{-1}$ showing comparatively less significant variation indicating zeaxanthin influence derived from Prochlorococcus. Estimated carbon biomass of Synechococcus contributed 68% of total picophytoplankton biomass. Prochlorococcus and picoeukaryotes respectively contributed 17.1% and 14.9% of total picophytoplankton biomass.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.24 no.1 s.61
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• pp.7-18
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• 2006

Samples were collected from five stations monthly from October 2003 to September 2004 to investigate seasonal variation of size structure of phytoplankton and relationship between size-fractionated phytoplankton and environmental factors in the Asan Bay. The contribution of large cells (microphytoplankton, $>20\;{\mu}m$) to total concentrations of chlorophyll $\alpha$ was higher than small cells (nanophytoplankton, $3\sim20\;{\mu}m$; picophytoplankton, $<3\;{\mu}m$) during the sampling period. Especially, large cells contributed 80% to the total chlorophyll a from February, 2004 to April 2004 when chlorophyll $\alpha$ concentrations were high. The size structure of phytoplankton shifted from micro-size class to nano-size class and picophytoplankton rapidly increased when phytoplankton biomass decreased in May 2004. Microphytoplankton exhibited a high biomass in the upper region during winter-spring season whereas nano- and picophytoplankton showed two peaks in the middle-lower regions (Station 3,5) during spring and summer. Microphytoplankton are most likely controlled by water temperature and nutrient supply during the cold season whereas nano- and picophytoplankton may be affected by stratification, light exposure during the warm season.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.54-69
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• 2022

We conducted a field survey from 2018 to 2020 to analyze the spatial distribution of phytoplankton communities at 13 stations in the East Sea. The diatom Chaetoceros curvisetus appeared as the dominant species in winter, and small flagellates less than 20 ㎛ prevailed in all seasons except winter. The seasonal average range of the micro (>20 ㎛), nano (20 ㎛≥Chl-a>3 ㎛), and picophytoplankton (≤3 ㎛) was 20.6-26.2%, 27.1-35.9%, and 40.8-49.0%, respectively. The composition ratio of nano and picophytoplankton was high at the surface mixed layer from spring to autumn when the water columns were strongly stratified. Especially, the stability of the water mass was increased when the summer surface water temperature was higher than that of the previous year. As a result, the nutrient inflow from the lower layer to the surface was reduced as the ocean stratification layer was strengthened. Therefore, the composition ratio of nano and picophytoplankton was the highest at 77.9% at the surface mixed layer. In conclusion, the structure of the phytoplankton community in the East Sea has been miniaturized, which is expected to form a complex microbial food web structure and lower the carbon transfer rate to the upper consumer stage.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.24 no.1 s.61
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• pp.67-80
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• 2006

The effect of environmental forcing on picophytoplankton distribution pattern was investigated in the tropical and subtropical western Pacific (TSWP) and the East Sea in September, 2002, and the continental shelf of the East China Sea (C-ECS) in August, 2003. The abundance of picophytoplankton populations, Synechococcus, Prochlorococcus and picoeukaryotes were determined by flow cytometry analyses. Picophytoplankton vertical profiles and integrated abundance $(0\sim100\;m)$ were compared with these three physiochemically different regions. Variation patterns of integrated cell abundance of Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus in these three regions showed contrasting results. Synechococcus showed average abundance of $84.5X10^{10}\;cells\;m^{-2}$, in the TSWP, $305.6X10^{10}\;cells\;m^{-2}$ in the C-ECS, and $125.4X10^{10}\;cells\; m^{-2}$ in the East Sea where increasing cell concentrations were observed in the region with abundant nutrient. On the other hand, Prochlorococcus showed average abundance of $504.5X10^{10}\;cells\;m^{-2}$ in the TSWP, $33.2x10^{10}\;cells\;m^{-2}$ in the C-ECS, and $130.2X10^{10}\;cells\;m^{-2}$ in the East Sea exhibiting a distinctive pattern of increasing cell abundance in oligotrophic warm water. Although picoeukaryotes showed a similar pattern to Synechococcus, the abundance was 1/10 of Synechococcus. Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes showed ubiquitous distribution whereas Prochlorococcus generally did not appear in the C-ECS and the East Sea with low salinity environment. The average depth profiles for Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus displayed uniform abundance in the surface mixed layer with a rapid decrease below the surface mixed layer. for Prochlorococcus, a similar rapid decreasing trend was not observed below the surface mixed layer of the TSWP, but Prochlorococcus continued to show high cell abundance even down to 100 m depth. Picoeukaryotes showed uniform abundance along $0\sim100\;m$ depth in the C-ECS, and abundance maximum layer appeared in the East Sea at $20\sim30\;m$ depth.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.93-108
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• 2019

To investigate the temporal-spatial distribution of picophytoplankton in relation to different water masses in the northern East China Sea (ECS), picophytoplankton abundance were investigated using flow cytometry with environmental factors in 2016-2017. The results from the analysis of flow cytometer data showed that Synechococcus appeared across all seasons, exhibiting its minimum abundance in winter and maximum abundance in summer. Furthermore, high abundance was detected in the surface mixed layer during spring and summer when vertical stratification occurs; in particular, Synechococcus exhibited maximum abundance in thermocline layer, indicating a close correlation to water temperature and thermocline formation. In addition, the abundance of Synechococcus indicated a decrease in the western seas in 2017 compared to 2016 under the strong influence of the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW). This was determined by the significant influence of the CDW on the abundance of Synechococcus during summer in the northern waters of the ECS. In contrast, Prochlorococcus did not appear during winter and spring, and its distribution was limited during summer and autumn in the eastern seas under the influence of the Kuroshio current. The largest range of Prochlorococcus distribution was confirmed during autumn without the influence of the CDW. Thus, the distribution pattern of each picophytoplankton genus was found to be changing in accordance to the extension and reduction of sea current in different seasons and periods of time. This is anticipated to be a useful biological marker in understanding the distribution of sea currents and their influence in the northern waters of the ECS.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.529-536
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• 1995

A picophytoplankton has been isolated from the western channel of the Korea Strait. The cell was isolated by dilution method. It is about 2 ${\mu}m$ in diameter and has smooth surface. Organelles of nucleus, chloroplasts, mitochondrion, Golgi body, pyrenoids, vacuoles and lipid bodies are identified. Pigments are composed of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b, ${\beta}$-carotene and other xanthophylls. Based on the ultrastructural features and pigment composition, it may belong to chlorococcalean picoplankton.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.165-176
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• 1998

Seasonal changes in microzooplankton abundance were identified in the mesohaline Chesapeake Bay and several tributaries from July 1992 through December 1995. Ciliates numerically dominated, comprising over 90% of the total microzooplankton density and aloricate ciliates usually outnumbered loricate ciliates. Copepod nauplii accounted for the highest microzooplankton biomass (>75% in dry weight). Rotifers made small contributions to the total microzooplankton density and biomass (<5%). Time series analysis indicated a twelve month cycle in microzooplankton abundance, and mid-summer(August) peaks for copepod nauplii, and a spring through fall peaks (May-October) for ciliates. Rotifers showed two seasonal peaks: one in mid-summer(August) at the river stations and the other in mid-winter(February) at the mesohaline stations. Seasonal peaks of copepod nauplii and rotifers coincided with the mesozooplankton abundance peak. On the other hand, ciliate maximum usually occurred between the phytoplankton and mesozooplankton peaks. This pattern of microzooplankton seasonality suggests the intermediate trophic role of microzooplankton (especially ciliates) between the phytoplankton(especially picophytoplankton) and mesozooplankton in Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.