• ALGAE
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.289-301
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• 2019

Mixotrophy in marine organisms is an important aspect of ecology and evolution. The discovery of mixotrophic abilities in phototrophic dinoflagellates alters our understanding of the dynamics of red tides. In the phototrophic dinoflagellate genus Alexandrium, some species are mixotrophic, but others are exclusively autotrophic. There are differences in the ecological roles of autotrophic and mixotrophic Alexandrium in marine food webs. However, of the 34 known Alexandrium species, the mixotrophic ability of >20 species has yet to be explored. In this study, the mixotrophic capabilities of Alexandrium insuetum CCMP2082, Alexandrium mediterraneum CCMP3433, Alexandrium pacificum CCMP3434, Alexandrium tamutum ATSH1609, and Alexandrium margalefii CAWD10 were investigated by providing each species with 22 diverse prey items including bacterium-sized microbeads (1 ㎛), the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp., algal prey species, and the ciliate Mesodinium rubrum. None of the 5 Alexandrium species fed on any of the prey items. These results increase the number of Alexandrium species lacking mixotrophic abilities to 9, compared to the 7 known mixotrophic Alexandrium species. Furthermore, the Alexandrium phylogenetic tree based on the large subunit ribosomal DNA contained 3 large clades, each of which had species with and without mixotrophic abilities. Thus, the acquisition or loss of mixotrophic abilities in Alexandrium might readily occur.

• ALGAE
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.25-36
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• 2021

The mixotrophic dinoflagellate Tripos furca causes red tides in the waters of many countries. To understand its population dynamics, mortality due to predation as well as growth rate should be assessed. Prior to the present study, the heterotrophic dinoflagellates Noctiluca scintillans, Polykrikos kofoidii, Protoperidinium steinii, and mixotrophic dinoflagellate Fragilidium subglobosum were known to ingest T. furca. However, if other common heterotrophic protists are able to feed on T. furca has not been tested. We explored interactions between T. furca and nine heterotrophic dinoflagellates and one naked ciliate. Furthermore, we investigated the abundance of T. furca and common heterotrophic protists in coastal-offshore waters off Yeosu, southern Korea, on Jul 31, 2020, during its red tide. Among the tested heterotrophic protists, the heterotrophic dinoflagellates Aduncodinium glandula, Luciella masanensis, and Pfiesteria piscicida were able to feed on T. furca. However, the heterotrophic dinoflagellates Gyrodiniellum shiwhaense, Gyrodinium dominans, Gyrodinium jinhaense, Gyrodinium moestrupii, Oblea rotunda, Oxyrrhis marina, and the naked ciliate Rimostrombidium sp. were unable to feed on it. However, T. furca did not support the growth of A. glandula, L. masanensis, or P. piscicida. Red tides dominated by T. furca prevailed in the South Sea of Korea from Jun 30 to Sep 5, 2020. The maximum abundance of heterotrophic dinoflagellates in the waters off Yeosu on Jul 31, 2020, was as low as 5.0 cells mL-1, and A. glandula, L. masanensis, and P. piscicida were not detected. Furthermore, the abundances of the known predators F. subglobosum, N. scintillans, P. kofoidii, and Protoperidinium spp. were very low or negligible. Therefore, no or low abundance of effective predators might be partially responsible for the long duration of the T. furca red tides in the South Sea of Korea in 2020.

• ALGAE
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.351-362
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• 2016

We investigated a possible reduction in $CO_2$ uptake rate by phototrophic red tide dinoflagellates arising from mixotrophy. We measured the daily ingestion rates of Prorocentrum minimum by Prorocentrum micans over 5 days in 10 L experimental bottles, and the uptake rates of total dissolved inorganic carbon ($C_T$) by a mixture of P. micans and P. minimum(mixotrophic growth), and for the predator P. micans (phototrophic growth; control) and prey P. minimum (phototrophic growth; control) alone. To account for the effect of pH on the phototrophic growth rates of P. micans and P. minimum, measurements of $C_T$ and pH in the predator and prey control bottles were continued until the pH reached the same level (pH 9.5) as that in the experimental bottles on the final day of incubation. The measured total $C_T$ uptake rate by the mixture of P. micans and P. minimum changed from 123 to $161{\mu}mol\;C_T\;kg^{-1}\;d^{-1}$ over the course of the experiment, and was lower than the $C_T$ uptake rates shown by P. micans and P. minimum in the predator and prey control bottles, respectively, which changed from 132 to $17{\mu}mol\;C_T\;kg^{-1}\;d^{-1}$ over the course of the experiment. The reduction in total $C_T$ uptake rate arising from the mixotrophy of P. micans was 7-31% of the daily $C_T$ uptake rate seen during photosynthesis. The results suggest that red tide dinoflagellates take up less $C_T$ during mixotrophy.

• ALGAE
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.207-216
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• 2005

Myrionecta rubra, a mixotrophic ciliate, is a cosmopolitan red tide species which is commonly found in neritic and estuarine waters. M. rubra had long been listed as an “nculturable protist”until 2 different laboratory strains were finally established in 2 research groups at the beginning of this century, enabling us to perform initiative investigation into various aspect of the live M. rubra strains (Gustafson et al. 2000; Yih et al. 2004b; Johnson and Stoecker 2005). Field sampling was carried out on high tide at 2 fixed stations around Kunsan Inner Harbor (St.1 near the Estuarine Weir and St.2 off Kunsan Ferry Station) every other day for 4 months from mid-February 2004 to understand detailed figure of the recurrent spring blooms of M. rubra following the onset of the water gates operation of the Keum River Estuarine Weir on August 1994. With its maximum abundance of 272 cells mL$^{-1}$ in St.1, fluctuation pattern of the M. rubra population at the 2 stations was strikingly similar. Notable growth of M. rubra population started on late April, to cause M. rubra red tides during one month from mid-May in which “xceptionally low salinity days”without its red tide were intermittently inserted. High abundance of M. rubra over 50 cells mL$^{-1}$ was recorded at samples with their water temperature and salinity higher than 15${^{\circ}C}$ and 4.0 psu, respectively. During pre-bloom period when salinity fluctuation is moderate and the water temperature is cooler than 15°C, Skeletonema costatum, a chain-forming centric diatom, was most dominant. Cyanobacterial species such as Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Phormidium sp. replaced other dominant phytoplankters on the days with “xceptionally low salinity”even during the main blooming period of M. rubra. To summarize, M. rubra could form spring blooms in Keum River Estuary when the level of salinity fluctuation was more severe than that for the dominant diatom Skeletonema costatum and milder than that for the predominance by freshwater cyanobacteria. Therefore, optimal control of the scale and frequency of freshwater discharges might lead us to partially modify the fluctuation pattern of M. rubra populations as well as the period of spring blooms by M. rubra in Keum River Estuary. Sampling time interval of 2 days for the present study or daily sampling was concluded to be minimally required for the detailed exploration into the spring blooms by M. rubra populations in estuaries with weirs like Keum River Estuary.

• ALGAE
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.237-251
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• 2019

The dinoflagellate genus Alexandrium is known to often form harmful algal blooms causing human illness and large-scale mortality of marine organisms. Therefore, the population dynamics of Alexandrium species are of primary concern to scientists and aquaculture farmers. The growth rate of the Alexandrium species is the most important parameter in prediction models and nutrient conditions are critical parameters affecting the growth of phototrophic species. In Korean coastal waters, Alexandrium affine and Alexandrium fraterculus, of similar sizes, often form red-tide patches together. Thus, to understand bloom dynamics of A. affine and A. fraterculus, growth rates and nitrate uptake of each species as a function of nitrate ($NO_3$) concentration at $100{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}s^{-1}$ under 14-h light : 10-h dark and continuous light conditions were determined using a nutrient repletion method. With increasing $NO_3$ concentration, growth rates and $NO_3$ uptake of A. affine or A. fraterculus increased, but became saturated. Under light : dark conditions, the maximum growth rates of A. affine and A. fraterculus were 0.45 and $0.42d^{-1}$, respectively. However, under continuous light conditions, the maximum growth rate of A. affine slightly increased to $0.46d^{-1}$, but that of A. fraterculus largely decreased. Furthermore, the maximum nitrate uptake of A. affine and A. fraterculus under light : dark conditions were 12.9 and $30.1pM\;cell^{-1}d^{-1}$, respectively. The maximum nitrate uptake of A. affine under continuous light conditions was $16.4pM\;cell^{-1}d^{-1}$. Thus, A. affine and A. fraterculus have similar maximum growth rates at the given $NO_3$ concentration ranges, but they have different maximum nitrate uptake rates. A. affine may have a higher conversion rate of $NO_3$ to body nitrogen than A. fraterculus. Moreover, a longer exposure time to the light may confer an advantage to A. affine over A. fraterculus.

• ALGAE
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.127-132
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• 2005

Algal growth potentials were probed by algal growth rates, maximal PSII quantum yields and ATP amount as well as dry weights of algae to evaluate the water fertility due to the algal growth in the stream (CT) and stagnant watershed (WW). Oscillatoria agardhii (CY) and Coelastrum reticulatum (CH) were cultured in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) starvation media (CH-10 medium) and re-inoculated in CT and WW for 7 days. Cell division rates of CY were the highest (k = 7.5) in WW after N starvation, while those of CH were the hight (k = 2.97) in WW after P starvation. The growth of CY was limited by P, while that of CH was by N. Conversely, maximal PSII quantum yields of CH were generally higher than those of CY in CT and WW according to culture time. CY was much more sensibly adapted than CH according to the variations of nutrient amounts in WW. The water fertility was much higher in WW than in CT. The potential assessment tool for water fertility will be able to compensate for the limit of physio-chemical analyses and to be applied as a monitoring system to forecast red-tide.

• Proceedings of KOSOMES biannual meeting
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.187-191
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• 2006

This research is about the optical characteristics of algae which is collected from Nam-Hae for basic research of red tide remote sensing technique development 21 kinds of red tide organisms were cultivated to investigate optical characteristics of them in the level of laboratory, and chlorophyll specific absorption coefficient $(a^*)$ and backscattering coefficient $(b_b^*)$ are estimated by using spectrophotometer. Absorption spectrums according to species appeared to range from 0.005 to 0.06 $(m^2/mg)$, and the shapes of spectrums were also different. The range of $b_b^*$ appeared to be $10^{-2}\sim10^{-4}m^2/mg$, which had about 100 times differences between species, and the shape of spectrum have significant difference between species. These results will input as an ocean color model input parameter from ocean color.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 2009

This research is about the inherent optical properties(IOPs) of algae which is collected from Nam-Hae for basic research of red tide remote sensing technique development. 21 kinds of red tide organisms were cultivated to investigate IOPs of them in the level of laboratory, and specific absorption coefficient of phytoplankton($a^*$) and backscattering coefficient of phytoplankton(${b_b}^*$) are estimated by using spectrophotometer. Absorption spectrums according to species appeared to range from 0.005 to 0.06 ($m^2{\cdot}mg^{-1}$), and the shapes of spectrums were also different. The range of ${b_b}^*$ appeared to be $10^{-2}{\sim}10^{-4}\;m^2{\cdot}mg^{-1}$, which had about 100 times differences between species, and the shape of spectrum have significant difference between species. These results will input as a remote sensing reflectance model input parameter from ocean color.

• ALGAE
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.237-241
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• 2011

The toxic dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum has been implicated in numerous fish kill events around the world. Since this species commonly co-occurs with other morphologically similar dinoflagellates, field monitoring of this species in natural waters via light microscopy only has been problematic. In this study, we investigated temporal changes in K. veneficum's abundance in the waters of Obido, Tongyeong, using a species-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. The field survey, from April to December 2010, revealed K. veneficum occurred at low densities (12 to 425 cells $L^{-1}$) during this time and that cell numbers peaked in June (early summer in Korea), indicating this species generally occurs in the warmer season (mostly at $16.9-22.3^{\circ}C$ and 33.4-34.5‰) in the Obido area.

• ALGAE
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 2014

Availability of nutrients is known to influence marine primary production; and it is of general interest to see how nutrient limitation mediates phytoplankton responses to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR, 280-400 nm). The red tide diatom Skeletonema costatum was cultured under nitrate (N)-limited and N-replete conditions and exposed to different solar irradiation treatments with or without UV-A (315-400 nm) and UV-B (280-315 nm) radiation. Its photochemical quantum yield decreased by 13.6% in N-limited cells as compared to that in N-replete ones under photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)-alone treatment, and the presence of UV-A or UV-B decreased the yield further by 2.8 and 3.1%, respectively. The non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), when the cells were exposed to stressful light condition, was higher in N-limited than in N-replete grown cells by 180% under PAR alone, by 204% under PAR + UV-A and by 76% under PAR + UV-A + UV-B treatments. Our results indicate that the N limitation exacerbates the UVR effects on the S. costatum photosynthetic performance and stimulate its NPQ.