• Ocean and Polar Research
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.65-71
• /
• 2012

Gambierdiscus toxicus, Adachi et. Fukuyo, is a benthic ciguatoxin-producing armored dinoflagellate, often attached to macroalgae. This organism is the primary causative agent of ciguatera fish poisoning which occurs in tropical and subtropical regions. However, regardless of the fact that the population of Gambierdiscus spp. has expanded to such temperate areas from sub-trophic and trophic areas, monitoring of G. toxicus has been lacking in the Korean coastal waters of temperate areas. This study was performed at the uninhabited Baekdo Islands off the southern coast of Korea and at Seopsom Island in the vicinity of Seogwipo, Jeju Province during April and May, 2011. Cell densities of Gambierdiscus spp. on macroalgae at Baekdo and Jeju Island ranged from zero to 56.4 cells $g^{-1}$. Maximum density was recorded on the brown alga Cladophora japonica at St. 3 of Jeju Island. In particular, the cell densities of Gambierdiscus spp. were influenced by the substrate characteristics of macroalgae. In the future, the continuous monitoring of toxic benthic dinoflagellate is necessary to predict and prevent ciguatera poisoning in Korean coastal waters.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.347-370
• /
• 2013

A study on the presence of benthic dinoflagellates in the intertidal zone along the coasts of Jeju Island, Korea was conducted during 2011 and 2012. Identification and taxonomic observations were made of the benthic dinoflagellate samples using light and epifluorescence microscopy. Thirty-seven dinoflagellate taxa belong to five orders, nine families, 18 genera and 30 species, which are new records for Korean waters, were detected in this study. The detailed nomenclature, references, distribution, and illustrations are presented here. The commonly occurring genera were Amphidinium, Coolia, Ostreopsis, Prorocentrum, and Thecadinium. Among the recorded species, 26 were found only in sand sediment, seven in macroalgal samples, and four were found in both sand and macroalgal samples. Of the 37 species, nine were potentially toxic. These results suggest that diversified benthic dinoflagellates including several potentially toxic species occur in sand sediment and macroalgae in the intertidal zone along the coasts of Jeju Island. The morphological features of the identified species were more or less similar to observations made by previous studies in Korea and elsewhere. The presence of known toxic species may indicate a potential risk of toxicity in the marine ecosystem of Jeju Island. The present study can be helpful for further detailed taxonomic, toxicological, molecular phylogenetic studies and may help in the management and conservation of Jeju Island's marine ecosystem.

• ALGAE
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.91-109
• /
• 2021

The occurrence of benthic dinoflagellates, many of which are known to be toxic, is a critical concern for scientists, government officers, and people in the aquaculture, dining, and tourism industries. The interest in these dinoflagellates in countries with temperate climate is increasing because tropical or subtropical species introduced into temperate waters by currents are able to survive the winter season in the new environment owing to global warming. Recently, several species from the benthic dinoflagellate genera Amphidinium, Coolia, Ostreopsis, Gambierdiscus, and Prorocentrum have been reported in the waters of the South and East Sea of Korea. The advent of the benthic dinoflagellates in Korean waters is especially important because raw or slightly cooked seaweeds, which may harbor these benthic dinoflagellates, as well as raw fish, which can be potentially intoxicated by phytotoxins produced by some of these benthic dinoflagellates, are part of the daily Korean diet. The recent increase in temperature of Korean coastal waters has allowed for the expansion of benthic dinoflagellate species into these regions. In the present study, we reviewed the species, distribution, and toxicity of the benthic dinoflagellates that have been reported in Korean waters. We also provided an insight into the ecological and socio-economic importance of the occurrence of benthic dinoflagellates in Korean waters.

• ALGAE
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.317-325
• /
• 2011

Five benthic species of the genus Gambierdiscus (Dinophyceae) were observed for the first time in the coastal waters of Pakistan, Northern Indian Ocean. The morphology of the epiphytic, ciguatera-related toxic species G. toxicus, G. belizeanus, G. polynesiensis, G. australes and G. cf. yasumotoi are presented here, described by the Kofoid system of thecal plates Po, 3', 7", 6c, 8s, 5"', 1p, 2"" with differences in cell shape, cell size, plates, pores around the apical pore plate by using light and scanning electron microscopy. The occurrence of these potentially toxic dinoflagellate species in Pakistani coastal areas of Manora Channel and Balochistan during high temperatures of 28-$32^{\circ}C$ is cause of concern for human health impacts from ciguatera fish poisoning.

• ALGAE
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.181-192
• /
• 2011

Ballasting and deballasting of shipping vessels in foreign ports have been reported worldwide as a vector of introduction of non-native aquatic plants and animals. Recently, attention has turned to ballast water as a factor in the global increase of harmful algal blooms (HABs). Many species of microalgae, including harmful dinoflagellate species, can remain viable for months in dormant benthic stages (cysts) in ballast sediments. Over a period of four years, we surveyed ballast water and sediment of ships docked in two ports of Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. Sampling conditions encountered while sampling ballast water and sediments were vastly different between vessels. Since no single sample collection protocol could be applied, existing methods for sampling ballast were modified and new methods created to reduce time and labor necessary for the collection of high-quality, qualitative samples. Five methods were refined or developed, including one that allowed for a directed intake of water and sediments. From 63 samples, 1,633 dinoflagellate cysts and cyst-like cells were recovered. A native, cyst-forming, harmful dinoflagellate, Alexandrium balechii (Steidinger) F. J. R. Taylor, was collected, isolated, and cultured from the same vessel six months apart, indicating that ships exchanging ballast water in Tampa Bay have the potential to transport HAB species to other ports with similar ecologies, exposing them to non-native, potentially toxic blooms.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.236-248
• /
• 2019

We investigated occurrence and molecular phylogeny of the toxic epiphytic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis at seven sampling sites in the coastal waters off Jeju Island of Korea in April, 2017. During the sampling period, surface water temperature ranged from 15.7 to $18.3^{\circ}C$ and salinity was relatively constant, ranging from 33.4 to 34.9. Of a total of 13 macroalgal species collected from all sampling sites, Ostreopsis cells were observed from 8 macroalgal species and the highest cell abundance ($157.5cells\;g^{-1}$) was recorded on the red alga Grateloupia filicina at St. 6. LSU rDNA D8/D10 sequences of all Korean Ostreopsis strains isolated from the 4 sampling sites were 100% identical. Molecular phylogentic analyses (BI and ML) inferred from LSU rDNA alignment showed that the Korean Ostreopsis strains placed into the previously described the Ostreopsis sp. 1 clade, which contained strains isolated from the temperate coastal waters of Japan. The Korean Ostreopsis sp. 1 strain grew in a wide range of temperature ($10-30^{\circ}C$) and salinity (25-30), with its maximum growth rate of $0.49d^{-1}$ at $25^{\circ}C$ and salinity of 30, indicating that they can be tolerated in temperate areas.

• Journal of Aquaculture
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.251-264
• /
• 1994

To study the causes of occurring toxic dinoflagellate Alexandriwn species, an experiment was undertaken in Jinhae Bay shellfish harvesting areas. The water and sediment samples were collected to record the abundance of Alexandriwn species, and to study the distribution and the germinability of those benthic cysts from September 1993 to July 1994. Alexandrium species were began to appear at all the sample stations after January, and reached maximum concentration (530 cells/l) at Taekok station (Chilcheon-do) in March 1994. Alexandrium cysts were also found at every station surveyed, of which several sites showed the higher concentration of 700-800 $cysts/cm^3$ at the upper sediment profile (0-4cm), but the concentrations were wide range of 100-800 $cysts/cm^3$. The results of each sampling season showed a great difference in the cyst germination experiments, were potentially high in cold season; $72.5\%$ (Jan.), $68\%$ (Apr.),$44\%$(Jul.), and $9\%$ (Oct.). These results suggested that germination of Alexandrium resting cysts in 15 m depth of coastal waters in Jinhae Bay would be controlled by a seasonal endogenous clock instead of the general environmental factors like temperature. Therefore, it is possible that Alexandrium species could be abundant by the germination of resting cysts in cold season, and contribute to the regional paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxification.