Morphological and genetic characterization and the nationwide distribution of the phototrophic dinoflagellate Scrippsiella lachrymosa in the Korean waters

Lee, Sung Yeon,Jeong, Hae Jin,You, Ji Hyun,Kim, So Jin The Korean Society of Phycology 2018 ALGAE Vol.33 No.1

The phototrophic dinoflagellate genus Scrippsiella is known to have a worldwide distribution. Here, we report for the first time, the occurrence of Scrippsiella lachrymosa in Korean waters. Unlike the other stains of S. lachrymosa whose cultures had been established from cysts in the sediments, the clonal culture of the Korean strain of S. lachrymosa was established from motile cells. When the sulcal plates of S. lachrymosa, which have not been fully described to date, were carefully examined using scanning electron microscopy, the Korean strain of S. lachrymosa clearly exhibited the anterior sulcal plate (s.a.), right sulcal plate (s.d.), left sulcal plate (s.s.), median sulcal plate (s.m.), and posterior sulcal plate (s.p.). When properly aligned, the large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequence of the Korean strain of S. lachrymosa was ca. 1% different from those of two Norwegian strains of S. lachrymosa, the only strains for which LSU sequences have been reported. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA sequence of the Korean strain of S. lachrymosa was also ca. 1% different from those of the Scottish and Chinese strains and 3% different from those of the Canadian, German, Greek, and Portuguese strains. Thus, the Korean S. lachrymosa strain has unique LSU and ITS sequences. The abundances of S. lachrymosa in the waters of 28 stations, located in the East, West, and South Sea of Korea, were quantified in four seasons from January 2016 to October 2017, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction method and newly designed specific primer-probe sets. Its abundances were >$0.1cells\;mL^{-1}$ at eight stations in January and March 2016 and March 2017, and its highest abundance in Korean waters was $26cells\;mL^{-1}$. Thus, S. lachrymosa has a nationwide distribution in Korean waters as motile cells.

The effects of temperature on the growth rate and nitrogen content of invasive Gracilaria vermiculophylla and native Gracilaria tikvahiae from Long Island Sound, USA

Gorman, Leah,Kraemer, George P.,Yarish, Charles,Boo, Sung Min,Kim, Jang K. The Korean Society of Phycology 2017 ALGAE Vol.32 No.1

The red alga Gracilaria vermiculophylla, a species native to the waters of Korea and Japan, has invaded marine coastal areas of Europe and the Americas, thriving in conditions that differ from those of its native habitat. In recent years, G. vermiculophylla has been discovered in the Long Island Sound (LIS) estuary growing alongside the native congener Gracilaria tikvahiae. The goal of this study was to determine whether the two strains of G. vermiculophylla from different regions of the world have evolved genetic differences (i.e., ecotypic differentiation) or if the physiological performance of the strains simply reflects phenotypic plasticity. Two strains of G. vermiculophylla (isolated in Korea and LIS) and a strain of the LIS native G. tikvahiae were grown for four weeks under temperatures ranging from 20 to $34^{\circ}C$ using a temperature gradient table (all other environmental conditions were kept constant). At the end of each week, wet weight of each sample was recorded, and thalli were reduced to the original stocking density of $1gL^{-1}$ (excess biomass was preserved for tissue carbon and nitrogen analysis). Generally, the growth rates of Korean G. vermiculophylla > LIS G. vermiculophylla > G. tikvahiae. After one week of growth G. tikvahiae grew 9.1, 12.0, 9.4, and 0.2% $d^{-1}$, at temperatures of 20, 24, 29, and $34^{\circ}C$, respectively, while G. vermiculophylla (LIS) grew 6.6, 6.2, 5.7, and 3.6% $d^{-1}$. G. vermiculophylla (Korea) grew 15.4, 22.9, 23.2, and 10.1% $d^{-1}$, much higher than the two strains currently inhabiting the LIS. On average, the LIS G. vermiculophylla strain contained 4-5% DW N, while the Korean strain and G. tikvahiae had more modest levels of 2-3% N DW. However, tissue N content declined as temperature increased in LIS and Korean G. vermiculophylla. The non-native haplotype may have evolved genetic differences resulting in lower growth capacity while concentrating significantly more nitrogen, giving the non-native a competitive advantage.

Spatial-temporal distributions of the newly described mixotrophic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium smaydae in Korean coastal waters

Lee, Sung Yeon,Jeong, Hae Jin,Ok, Jin Hee,Kang, Hee Chang,You, Ji Hyun The Korean Society of Phycology 2020 ALGAE Vol.35 No.3

Gymnodinium smaydae is a newly described mixotrophic dinoflagellate that feeds on only Heterocapsa spp. and Scrippsiella acuminata among 19 tested algal prey. It is one of the fastest growing dinoflagellates when feeding, but does not grow well without prey. To investigate its spatial-temporal distributions in Korean waters, we quantified its abundance in water samples that were seasonally collected from 28 stations along the Korean Peninsula from April 2015 to October 2018, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions. This dinoflagellate had a wide distribution, as reflected by the detection of G. smaydae cells at 23 of the sampling stations. However, this distribution had a strong seasonality; it was detected at 21 stations in the summer and only one station in winter. The abundance of G. smaydae was significantly and positively correlated with chlorophyll a concentration as well as with water temperature. However, there were no significant correlations between the abundance of G. smaydae and salinity, concentrations of nutrients, or dissolved oxygen concentration. During the study period, G. smaydae was present when water temperatures were 7.6-28.0℃, salinities were 9.6-34.1, concentrations of NO₃ were not detectable-106.0 μM, and concentrations of PO₄ were not detectable-3.4 μM. The highest abundance of G. smaydae was 18.5 cells mL^-1 in the coastal waters of Jinhae in July 2017 when the chlorophyll a concentration was 127 mg m^-3 and water temperature was 23.8℃. Therefore, the spatial-temporal distribution of G. smaydae in Korean coastal waters may be affected by chlorophyll a concentration and water temperature.

Morphology and taxonomy of the planktonic diatom Chaetoceros species (Bacillariophyceae) with special intercalary setae in Korean coastal waters

Lee, Sang-Deuk,Lee, Jin-Hwan The Korean Society of Phycology 2011 ALGAE Vol.26 No.2

Species of the diatom genus Chaetoceros with special intercalary setae are uncommon. For this study, we collected Chaetoceros species from August 2008 to September 2009 in Korean coastal waters and examined the ultra structures of the Chaetoceros species C. coarctatus, C. compressus var. hirtisetus, C. contortus, C. diversus, and C. messanensis, using light and scanning electron microscopy. C. coarctatus, in the subgenus Phaeoceros, showed longer and stronger spines than those found in other species. C. coarctatus and C. diversus had special intercalary setae with spines in straight arrangements, whereas C. compressus var. hirtisetus, C. contortus, and C. messanensis had special intercalary setae with spines arranged in spirals. The setae of C. coarctatus had spines that were robust toward the tips and, overall, longer and stronger than were those of other species. C. coarctatus and C. diversus were straight, and C. compressus var. hirtisetus, C. contortus, and C. messanensis spiraled. C. messanensis had two types of special intercalary setae, both forked: 1 with spines in spirals and 1 lacking spines. We did not find spines on the anterior part of divergent point of the special intercalary setae of C. messanensis. Foramina shapes of these 5 Chaetoceros species varied as follows: very small or no foramina in C. coarctatus, relatively wide and slightly centrally constricted foramina in C. compressus var. hirtisetus and C. contortus, quite narrowly slitted or no foramina in C. diversus, and lanceolate or hexagonal foramina in C. messanensis. We found rimoportula in both intercalary and terminal valves of C. coarctatus, but C. compressus var. hirtisetus, C. contortus, C. diversus, and C. messanensis only had rimoportula in terminal valves. In addition, C. compressus var. hirtisetus and C. contortus were new to Korean coastal waters.

ACCUMULATION OF HEAVY METALS IN KOREAN MARINE SEAWEEDS

김신영,유용훈,임치영,진형주,유종수,신현웅,Kim, Sin-Yeong,M.Sidharthan,Yu, Yong-Hun,Im, Chi-Yeong,Jin, Hyeong-Ju,Yu, Jong-Su,Sin, Hyeon-Ung The Korean Society of Phycology 2003 ALGAE Vol.18 No.4

This paper reports that the heavy metal accumulation in marine seaweeds. Algal samples collected from Korean coast were analyzed to determine the concentrations of Cu, Cd, Cr, Zn and Pb. In general, heavy metals were found to be concentrated in many kinds of Korean seaweeds. The concentration levels of accumulated heavy metals in the marine seaweeds was in the following order: Zn > Cu > Cr > Pb > Cd. The concentrations of the heavy metals in the seawater were the highest in Iyajin harbor. Sargassum horneri, a brown alga accumulated high concentrations of Cu (80.66 ${\mu}g{\cdot}g^{-1}$ dw) and Cr (31.54 ${\mu}g{\cdot}g^{-1}$ dw). The high concentrations of heavy metals were accumulated in the brown algae.

Comparison of the cultivation performance between Korean (Sugwawon No. 301) and Chinese strains (Huangguan No. 1) of kelp Saccharina japonica in an aquaculture farm in Korea

Hwang, Eun Kyoung,Liu, Fuli,Lee, Ki Hyun,Ha, Dong Su,Park, Chan Sun The Korean Society of Phycology 2018 ALGAE Vol.33 No.1

Saccharina japonica was introduced to both Korea and China from Hokkaido, Japan, and it has become an economically important species in both nations. After a long period of cultivation, several varieties of S. japonica have been developed in Korea and China. In this study, we conducted aquacultural research on the persistence of thalli from two kelp cultivars, one from China (Huangguan No. 1) and one from Korea (Sugwawon No. 301), between December 2015 and November 2016 in Haenam, Korea. The maximum length was $247.8{\pm}13.0$ and $227.5{\pm}42.0cm$, respectively, which were significantly longer in Sugwawon No. 301 than in Huangguan No. 1. The maximum width was $29.9{\pm}5.4$ and $23.2{\pm}1.9cm$, respectively, which were significantly wider in Huangguan No. 1 than in Sugwawon No. 301. The mean biomass obtained from the culture ropes was for Sugwawon No. 301 was $3.5{\pm}0.3kg\;wet\;wt\;m^{-1}$ and for while Huangguan No. 1 was $3.1{\pm}1.0kg\;wet\;wt\;m^{-1}$ of culture rope. After August, the persistence of the thalli of Sugwawon No. 301 was two months longer than that of Huangguan No. 1. We found that the Sugwawon No. 301 performed as well as the Huangguan No. 1 in Korean waters possibly due to increased flexibility as a result of the different cell arrangements of the two cultivars. Overall, the use of the Sugwawon No. 301 cultivar rather than the Huangguan No. 1 cultivar of S. japonica appears the best alternative to help to ensure a stable year round algal feed supply for the Korean abalone industry.

Interactions between marine bacteria and red tide organisms in Korean waters

Seong, Kyeong Ah,Jeong, Hae Jin The Korean Society of Phycology 2013 ALGAE Vol.28 No.4

There is increasing interest in the relationships between marine bacteria and red tide organisms. Some bacteria are known to kill red tide organisms, and may be responsible for accelerating the termination of red tides. Thus, certain algicidal bacteria have been proposed for the control of red tides. Meanwhile, many red tide organisms are known to feed on marine bacteria. The roles of marine bacteria and red tide organisms are therefore reversible. In Korean waters, the killing of red tide organisms by algicidal bacteria, and also the feeding of red tide organisms on marine bacteria have been extensively investigated. The findings of such studies may influence the conventional view of red tide dynamics, and also planktonic food webs. Here, we review the species and concentrations of algicidal bacteria that kill red tide organisms in Korean waters, as well as the ingestion rate and grazing impact of red tide organisms on marine bacteria. Furthermore, we offer an insight into the ecological roles of these 2 components in marine planktonic food webs.

Biogeographic pattern of four endemic Pyropia from the east coast of Korea, including a new species, Pyropia retorta (Bangiaceae, Rhodophyta)

Kim, Sun-Mi,Choi, Han-Gu,Hwang, Mi-Sook,Kim, Hyung-Seop The Korean Society of Phycology 2018 ALGAE Vol.33 No.1

Foliose species of the Bangiaceae (Porphyra s. l.) are very important in Korean fisheries, and their taxonomy and ecophysiology have received much attention because of the potential for developing or improving aquaculture techniques. Although 20 species of foliose Bangiales have been listed from the Korean coast, some of them remain uncertain and need further comparative morphological studies with molecular comparison. In this study, we confirm the distribution of four Pyropia species from the east coast of Korea, Pyropia kinositae, P. moriensis, P. onoi, and P. retorta sp. nov., based on morphology and rbcL sequence data. Although P. onoi was listed in North Korea in old floral works, its occurrence on the east coast of South Korea is first revealed in this study based on molecular data. P. kinositae and P. moriensis, which were originally described from Hokkaido, Japan, are first reported on the east coast of Korea in this study. Pyropia retorta sp. nov. and P. yezonesis share a similar thallus color and narrow spermatangial patches in the upper portion of the frond, and they have a sympatric distribution. However, P. retorta can be distinguished by the curled or twisted thalli and by molecular data. The biogeographic pattern of the two native species, P. kinositae and P. retorta, suggests that the east coast of Korea may have been a place of refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and then recolonized to the northern part of Japan through the restored East Korean Warm Current after the LGM.

Morphology and molecular characterization of the epiphytic dinoflagellate Amphidinium massartii, isolated from the temperate waters off Jeju Island, Korea

Lee, Kyung Ha,Jeong, Hae Jin,Park, Kila,Kang, Nam Seon,Yoo, Yeong Du,Lee, Moo Joon,Lee, Jin-Woo,Lee, Soojin,Kim, Taekyung,Kim, Hyung Seop,Noh, Jae Hoon The Korean Society of Phycology 2013 ALGAE Vol.28 No.3

Amphidinium massartii Biecheler is an epiphytic and toxic dinoflagellate. Prior to the present study, A. massartii has been reported in the waters off the Mediterranean, Australian, USA, and Canadian coasts. We isolated Amphidinium cells from the coastal waters of Jeju Island, Korea and their morphology and rDNA sequences indicated that they were A. massartii. Herein, we report for the first time the occurrence of A. massartii in the waters of the temperate region in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequences of the Korean strains were 0.7% different from those of an Australian strain of A. massartii CS-259, the closest species, but were 4.1-5.8% different from those of the other Australian strains and the USA strains of A. massartii and from those of Amphidinium sp. HG115 that was isolated from subtropical Okinawan waters. In phylogenetic trees based on LSU, internal transcribed spacer, small subunit rDNA, and cytochrome b sequences, the Korean strains belonged to the A. massartii clade, which was clearly divergent from the A. carterae clade. The morphology of the Korean A. massartii strains was similar to that of the originally described French strain and recently described Australian strain. However, we report for the first time here that scales were observed on the surface of the flagella. In conclusion, the Korean A. massartii strains have unique rDNA sequences, even though they have a very similar morphology to that of previously reported strains. This report extends the known range of this dinoflagellate to the temperate waters of the northwestern Pacific Ocean.

Purification and Anticoagulant Activity of a Fucoidan from Korean Undaria pinnatifida Sporophyll

Kim , Woo-Jung,Kim, Sung-Min,Kim, Hyun-Guell,Oh, Hye-Rim,Lee, Kyung-Bok,Lee, Yoo-Kyung,Park, Yong-Il The Korean Society of Phycology 2007 ALGAE Vol.22 No.3

Crude fucoidan was extracted from the sporophyll of Korean Undaria pinnatifida collected at a coastal area ofWando, Korea, mainly by dilute acid extraction, ethanol precipitation, CaCU Precipitation, with an yield of approxi-mately 3.9% in mass. It was further purified by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography and its chemical composi-don and in vitro anticoagulant activity was determined. The average molecular mass of the purified fucoidan wasestimated about 2.1 x 103 kDa by size-fractionation HPLC and it consisted of neutral sugar (52.34% in mass), uronicacid (26.2%), and sulfate esters (7.4%). From the HPAEC-PAD analysis, the monosaccharide composition of thepurified fucoidan was shown to be fucose, galactose, xylose, and mannose, with a molar ratio of 1, 0.2, 0.02, 0.15,respectively, demonstrating that major monosacd-iande was fucose (72.3% in mol percentage) and other sugars,xylose (1.5%), galactose (14.6%), and mannose (10.9%) were present as minor component. The results suggested thatthis fucoidan is a sulfated, U-type fucoidan. The activated partial thrombloplastin time (APTT) assay of the purifiedfucoidan showed that the purified fucoidan elicited anticoagulant activity in a dose-dependent manner. Five jUg ofsporophyll fucoidan delayed the blood clotting time up to 5 times than untreated control and also up to 1.5 timesthan the same amount of the commercial fucoidan, respectively. Although it is preliminary, these results suggestthat the fucoidan of Korean Undaria vinnatifida sporophyll would be promising candidates for the development ofan anticoaeulant.