• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.200-205
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• 2004

The effects of environmental eonditions on germination of Alexandrium tamarense cysts were examined. The cysts were isolated from the sediment samples collected from Masan Bay. Germination success was measured by the incubation of cysts under the laboratory conditions and compared in different water temperatures, salinities, and sediment depths. The highest germination rate was recorded at $15^{\circ}C$ and relatively higher germination rate was observed at $10^{\circ}C$ above, while little or no germination occurred at 20 to $25^{\circ}C$. Light and salinity affected little on the excystment. Germination rate according to the sediment depths was higher in the lower layer (5∼10 cm) than in the upper (0∼2 cm) of the sediments collected in March, while higher in the upper than the lower in November. :Based on these results, water temperature seems a principal factor controlling germination of A. tamarense in Masan Bay.

• ALGAE
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.251-255
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• 2008

In Gamak Bay, Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) was first detected from seafoods in 2003, however the toxin source is unknown yet. In this study, we report potential PSP producers of toxic dinoflagellates, describing morphology and abundance of cysts isolated from surface sediment of Gamak Bay. The most abundant type in these cysts was characterized with ellipsoidal and transparent wall identical to Alexandrium catenella and/or A. tamarense. Germination experiment of the cysts revealed that all motile cells germinated were morphologically identified as A. tamarense. This result suggests that A. tamarense may relate to PSP contaminations in Gamak Bay. Moreover, bottom water temperature in Gamak Bay is favorable for germination of A. tamarense cysts. Further studies are required to carry out the PSP monitoring for preventing the risk of PSP events that may outbreak in future at Gamak Bay.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.163-167
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• 2003

Identification of species within the toxin-producing genus Alexandrium is vital for biotoxin monitoring and mitigation decisions regarding shellfish industry. In particular, the discrimination of resting cysts of only A. tamarense from that of Alexandrium spp. is considerable important to fundamentally monitor and predict this species before vegetative cells occur in the nature. Fluorescent cTAM-F1 DNA probe was responsible to not only binding the activity of the vegetative cells in A. tamarense, but also to the resting cysts, which was treated with methanol after fixation and stained by primuline on the surface The location of fluorescence in cultured vegetative cells and resting cysts was almost at tile bottom of the nucleus. The optimal incubation temperature and time using in situ hybridization were 50-$54^{\circ}C$ and 40-60 min, respectively, to penetrate the DNA probe into cell.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.493-498
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• 2013

To investigate the historical record of Alexandrium spp. in southern coastal areas of Korea, two sediment cores were collected from Gamak Bay and Yeoja Bay. Germination experiments revealed that the ellipsoidal Alexandrium cysts isolated from Gamak Bay and Yeoja Bay are morphologically identical to a toxic dinoflagellate A. tamarense. The ellipsoidal Alexandrium cysts in Yeoja Bay appeared from 30 to 32 cm depth upwards (ca. 1980s), and their concentration increased around 10 to 12 cm depth (mid-1990s). Similarly, cyst concentration in Gamak Bay also increased from 40 to 44 cm depth (ca. 1990s). These results coincide with the reports of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning caused by A. tamarense in 1980s and 1990s along the southeast coast of Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.268-277
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• 2019

Severe damages will result in human society, when several different critical natural phenomena coincide. One example relates to the resting cysts of Alexandrium species (dinoflagellates that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning), which are preserved in surface sediments throughout Osaka Bay, Japan. These cysts have been found to accumulate particularly densely in shallow areas in the inner parts of Osaka Bay, where a tsunami caused by an earthquake could occur any time. Damage by a tsunami could cause a change of the coastal ecosystems at Osaka Bay including the resuspension of surface sediments containing resting Alexandrium tamarense cysts and the subsequent redistribution of the cysts in newly deposited sediment. Under certain environmental conditions, these cysts could germinate and form dense blooms, leading to paralytic shellfish poisoning. Such a scenario could also affect other coastal areas, including the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.120-129
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• 2001

Thirty-six dinoflagellate cysts, representing 15 genera were identified in the surface sediments obtained from the northwestern East China Sea. Three cyst morphotypes found in this survey have not previously been described in the East China Sea and adjacent waters: Seleno­pemphix sp. 2, Selenopemphix sp. 3 and Trinovantedinium sp. 1. In the northwestern East China Sea, Operculodinium centrocarpum, Spiniferites bulloideus and ellipsoidal cysts of Alexandrium were commonly observed. Moreover, it was recognized that the ellipsoidal cysts of Alexandrium, whose motile cells of A tamarense and/or A catenella are responsible to paralytic shellfish poisoning, distributed not only restricted to the coastal areas but also to the offshore stations far from the Changjiang River mouth.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2007

Distributional characteristics of dinoflagellate cysts in surface sediments were investigated in relation to environmental factors in the eastern part of Geoje Island, Korea. Samples were collected from 10 stations in February of 2004 and water temperature and salinity were measured in February, May, September and November of 2004. Total 30 taxa of dinoflagellate cysts were identified representing 19 genera, 28 species and 2 unidentified species. Among these dinoflagellate cysts, Brigantedinium spp. of which relative proportion in th e total dinoflagellate cysts was 23.5%, was the most abundant at all stations except St. 1, and was followed by Spiniferites bulloideus (8.6%), Lingulodinium machaerophorum (8.2%) and Diplopsalis lenticula (6.7%). In addition, ellipsoidal cysts of the genus Alexandrium (Alexandrium catenella - tamarense type) and Gymnodinium catenatum, known to be causative organisms for PSP, occurred with high concentrations. Scrippsiella trochoidea was also found; however, its cyst concentration was low. Generally, species composition in the study area was similar to these reported from Jinhae Bay and Busan Harbor and several dinoflagellate cysts reflected the eutrophic condition. Cyst distribution in th e eastern part of Geoje Island seems to be influenced by the Tsushima Warm Current flowing from the southwest. The mean water temperature was $12.0^{\circ}C$ in February, $14.7^{\circ}C$ in May, $20.9^{\circ}C$ in September and $17.2^{\circ}C$ in November, which was most favorable for Alexandrium spp. growth. The abundances of dinoflagellate cysts rang e d from 528 to 2,834 cysts/g dry sediment. Higher concentrations were recognized in sediments of west area of the Jisimdo than at other stations. The cyst composition of this area was closely related to these of Jinhae Bay and Busan Harbor from which currents flow into this area. Higher cyst concentration in the west area of Jisimdo might be due to formation of the gyre.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.283-292
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• 1998

The community dynamics and distribution of dinoflagellates and their cysts were monitored monthly from June 1996 to May 1997 at six stations in Masan-Chinhae Bay, one of the famous bays for red-tide occurrence in Korea. The dinoflagellate standing crops ranged from the minimum of 306 cells $ml^{-1}$ in February to the maximum of 37,959 cells $ml^{-1}$ in May. The species causing massive blooms were Prorocentrum micans Ehrenberg and Ceratium furca (Ehrenberg) Claparede & Lachmann in July, Gymnodinium sanguineum Hirasaka in October, Alexandrium tamarense (Lebour) Balech in April and Proroeentrum minimum (Pavillard) Schiller in May. Twenty-seven taxa of dinoflagellate cysts were isolated, including 20 identified species and 7 unidentified species. The mean cyst abundance ranged from the minimum of 556 cysts $cm^{-3}$ in June to the maximum of 5,727 cysts$cm^{-3}$ in February. The spatial pattern of cyst distribution showed the gradual increase in abundance from offshore to inshore stations. The cyst genera of Protoperidinium, Gymnodinium, Serippsiella, Gyrodinium and Alexandrium were abundant throughout the year. The vertical distribution of cysts showed the surface miximum at the 0-2cm layer and the sub-surface maximum at the 2-4cm layer. Total abundance of cysts showed the most significant relationships with water temperature, and some minor relationship with dissolved oxygen, salinity, pH, phosphate and total inorganic nitrogen of surface and bottom layer in the water column. The number of dinoflagellate species decreased, while the abundance of cysts increased 4.5 times as compared with the observation of 10 years prior to the present study at the same stations of Masan-Chinhae Bay.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.202-208
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• 2004

The spatio-temporal distribution of dinoflagellate resting cysts was investigated by palynological processing to understand the harmful algal bloom (HAB) potential in the sediment of the Saemangeun area in 2003. In total, thirty-two dinoflagellate species were identified, and their concentrations were in the range of $6-1,618\;cysts{\cdot}g^{-1}$ (dry weight). The concentrations of resting cysts were higher in the spring (26 species, $64-1,101\;cysts{\cdot}g^{-1})$ and summer (30 species, $81-1,618\;cysts{\cdot}g^{-1})$ than in the autumn (32 species, $6-1,150\;cysts{\cdot}g^{-1})$ and winter (24 species, $25-728\;cysts{\cdot}g^{-1}).$ The composition rate of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate species to the total, which is closely related to the eutrophication process, to ranged from 6 to $29\%$ in the study area. The most dominant species was toxic Alexandrium tamarense/catenella $(25\%)$ followed by Gonyaulax scrippsea $(9\%)$ and toxic Protoceratium reticulatum $(5\%).$ Given the high abundance of the toxigenic dinoflagellate species, the Saemangeun area is considered to have the great potential for HABs in the future.