• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.19-30
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• 2005

To investigate the seasonal distribution and grazing impacts of benthic protozoa in mud flat, their abundance, biomass and grazing rates of benthic protozoa were evaluated at interval of two or three month in Gangwha Island from April, 2002 to April, 2004. Heterotrophic flagellates and ciliates accounted for an average 98% of benthic protozoa biomass. Abundance and carbon biomass of heterotrophic flagellates ranged from $0.2{\times}10^5$ to $5.9{\times}10^5\;cells\;cm{-3}$ and from 0.02 to $9.2\;{\mu}gC\;cm^{-3}$, respectively. Biomass of heterotrophic flagellates was high in spring and fall, and showed no differences among stations. Abundance and biomass of heterotrophic flagellates decreased with the depth and were high within the surface 2.5 m sediment layer. The majority of heterotrophic flagellates were less than $10\;{\mu}m$ in length, and few euglenoid flagellates were larger than $20\;{\mu}m$. Abundance and carbon biomass of ciliates ranged from $0.1{\times}10^3$ to $17.8{\times}10^3\;cells\;cm^{-3}$ and from 0.02 to $9.1\;{\mu}gC\;cm^{-3}$, respectively, and those of ciliates were high in spring and fall. Biomass of ciliates was high within the surface 2.5 mm sediment layer and was higher at st. J2 and st. J3 than st. J1. Among the revealed benthic ciliates, the hypotrichs were the most important group in terms of abundance and biomass. During the sampling periods, an average 66% of benthic protozoa biomass was covered by ciliates. The seasonal distribution of benthic protozoa showed an almost similar fluctuation pattern to that of chlorophyll-a. The results suggest that the biomass of benthic protozoa were mainly controlled by prey abundance, for example, diatoms. Based on ingestion rates, benthic protozoa removed from 13.4 to 40.7% of bacterial production and from 20.1 to 36.4% of primary production. Ingestion rates of benthic protozoa on bacteria and microphytobenthos were high in April. Benthic protozoa in this study area may play a pivotal role in the carbon flow of the benthic microbial food web during spring.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.455-461
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• 2020

Marine benthic ciliates were collected from four rocky intertidal pools along the eastern and southern coasts of Korea from 2012-2013. Ciliate specimens were examined by observing living and stained cells. Four ciliate species were new to Korea based on morphological characteristics as follows. (1) Aspidisca polypoda (Dujardin, 1841): small bean-shaped (ca. 30 ㎛), eight conspicuous dorsal ridge, polystyla-arrangement of frontoventral cirri; (2) Epiclintes auricularis auricularis (Claparède & Lachmann, 1858): tripartite and auriform body (ca. 300 ㎛), 46 adoral membranelles, one or two frontal and 23 transverse cirri, 12 oblique fronto-midventral rows; 59 left and 71 right marginal cirri; (3) Pseudochilodonopsis marina Song, 1991: reniform body (ca. 50 ㎛), two obliquely positioned contractile vacuoles, seven left and five right kineties, five fragmented preoral kineties; (4) Dysteria semilunaris (Gourret and Roeser, 1888): oval-shaped (ca. 30 ㎛), two longitudinally positioned contractile vacuoles, conspicuous longitudinal grooves on both plates, four or five right kineties, one short row below frontoventral kineties.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.349-362
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• 1999

To understand the role of protozoa in the early formation of microbial fouling community, the studies on the formation of microbial film, the succession of microbial fouling communities, and the grazing pressure on bacteria population in microbial film were carried out in the laboratory, Inchon outer port and Inchon inner harbour. Bacteria and heterotrophic flagellates formed primary microbial film on the aluminum surface within 6 hours and oligotrich ciliates were observed 2 cells $mm^{-2}$ on the same surface at 9 hours in Inchon inner harbour which had physically stagnant condition. The larvaes of Balanus albicostatus which were dominant meiobenthos in Inchon coastal area attached on the glass surface at the first day of experiment. Heterotrophic flagellates showed maximum abundance of 465 cells $mm^{-2}$ at the 13rd day and ciliates showed maximum abundance of 63 cells $mm^{-2}$ at the 11st day in the Inchon inner harbour. In the Inchon outer port which opens to the outer sea, the maximum abundance of protozoa occurred at early phase, but not so many. The dominant heterotrophic flagellates were Metrornonas simplex and Bodonids. Dominant ciliates were small tintinnids and oligotrich ciliate Strombidium sp., Large Strombidium (oligotrich ciliate) and sessile Acineta turberosa (suctorian ciliate) occurred after 10 days. The attached larvae of Balanus occurred as biofouling organism on the early surface and showed maximum abundance of 18 indiv. $cm^{-2}$ at 7th day. At that time, adult barnacles were observed on the surface and dead barnacles were observed after two days. Except barnacles, the larvaes of Anthozoa sp., Oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and Polychaeta were observed on the surface from 3rd day. 3 benthic copepods including Harpacticus sp., I isopod, 1 polychaeta and 1 gastropoda were observed as predators of the microbial film on the surface after 7 days when microbial film developed very well. Although the ingestion rates of protozoa on the bactctia of the rnicrobi31 film were relatively low, the average grazing rate of protozoa on bacteria was high of 0.058 $h^{-1}$. This implied that the grazing pressure of protozoa influences the mortality of bacteria populations on the microbial film. but protozoa cannot get enough energy from only bacteria on the microbial film.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2005

Tidal flats have been regarded to carry out transformation and removal of land-derived organic matter, and this purifying capability of organic matter by tidal flats is one of very important reasons for their conservation. However, integral biogeochemical studies on production and decomposition of organic matter by benthic microbes in tidal flats have been absent in Korea, although the information is indispensable to quantification of the purifying capability. Our major goals in this multidisciplinary research were to understand major biogeochemical processes and rates mediated by diverse groups of microbes dominating material cycles in the tidal flats, and to assess the contribution of benthic microbes to removal of organic matter and nutrients in the tidal flats. Our study sites were Ganghwa and Incheon north-port tidal flats that had been regarded as naturally well reserved and organically polluted, respectively. Our research group measured over 3 years primary production, biomass and community structure of primary producers, abundance and production of bacteria, enzyme activities, distribution of protozoa and protozoan grazing rates, rates of denitrification and sulfate reduction, early sediment diagenesis, primary production and respiration based on oxygen microelectrode. We analyzed major features of each biogeochemical process and their interactions. The results are compiled in the following articles in this special issue: An (2005), Hwang and Cho (2005), Mok et at. (2005), Na and Lee (2005), Yang et at. (2005), and Yoo and Choi (2005).