• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.1155-1167
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• 2008

Chlorophyll a (chl a) has been used as an indicator for phytoplankton biomass in pelagic ecosystems due to the relative ease of measurement and selectivity for autotrophs in mixed plankton assemblages. However, the use of chi a as an indicator for phytoplankton biomass is restricted due to its inability to resolve taxonomic differences of phytoplankton and the highly variable relationship of chi a with phytoplankton. Here, we describe the analysis of High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) photosynthetic pigment data using CHEMTAX, which is a matrix factorization program that uses chemical taxonomic indices (phytoplankton carotenoids) to quantify the abundance of phytoplankton groups. Compared to direct microscopic counting that can distinguish species within broad groups, the resolution of taxonomic groups by CHEMTAX is generally coarse. It can only distinguish between diatoms, dinoflagellates, cryptophytes, cyanobacteria, chlorophytes, prasinophytes, and haptophytes. However, CHEMTAX analysis is much faster and less expensive than microscopic counting methods. HPLC pigment observations were taken in the spring, summer, fall, and winter in$ 2005\sim2006$ within Gamak Bay, South Korea. CHEMTAX results revealed that diatoms were the dominant taxonomic group in Gamak Bay. In inner Gamak Bay, the ratio between diatoms and cryptophytes was $75\sim80%$, and the ratio between dinoflagellates and cryptophytes was $10\sim15%$. In outer Gamak Bay, the ratio between diatoms and cryptophytes was $85\sim90%$, and the ratio between dinflagellates and cryptophytes was only $1\sim5%$. The population structure was seasonal. Relative diatom populations were less in the summer than the winter season.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.303-314
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• 2021

To understand how to efficiently observe the biomass and community of phytoplankton, phytoplankton sampling was carried out from June to October 2019 at the Yeongju dam sediment control reservoir(YJ) and Bohyeonsan dam reservoir(BH1 and BH2). The results derived from microscopic observation, such as the conventional phytoplankton qualitative/quantitative analysis, and from the CHEMTAX method based on the pigments, were compared. The relative contribution of phytoplankton, calculated by the microscopy and CHEMTAX methods, showed a significant difference in all four classes: cryptophyta, chlorophyta, cyanobacteria, and diatoms. In addition, the correlation between the two observation methods was poor. This might be caused by methodological differences in microscopy that do not consider the varying cell sizes among phytoplankton species. In this study, by converting the cells into carbon, the slope between both carbon biomasses based on microscopy and CHEMTAX was improved close to the 1 : 1 line, and the y-intercept was closer to 0 for cryptophyta and diatoms. For cyanobacteria, the slope increased, the y-intercept decreased, and the plot approached 1 : 1 although the correlation coefficients were not improved in all classes. The present study suggests that application of CHEMTAX based on pigment analysis could be a possible approach to efficiently determine the relative carbon proportions of individual classes of phytoplankton community composition.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.117-124
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• 2011

Many studies of the phytoplankton community structure have been conducted using the CHEMTAX program on the basis of the photosynthetic pigment concentrations measured by a HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) technique. The CHEMTAX program determines the contribution of each phytoplankton class to total phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a) based on the ratios of marker pigment to chlorophyll a of phytoplankton group. In this study, the marker pigment/chlorophyll a ratios were investigated in phytoplankton species isolated from marine waters around the Korean peninsula. These results were used as the input pigment ratios of the CHEMTAX program to investigate phytoplankton community structure in Korean coastal waters (Yeoja and Gamak Bay). There were significant differences in the ratios of marker pigment to chlorophyll a among the different species within the same algal class. There was a significant difference between the values of our ratios and the previously used ratios in other regions of the world. When phytoplankton community composition was calculated using our initial ratios in Yeoja and Gamak Bay, our results were significantly different from the results calculated on the basis of initial ratios of marker pigment in phytoplankton suggested in other marine waters. The estimates of the contributions of the major algal groups (bacillariophyceae and dinophytes) to total chlorophyll a varied within 5% depending on the initial ratios chosen. The variations of estimates for the pico- and nanoplankton (cyanophytes and prasinophytes), which have relatively low contributions to total chlorophyll a, were higher than those for major algal group. Although the HPLC-pigment measurements combined with CHEMTAX analysis are useful for identifying and qualifying phytoplankton community structure, further researches for the pigment ratios of the dominant phytoplankton species presenting in a given area are also needed.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.81-93
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• 2019

Phytoplankton is one of the important primary producers providing organic matter through photosynthesis in aquatic environments. In order to determine a temporal and spatial variation in primary productivity after weir construction in the Nakdong River, we investigated carbon uptake rates using in-situ $^{13}C$ labeling experiments and identified algal communities contributing to primary productivity using HPLC-CHEMTAX analysis from October to December, 2017. The primary productivity gradually decreased from fall to early winter season ($249{\sim}933mgC\;m^{-2}d^{-1}$ in October, $64{\sim}536mgC\;m^{-2}d^{-1}$ in November and $60{\sim}274mgC\;m^{-2}d^{-1}$ in December, respectively). This is attributed to the temporally declining light intensity and the decreasing biomass and physiological activity of phytoplankton in winter. The contribution of diatoms to the phytoplankton community in the Nakdong River was approximately 63% at all the sampling sites and seasons, while the contribution of cryptophytes increased from 9% in October to 32% in November and December. The temporal changes in the primary productivity and the dominant phytoplankton species in the mid and downstream weirs of the Nakdong River was investigated for the first time, after construction of the weirs, and major environmental factors controlling the temporal variation in primary productivity and phytoplankton communities were identified in this study. We suggest that seasonal field investigations will provide further information on the major environmental factors which affect the annual variation of primary productivity and phytoplankton communities.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.62-72
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• 2018

In order to provide important information for the efficient management of the identified farm ecosystem in Jinju Bay, we investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of the phytoplankton community using a UPLC pigment analysis and a CHEMTAX program from the timeframe of February 2013 to January 2014. In addition, we measured the available physical and chemical parameters controlling the distribution of the phytoplankton communities. As a result of this comprehensive pigment analysis, it was noted that the Diatoms were the predominant species with an average of 77.1% as noted located in Jinju Bay. It was discovered that during the summer season, the phytoplankton community composition was changed by a reduction of diatoms and noted increases of the Cryptophytes, Prasinophytes, and Dinoflagellates. Especially, it was noted that the Cryptophytes and Prasinophytes were shown with an average of 18.8% and 17.8% in June, respectively. However, it was revealed that the Cryptophytes and Prasinophytes were not shown by a microscopic observation. The phytoplankton community composition was correlated with the temperature and salinity variations as noticed in the Jinju Bay. Therefore, the water temperature and freshwater inputs in the Jinju Bay were important environmental factors for controlling the phytoplankton community composition and the varying Cryptophytes and the noted amounts of Prasinophytes as well.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.291-301
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• 2013

This study researched and compared the sedimentation environment and photosynthetic pigments at Gomso (GS) -bay, Yoja (YJ) -bay and KangJin (KJ) -bay in May, 2012. It was shown that KJ-bay consist of C (clay) and M (mud), and GS-bay consists of Zs (silty sand) and Sz (sandy silt). Averagely, IL of YJ-bay was 4.98%, KJ-bay 6.10%, and GS-bay 1.45%. As for COD concentration, there were no places that exceeded Japanese sediment contamination standard 20 mg/g-dry. As for AVS concentration, in case of KJ-bay, two places exceeded Japanese sediment contamination standard 0.2 mg/g-dry. If we look into the average C/N ratio of bays, YJ-bay showed 8.50, KJ-bay 6.60, and GS-bay 5.52, thus all of them showed the characteristic of oceanic origin. As for the plankton make-up classified by photosynthetic pigments, diatom was dominant, and both ratios of pigment and C/chlorophyll. a showed the relatively lower distribution at GS-bay than at KJ-bay and YJ-bay. It is judged that this is related to the characteristic of flow-in, and it implies that predation process and decomposition by organic matters actively occurs at YJ-bay and KJ-bay.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.397-417
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• 2005

Phytoplankton community structure and distribution pattern in the surface water around the Ieodo Ocean Research Station were investigated during seven cruises carried out from July, 2003 to October, 2004. Samples were analyzed using various tools including a microscope, flow cytometer, and HPLC. Satellite images were used to analyze spatio-temporal phytoplankton biomass distribution. SeaWiFS chlorophyll a (chl a) images showed that spring blooms occurred in April-May near the Ieodo Station, and these waters were under the influence of Changjiang Dilute Water during July-October. Also, during the July-October period, HPLC pigments data showed increasing zeaxanthin concentrations, a marker pigment of cyanobacteria whereas increasing concentrations of various other pigments such as fucoxanthin, peridinin, prasinoxanthia alloxanthin, 19'-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin and chlorophyll b were noted during spring blooms. Such pigment marker data were consistent with picoplankton data analyzed by flow cytometer and nano-microplankton analyzed by microscope. The pigment-CHEMTAX method was used to drive the phytoplankton group apportioned chi a. Diatoms, chlorophytes, dinoflagellates, and cryptophytes comprised 25.8, 20.7, 15.9, and 14.1%, respectively, of the total chl a in May. Average cyanobacteria concentrations in July-October contributed 25.4% of the total concentration. This was the highest percent contribution and was followed by chlorophytes, diatoms, and prymnesiophytes. This study discusses results from various methods, similarities and differences in the results among those methods, and the application range of the results from different analytical methods. Also, the study reveals a detailed phytolpankton community structure in the waters around the Ieodo Station, and suggests future monitoring considerations in relation to cell morphology, ecology and diversity factors according to taxonomic groups.