• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.177-184
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• 2022

BACKGROUND: Recently, the inflow of nonpoint pollutants into rivers caused by rapid urban and industrialization promotes the proliferation of algae, which causes eutrophication of rivers. This study was conducted to evaluate the seasonal variation of water quality characteristics and cryptomonads growth in the Oncheon River. METHODS AND RESULTS: The water quality and distribution characteristics of cryptomonads in the Oncheon River were investigated monthly for 12 months from January 2021. The cell number of cryptomonads was intensively developed in January-April, and it decreased sharply in the summer with heavy rainfall. In particular, cryptomonads moved to the downstream side of the river depending on the time, and as a result, significant differences were shown for each investigation point. The Korean trophic state index (Tsi_KO) in Oncheon River was classified as eutrophy all year round, indicating that cryptomonads can grow year-round. Distribution characteristics of cryptomonads in Oncheon River showed high correlations with DO (r=0.678), BOD (r=0.826) and chlorophyll-a (r=0.613) in water. CONCLUSION(S): In order to reduce cryptomonads in the Oncheon River, it is judged that a complex countermeasure considering the residence time, insolation and precipitation along with water quality factors is required.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.285-292
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• 2018

This study was performed in order to identify the red tide-causing organism and to understand the characteristics of the water quality during the winter of 2015 and 2016 in the Oncheon stream, a tidal river in Busan, where red tide often occurs in the wintertime. Two sites were selected on the stream and the surface water was sampled a total of 28 times during the experimental period. Twelve water quality characteristics, including water temperature, pH, DO, COD, total-N (T-N), total-P (T-P), and salinity were analyzed in order to test water quality. The cell numbers of cryptomonads were counted directly by microscopic observation. The nucleotide sequences of the partial 28S rRNA gene and psbA gene from metagenomic DNA, derived from each sampling site, were analyzed. According to the results, the alga most responsible for the bloom was identified as Teleaulax OC1 sp., which belongs to the cryptomonads. Three items of chl-a, pH, and DO were positively correlated with the cell numbers of the cryptomonads counted at the upper stream of the tidal area (St 1) while eight items of chl-a, TOC, BOD, total-N, COD, SS, pH, and DO were positively correlated with the cells located at the junction between the stream and Su-young river (St 2) in the order.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.289-296
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• 2013

Cryptomonads are unicellular, biflagellate algae. Generally, cryptomonad cells cannot be preserved well because of their fragile nature, and an improved methodology should be developed to identify cryptomonads from natural habitats. In this study, we tried using several cytological fixatives, including glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde, and their combinations to preserve field samples collected from various waters, and the currently used fixative, Lugol's solution was tested for comparison. Results showed that among the fixatives tested, glutaraldehyde preserved the samples best, and the optimal concentration of glutaraldehyde was 2%. The cell morphology was well preserved by glutaraldehyde. Cells kept their original color, volume, and shape, and important taxonomic features such as furrow/gullet complex, ejectosomes, as well as flagella could be observed clearly, whereas these organelles frequently disappeared in Lugol's solution preserved samples. The osmotic adjustments and buffers tested could not preserve cell density significantly higher. Statistical calculation showed the cell density in the samples preserved by 2% glutaraldehyde remained stable after 43 days of the fixation procedure. In addition, DNA was extracted from glutaraldehyde preserved samples by grinding with liquid nitrogen and the 18S rDNA sequence was amplified by PCR. The sequence was virtually identical to the reference sequence, and phylogenetic analyses showed very close relationship between it and sequences from the same organism. To sum up, the present study demonstrated that 2% unbuffered glutaraldehyde, without osmotic adjustments, can preserve cryptomonads cells for identification, in terms of both light microscopy and phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequences.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.165-174
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• 2016

Feeding behaviour of the manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum was qualitatively and quantitatively characterized by comparing the contents composition in digestive tract of the clam and the phytoplankton community in surface sea water in Gomso Bay, west coast of Korea. The contents of digestive tract comprised diatoms (71.5%), dinoflagellates (13.1%), nannoplankton (6.6%), and detritus including mesozooplankton. The abundance of food organisms in digestive tract of the clam was high in winter and spring, while low in summer and autumn. But The biomass of phytoplankton in surface sea water revealed the highest value in autumn. Also, the larger the clam size increases the abundance of food organisms in digestive tract. The dominant species in digestive tract were Paralia sulcata and Navicula arenaria such as benthic diatoms and dinoflagellate cysts, whereas the dominant species in surface sea water were Chaetoceros, Skeletonema, Asterionellopsis such as pelagic diatoms in genus, cryptomonads, and P. sulcata. Analyses of digestive tract revealed that benthic diatoms especially represent an important constituent of food organisms in the malina clam and different of phytoplankton size and morphology explain preference for food selectivity.

• ALGAE
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.163-175
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• 2019

To compare the nutritional quality of TPG (Teleaulax / Plagioselmis / Geminigera) clade species of cryptomonads with that of RHO (Rhodomonas / Rhinomonas / Storeatula) clade species 6 Teleaulax amphioxeia (TA) and 1 Rhinomonas sp. strains were mass-cultured in newly designed 500-L photobioreactors to the end of exponential growth phase. Intraspecific variations (IVs) in terms of one standard deviation among the 6 TA strains in the compositions of the three macronutrients were 41.5 (protein), 89.8 (lipid), and 15.6% (carbohydrate) of the mean. When harvested from stationary growth phase mean compositions of essential amino acids (EAAs, 47.3%) and non-EAAs (52.7%) of the 2 TA strains, CR-MAL07 and CR-MAL08-2, were similar to those of a Chroomonas strain. The IVs between the 2 TA strains in the composition of EAAs (10.3 and 2.4) and non-EAAs (8.5 and 2.1% of the mean) were rather smaller than those of saturated fatty acids (30.3 and 26.1) and unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs, 12.0 and 12.5% of the mean) in f/2-Si and urea-based compound fertilizer (UCF) culture media, respectively. Mean compositions of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 17.9%) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 12.7%) of total fatty acids of the 2 TA strains were higher than those that of a Chroomonas strain. EPA and DHA compositions exhibited similar level of IVs between the 2 TA strains in f/2-Si (14.6 and 11.0) and UCF media (12.6 and 13.5% of the mean). Thus, the nutritional quality in terms of amino acids, UFAs, EPA, and DHA in a TPG clade species, T. amphioxeia was comparable to those of RHO clade species with notable IVs. Practically, biotechnological targets for TPG clade cryptomonad strains might be subspecies or clone level.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.305-314
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• 2007

We studied spatial and temporal distributions of the phytoplankton and their relationships to physico-chemical environmental factors in the western Jinhae Bay, Korea from November 2003 to August 2004. In most cases, physico-chemical environmental factors showed homogeneous distribution. The phytoplankton communities were composed of mainly diatoms and dinoflagellates, and their standing crops ranged from $16{\times}10^3\;cells\;l^{-1}\;to\;5,845{\times}10^3\;cells\;l^{-1}$ (with a mean value of $555{\times}10^3\;cells\;l^{-1}$). The bloom of phytoplankton was observed in Gohyun Port in the summer. Seasonal variation of phytoplankton standing crops was higher in winter and summer than in spring and autumn. The dominant species were Skeletonema costatum, Akashiwo sanguinea, Pseudo-nitzschia pungens, Dactyliosolen sp., Leptocylindrus danicus, cryptomonads and etc. Especially, S. costatum was predominant in the summer and A. sanguinea (spring and autumn), Pseudo-nitzschia sp. (summer), Guinardia striata (spring), unidentified flagellates (summer) and cryptomonads (spring) appeared to be an opportunistic species. Concentrations of Chl a ranged from $0.6{\mu}g{\cdot}l^{-1}\;to\;16.7{\mu}g{\cdot}l^{-1}$ (with a mean value of $3.4{\mu}g{\cdot}l^{-1}$). The results of the canonical correspondence analysis implies the study area was grouped into the 2 water masses (inner and outer waters of Gohyun Port) and inner waters had higher abundance and Chl a concentration than outer waters. Also, phytoplankton sanding crops were related with temperature, DO and nutrients ($SiO^2$, TN, TP and etc.) in inner waters. Inner water-mass of Gohyun Port expanded between Gacho Is. and Chilchon Is. during the winter.

• ALGAE
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.147-152
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• 2007

We described two brownish freshwater Cryptomonas species, C. marssonii Skuja and C. pyrenoidifera Geitler as first records in Korea. The identification was based on light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and nuclear SSU rDNA sequences analysis. Cryptomonas marssonii is characterized by its sigmoid shape with a sharply pointed and dorsally curved antapex, dorso-ventrally flattened cell, two lateral plastids without pyrenoid, and its dimension of 18-25 μm in length and 8-13 μm in width. Cryptomonas pyrenoidifera is characterized by ovoid to elliptical shape with a partially twisted or rounded antapex, dorso-ventrally biconvex cell, lateral plastids with two pyrenoids, and the dimensions of 15-22 μm in length and 10-14 μm in width. Nuclear SSU rDNA sequences between C. marssonii WCK01 from Korea and CCAC0086 from Gernmay, and between C. pyrenoidifera WCK02 from Korea and CCMP152 from Australia were identical, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.435-444
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• 2021

The genus Chroomonas is a group of blue-green colored cryptomonads. This study describes two freshwater Chroomonas species for the first time in South Korea: Chroomonas nordstedtii Hansgirg and Chroomonas coerulea (Geitler) Skuja. We examined the morphology and ultrastructure of these species by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. These two Chroomonas species were blue-green colored and ovate to oval-shaped. Chroomonas nordstedtii was characterized by two Maupas ovals with hexagonal periplast plates, whereas C. coerulea was characterized by one eyespot with rectangular periplast plates. A molecular phylogeny with data from nuclear SSU rRNA and chloroplast rbcL genes revealed that Korean C. nordstedtii formed a distinct clade with NIES-708, NIES-1004 from Japan, and UTEX 2779 from Colorado, USA, while C. coerulea formed a clade with ACOI 1366 from Portugal.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.278-288
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• 2020

Rhodomonas salina is a phototrophic marine flagellate. We examined the ultrastructure of R. salina with particular attention to the flagellar apparatus by transmission electron microscopy and compared it with that of other cryptomonads reported previously. The major components of the flagellar apparatus in R. salina were a keeled rhizostyle (Rhs), a striated fibrous root(SR), a SR-associated microtubular root (SRm), a mitochondrion-associated lamella (ML), and three types of microtubular roots (9r, 4r, and 2r). The keeled Rhs originated near the proximal end of the dorsal basal body, passed near the nucleus and dissociated at the posterior end of the cell. The SR and SRm originated between two basal bodies and laterally extended to the right side of the cell. The ML originated between two basal bodies and extended to the left side of the cell. The 9r originated between the ventral basal body and the Rhs and extended toward the anterior dorsal lobe of the cell. The 4r originated near the 9r and extended toward the dorsal lobe with the 2r, which originated between two basal bodies. Here, the flagellar apparatus in R. salina is described, and the ultrastructure of the flagellar apparatus is compared among cryptomonad species.

• ALGAE
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.331-341
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• 2013

Rhinomonas reticulata var. atrorosea G. Novarino is a photosynthetic marine flagellate that is known to have typical characteristics of cryptomonads. We examined the flagellar apparatus of R. reticulata var. atrorosea by transmission electron microscopy. The major components of the flagellar apparatus of R. reticulata var. atrorosea consisted of four types of microtubular roots (1r, 2r, 3r, and mr), a non-keeled rhizostyle (Rhs), mitochondrion-associated lamella (ML), two connections between basal bodies, a striated fibrous root (SR) and a striated fiber-associated microtubular root (SRm). Four types of microtubular roots originated near the ventral basal body and extended toward the left side of the basal bodies. The non-keeled Rhs originated at the Rhs-associated striated fiber, which was located between two basal bodies and extended into the middle of the cell. The ML was a plate-like fibrous structure associated with mitochondria and originating from a Rhs-associated fiber. It split into two parts and extended toward the dorsal-posterior of the cell to a mitochondrion. The SR and SRm extended parallel to the anterior lobe of the cell. The overall configuration of the flagellar apparatus in R. reticulata var. atrorosea was similar to the previously reported descriptions of those of Cryptomonas paramecium, C. pyrenoidifera, C. ovata, Hanusia phi, Guillardia theta, and Proteomonas sulcata. However, the flagellar apparatus system of R. reticulata var. atrorosea was more complex than those of other cryptomonad species due to the presence of an additional microtubular root and other distinctive features, such as a rhizostyle-associated striated fiber and large ML.