• ALGAE
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.213-226
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• 2022

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food producing sectors; however, intensive farming techniques of finfish have raised environmental concerns, especially through the release of excessive nutrients into surrounding waters. Biodiversity has been widely shown to enhance ecosystem functions and services, but there has been limited testing or application of this key ecological relationship in aquaculture. This study tested the applicability of the biodiversity-function relationship to integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA), asking whether species richness can enhance the efficiency of macroalgal bioremediation of wastewater from finfish aquaculture. Five macroalgal species (Chondrus crispus, Fucus serratus, Palmaria palmata, Porphyra dioica, and Ulva sp.) were cultivated in mono- and polyculture in water originating from a lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) hatchery. Total seaweed biomass production, specific growth rates (SGR), and the removal of ammonium (NH₄⁺), total oxidised nitrogen (TON), and phosphate (PO₄^3-) from the wastewater were measured. Species richness increased total seaweed biomass production by 11% above the average component monoculture, driven by an increase in up to 5% in SGR of fast-growing macroalgal species in polycultures. Macroalgal species richness further enhanced ammonium uptake by 25%, and TON uptake by nearly 10%. Phosphate uptake was not improved by increased species richness. The increased uptake of NH₄⁺ and TON with increased macroalgal species richness suggests the complementary use of different nitrogen forms (NH₄⁺ vs. TON) in macroalgal polycultures. The results demonstrate enhanced bioremediation efficiency by increased macroalgal species richness and show the potential of integrating biodiversity-function research to improve aquaculture sustainability.

• ALGAE
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.269-281
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• 2012

Marado is a small rocky island located off the south coast of Jeju Island and acts as the first gateway of the Kuroshio Current to Korean coastal ecosystems. This island is one of the most unpolluted and well preserved sea areas around the Jeju coast. We extensively observed macroalgal assemblages of species and functional forms in the intertidal and subtidal zones through four seasons on Marado, Jeju Island, Korea to demonstrate the seasonality of vertical distribution patterns and biomass. A total of 144 species (14 Chlorophyta, 40 Phaeophyta, and 90 Rhodophyta) were identified in quadrats and were analyzed seasonally and vertically to define the variation patterns. The annual mean biomass of macroalgae was $2,932.3g\;wet\;wt\;m^{-2}$ and the highest value was recorded in spring and the lowest was in winter. The annual dominant species by biomass was Ecklonia cava followed by Sargassum fusiforme, S. macrocarpum, Amphiroa galapagensis, Chondria crassicaulis, and S. thunbergii. Obvious biomass zonation patterns of macroalgal species were detected in relation to tidal height and depth. Macroalgal biomass, diversity index (H'), and community dynamics were the highest in the shallow subtidal zone. Species number was higher in the subtidal than in the intertidal zone and similar throughout the entire subtidal zone. Our results provide revealing insights into the distribution patterns of macroalgal assemblages in an unpolluted sea area around Jeju Island.

• ALGAE
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 2015

Urchin barrens have been a major issue of rocky coastal ecosystems in temperate regions. In South Korea, the east coast and Jeju Island have especially been a focus because the area of barren ground increases in spite of continual efforts to install artificial reefs. This study approached the urchin barrens issue in South Korea, by focusing on a correlational analysis of urchin and macroalgal abundance. Urchin density and algal species coverage were obtained using a quadrat image analysis. Subtidal sites were then classified into three groups according to the average densities of urchins to evaluate the characterization of the macroalgal community: no urchin (NU) zone; transition (TR) zone, $4inds.\;m^{-2};$ and urchin (UR) zone, ${\geq}8inds.\;m^{-2}$. The average urchin density in the study site was $4.7inds.\;m^{-2}$ and 57 macroalgal species were found in the study site. From the NU zone to UR zone, total species number, species diversity index and evenness gradually decreased, whereas the dominance index increased. The algae species with negative correlations were Grateloupia divaricata, Polysiphonia morrowii, Chondracanthus intermedius, Delesseria violacea, Desmarestia viridis; and those with positive correlations were the crustose corallines, Sargassum horneri. Other species were not significantly correlated with urchin density. The significant correlations indicate that the abundance of some macroalgal species is proportionally regulated by sea urchin density. This study also shows how macroalgal vegetation changes in response to an urchin's density gradient in a natural condition; and there is a TR zone that existed with respect to an intermediate level of algal abundance.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.99-111
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• 2021

Occurrence of epiphytic dinoflagellates (EPDs) in coastal waters off Jeju was first reported in 2011 based on 45 substrate samples from 24 macroalgal species. When re-analyzing, the extreme heterogeneous distribution of whole and genus-specific EPDs was reconfirmed across the sampling stations and substrate macroalgal species, as well as even across substrate samples of the same species. Abundance maximum of an EPD genus (cells g-wwt^-1) at a fixed surface-to-volume ratio (SA/V ratio) of the macroalgal species increased as the SA/V ratio increased up to 500 (cm² cm^-3). However, the abundance maximum of Ostreopsis further increased even in the MG2 (morphological group 2) macroalgae with the SA/V ratios over 500. The number of substrate macroalgal species on the plane of the MG and sampling station was more or less evenly scattered than the average EPD abundance, which was primarily driven by Gambierdiscus and Ostreopsis. Of the total EPD abundance of the five stations, 90.6% were represented by the two most common and abundant genera, Gambierdiscus and Ostreopsis, each accounting for 41.6% and 49.0%. Spatially, 95.9% of the total EPD abundance was found in St. 4 and St. 5, of which St. 4 with higher water temperature had more Ostreopsis spp. (31.8%), and St. 5 with higher salinity had more Gambierdiscus spp. (27.3%). Thus, the environmental transition to favorable T-S condition to MG2, the thin filamentous macroalgal group with very high SA/V ratios, is thus likely to support further success in EPD genera led by Ostreopsis in the coastal waters of Jeju.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1089-1098
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• 2020

To assess the trophic function of an artificial macroalgal habitat, we compared the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of two amphipods (Caprella sp. and Ampithoe sp.) and their potential food sources in a transplanted macroalgal habitat (Grateloupia asiatica) with those in a natural habitat. There were no significant differences in the isotopic values of both consumers and their potential food sources between the transplanted and natural habitats. Such isotopic similarities between the two sites indicate a comparable resource consumer relationship. Additionally, our results showed similar isotopic niche areas and high dietary overlap (>65%) of the two amphipods between the transplanted and natural sites, suggesting that the transplanted habitat plays ecological roles similar to the natural habitat. Overall, isotopic assessment can provide information on the trophic function of diverse transplanted macroalgal habitats and improve post-monitoring efforts in the management of artificial ecosystems.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.77-80
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• 2007

Macroalgal tissues can be used as indicating materials for environmental assessment using several algal biotechnology techniques. As bioassay test organisms, macroalgal tissues are required as an axenic state for suitable biological indicators. Callus formation and blade regeneration under suitable culture conditions are also useful for the tests. Quantitative method using tetrazolium chloride or $alamarBlue^{TM}$ is devised on a rapid assessment of the seaweed viability. The use of RT-PCR especially differential display technique should provide the means for the detection and isolation of the responding genes induced by the environmental stress. Seaweed thriving in more environmental changes might contain more diverse biologically active substances.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.262-277
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• 2018

We seasonally examined marine macroalgal community structures and ocean environmental characteristics in subtidal zones at five sites on and around Jeju Island, Korea, from February 2013 to November 2015. A total of 186 macroalgal species were identified, including 18 green, 33 brown, and 135 red algae. During the study period, the number of species was highest at Gapado Island (125 species) followed by Bukchon (123 species), Sagye (122 species), Sinheung (122 species) and Sinchang (97 species). Ecklonia cava, Peyssonnelia caulifera, Synarthrophyton chejuense, Corallina aberrans and Corallina crassisima occurred at all study sites and in all seasons. The average annual biomass of seaweed was $1,125.10g\;wet\;wt./m^2$ and ranged from $899.77g/m^2$ at Sinheung to $1,452.00g/m^2$ at Gapado. A brown alga E. cava was the most dominant species, accounting for 49.84% ($560.78g/m^2$) of the total seaweed biomass. Subdominant species were C. aberrans and C. crassissima, comprising 6.83% ($76.79g/m^2$) and 5.98% ($67.28g/m^2$) of total biomass, respectively. Cluster analysis revealed three distinct groups: the Sagye/Sinheung group (group A), the Bukchon/Sinchang group (group B), and the Gapado group (group C), indicating significantdifferences in macroalgal communities between sites.

• ALGAE
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.237-252
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• 2020

Temperate rocky reefs dominated by the giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, support diverse assemblages of benthic macroalgae that provide a suite of ecosystem services, including high rates of primary production in aquatic ecosystems. These forests and the benthic macroalgae that inhabit them are facing both short-term losses and long-term declines throughout much of their range in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Here, we quantified patterns of benthic macroalgal biomass and irradiance on rocky reefs that had intact kelp forests and nearby reefs where the benthic macroalgae had been lost due to deforestation at three sites along the California, USA and Baja California, MEX coasts during the springs and summers of 2017 and 2018. We then modeled how the loss of macroalgae from these reefs impacted net benthic productivity using species-specific, mass-dependent rates of photosynthesis and respiration that we measured in the laboratory. Our results show that the macroalgal assemblages at these sites were dominated by a few species of stipitate kelps and fleshy red algae whose relative abundances were spatially and temporally variable, and which exhibited variable rates of photosynthesis and respiration. Together, our model estimates that the dominant macroalgae on these reefs contribute 15 to 4,300 mg C m^-2 d^-1 to net benthic primary production, and that this is driven primarily by a few dominant taxa that have large biomasses and high rates of photosynthesis and / or respiration. Consequently, we propose that the loss of these macroalgae results in the loss of an important contribution to primary production and overall ecosystem function.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.300-307
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• 2015

Seasonal variation in marine macroalgal community structure was examined at the intertidal zones of Geumgap, Jindo, Korea, from October 2013 to August 2014. In total, 56 macroalgal species were identified, including 9 green, 12 brown, and 35 red algae. Annual seaweed biomass was 548.96 g wet wt. /$m^2$ with seasonal range between 371.08 g wet wt. /$m^2$ at summer and 32.91 g wet wt. /$m^2$ at winter. The dominant seaweed in terms of biomass was Sargassum thunbergii and subdominant species were Gelidium elegans, Sargassum fusiforme, and Ishige okamurae. The vertical distribution of seaweeds from the upper to lower intertidal zones was Gloiopeltis spp., Ulva spp.- S. thunbergii, S. fusiforme, Ishige okamurae - S. thunbergii, S. fusiforme, G. elegans. Annual seaweed coverage, richness index (R), evenness index (J'), and diversity index (H') values were 27.95%, 6.10, 0.38, and 1.38, respectively. Coarsely branched form was the most dominant functional group in terms of species number and biomass among benthic macroalgal species.

• ALGAE
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.121-137
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• 2015

Studies on carbon flux in the oceans have been highlighted in recent years due to increasing awareness about climate change, but the coastal ecosystem remains one of the unexplored fields in this regard. In this study, the dynamics of carbon flux in a vegetative coastal ecosystem were examined by an evaluation of net and gross ecosystem production (NEP and GEP) and $CO_2$ exchange rates (net ecosystem exchange, NEE). To estimate NEP and GEP, community production and respiration were measured along different habitat types (eelgrass and macroalgal beds, shallow and deep sedimentary, and deep rocky shore) at Gwangyang Bay, Korea from 20 June to 20 July 2007. Vegetative areas showed significantly higher ecosystem production than the other habitat types. Specifically, eelgrass beds had the highest daily GEP ($6.97{\pm}0.02g\;C\;m^{-2}\;d^{-1}$), with a large amount of biomass and high productivity of eelgrass, whereas the outer macroalgal vegetation had the lowest GEP ($0.97{\pm}0.04g\;C\;m^{-2}\;d^{-1}$). In addition, macroalgal vegetation showed the highest daily NEP ($3.31{\pm}0.45g\;C\;m^{-2}\;d^{-1}$) due to its highest P : R ratio (2.33). Furthermore, the eelgrass beds acted as a $CO_2$ sink through the air-seawater interface according to NEE data, with a carbon sink rate of $0.63mg\;C\;m^{-2}\;d^{-1}$. Overall, ecosystem production was found to be extremely high in the vegetated systems (eelgrass and macroalgal beds), which occupy a relatively small area compared to the unvegetated systems according to our conceptual diagram of a carbon-flux box model. These results indicate that the vegetative ecosystems showed significantly high capturing efficiency of inorganic carbon through coastal primary production.