• Mycobiology
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.165-172
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• 2019

Species that belong to Penicillium section Sclerotiora are commonly found in various terrestrial environments, but only a few have been reported in marine environments. Because the number of Penicillium species reported in marine environments is increasing, we investigated the diversity of Penicillium section Sclerotiora in marine environments in Korea. Based on sequence analyses of b-tubulin and calmodulin loci, 21 strains of section Sclerotiora were identified as P. bilaiae, P. daejeonium, P. exsudans, P. herquei, P. cf. guanacastense, P. mallochii, P. maximae, and P. viticola. Three of them were confirmed as new to Korea: P. exsudans, P. mallochii, and P. maximae. Here, we have provided detailed morphological descriptions of these unrecorded species.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.387-393
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• 2015

Biotyping of Vibrio vulnificus strains isolated from marine environments along the south coast of Korea showed that the majority of the isolates (94.7%) belonged to biotype 1 and the remaining isolates (5.3%) belonged to biotype 2. Analysis of 16S rRNA V. vulnificus strains isolated from marine environments using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed that 78.7% were type A and 21.3% were type B. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to analyze the genomic differences in V. vulnificus among the biotype 2 strains isolated from marine environments (newly isolated strains group) and reference strains obtained from infected eels (reference strains group). The two groups had distinctly different profiles of the amplicons produced from RAPD. Additionally, biochemical comparison of these strains revealed that all four strains isolated from marine environments differed from the strains isolated from eels in their ability to promote D-mannitol fermentation. Two (NH 1 and NH 2) out of four isolates of biotype 2 from marine environments showed pathogenicity in eels Anguilla japonica in a challenge test. These isolates did not agglutinate with antisera against V. vulnificus NCIMB 2137 (serovar E), ATCC 27562 (non-serovar E), and ATCC 33816 (atypical serovar E).

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.353-360
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• 2006

A 33-km long sea dyke is being constructed in the Saemangeum area mid-west of Korea to reclaim a surface area of 40,100 ha which includes well-developed tidal flat and two river estuaries. The northern part of the dyke was closed on 10 June 2003, while the southern part was recently closed on 21 April 2006 by plugging two opening gaps of 2.7 km in length. In this study, firstly we review the outlines of key national projects which described marine environments in the Saemangeum area and secondly we present a summary of remarkable changes in marine environments after the closure of the northern dyke, based on marine environmental data collected during 2002-2005. Details in each discipline of the marine environments are presented both in other papers of this special volume and in a series of annual reports of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and fisheries.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.25-37
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• 2014

To understand the degradation processes of organic matter related to sulfate reduction by Sulfate Reduction Bacteria (SRB) in the tidal flat sediments of Hwang-do and Sogeun-ri, Tae-an Peninsula in Chungnam-do, biogeochemical characteristics were analyzed and highlighted using specific microbial biomarkers. The organic geochemical parameters (TOC, ${\delta}^{13}C_{org}$, C/N ratio, long-chain-n-alkane) indicate that most of the organic matter has been derived from marine phytoplankton and bacteria in the fine-grained sediment of Sogeun-ri, although terrestrial plant components have occasionally been incorporated to a significant degree in the coarse-grained sediment of Hwang-do. The concentration of sulfate in pore water is a constant tendency with regard to depth profile, while methane concentration appears to be slightly different with regard to depth profile at the two sites. Especially, the sum of bacteria fatty acid (a-C15:0 + i-C15:0 + C16:1w5) confirms that the these concentrations in Sogeun-ri are related to the degradation of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene (BTEX) compounds from the crude oil retained in the sediments as a result of the Hebei Spirit oil-spill accident in 2007. The methane-related microbial communities as shown by lipid biomarkers (crocetane, PMI) are larger in some sedimentary sections of Hwang-do than in the Sogeunri tidal flat. These findings suggest that methane production by microbiological processes is clearly governed by SRB activity along the vertical succession in organic-enriched tidal flats.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.10
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• pp.883-887
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• 2016

This study aims to evaluate the corrosion behavior of a newly developed high-strength steel in marine environments. Metals used in seawater are easily deteriorated because of the presence of corrosive species such as chloride ions in it. Seawater causes much higher corrosion than fresh water. Thus, the corrosion of steel in marine environment has been recognized as a crucial problem in designing structures which cannot be cathodically protected. In this study, the corrosion resistance of a newly developed high-strength steel was evaluated. Four different specimens were tested to confirm the corrosion resistance. The exposure corrosion test was carried out by exposing the specimens to different marine environments such as atmospheric, tidal, splash, and submerged zones for two years. The specimens taken out from each location were cleaned ultrasonically and chemically prior to the evaluation of their corrosion resistance by the weight loss method. Finally, the pitting depth of the specimens was also measured to evaluate their pitting corrosion. The conditions used for the corrosion test were similar to the environmental conditions. The corrosion test results revealed that the corrosion rate and pitting corrosion of the newly developed high-strength steel was lower than that of the other carbon steels.

• Mycobiology
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.436-444
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• 2023

Aspergillus species play a crucial role in terrestrial environments as degraders and are well known for producing various secondary metabolites. Recently, Aspergillus species have been discovered in marine environments, exhibiting adaptability to high salinity and producing diverse secondary metabolites with valuable properties. However, limited research has focused on their marine diversity, leading to inaccurate species identification. The current study addresses this gap by investigating diverse marine habitats in the Republic of Korea, including sediment, seawater, seaweed, and marine animals. From three coasts of the Korean Peninsula, 472 Aspergillus strains were isolated from the various marine habitats. A total of 41 species were accurately identified using multigenetic markers: internal transcribed spacer, calmodulin, and b-tubulin. The findings underscore the importance of accurate identification and provide a basis for elucidating the functional role of marine-derived Aspergillus species in marine ecosystems.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.49-58
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• 2004

Consolidation properties of Shihwa deposits were analysed by means of depositional environments. Depositional environments including particle size distributions, sediment structures, geochemical properties, porewater chemistries and carbon age dating were analysed using undisturbed samples retrieved successively from a boring hole in the study area. Laboratory oedometer tests and anisotropic consolidated triaxial tests (CKoUC) for undisturbed samples were performed to examine the overconsolidation phenomena. Based on the results of analysis of depositional environments, it was found that the upper silt/clay mixed layer was deposited under marine condition while underlying sand and clay layers were deposited under fluvial condition. Planar laminated structures of silts and clays were dominant in marine deposits. Although there was no clear evidences that geological erosion had occurred in marine deposits, overconsolidation ratios of the upper marine samples were greater than unity Stress Paths of the upper marine samples behaved similarly to those of normally consolidated clays. Data plotted in stress state charts showed that the marine deposits were normally consolidated in geological meaning. These apparent overconsolidation of the marine deposits can be explained by the structures i.e. chemical bonding due to the difference of the rate of deposition, not by geological erosions and ground water fluctuations.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 1999

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 2022

L-asparaginase (ASNase) is a therapeutic enzyme used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Currently, the most widely used ASNases are originated from bacteria. However, owing to the adverse effects of bacterial ASNases, new resources for ASNase production should be explored. Fungal enzymes are considered efficient and compatible resources of natural products for diverse applications. In particular, fungal species belonging to the genus Trichoderma are well-known producers of several commercial enzymes including cellulase, chitinase, and xylanase. However, enzyme production by marine-derived Trichoderma spp. remains to be elucidated. While screening for extracellular ASNase-producing fungi from marine environments, we found four strains showing extracellular ASNase activity. Based on the morphological and phylogenetic analyses using sequences of translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1α), the Trichoderma isolates were identified as T. afroharzianum, T. asperellem, T. citrinoviride, and Trichoderma sp. 1. All four strains showed different ASNase activities depending on the carbon sources. T. asperellem MABIK FU00000795 showed the highest ASNase value with lactose as a carbon source. Based on our findings, we propose that marine-derived Trichoderma spp. are potential candidates for novel ASNase production.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1323-1336
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• 2010

This study was carried out to determine marine environments and phytoplankton community around Mokpo harbour on March to November during the period of 2004-2009. The remarkable fluctuations of marine environments were shown around Mokpo harbour depending on monthly and yearly. Among seasons, summer was a great that was associated with extremely releasing the freshwater from Youngsan River Weir, contributing to effect the fluctuations of water quality. Nevertheless of monthly and yearly, the molecular ratio of N:P was always shown in above 16 that was mainly attributed to freshwater discharge on March to November. This indicates that phosphorus playes an important role in limiting factor as growth in phytoplankton. During this study, Skeletonema costatum was found to be richer than the other groups of diatoms in terms of abundance and species number. Mokpo harbour, with the presence of a narrow avenue for exchange with offshore waters, has limited growth in phytoplankton, but this species is able to well adapt and fast grow under even high level of suspended solid and low intensity of light compared with other species. The discharge of freshwater is associated with significantly fluctuation of marine environments in this region, but it does not affect the quantitative and qualitative distribution of phytoplankton. It is necessary to persistently monitor based on water quality and phytoplankton community.