• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.212-220
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• 2009

In this study, we analyzed fish compositions and ecological characteristics such as trophic guilds and tolerance guilds in association with water quality characteristics in Masan Reservoir during November 2008. Total number of species were 12 species (6 families) and the dominant species were Zacco platypus, Hemiculter eigenmanni, and Pseudorasbora parva. We found three Korean endemic species and one exotic species, Carassius cuvieri. According to the analysis of ecological indicator characteristics, relative proportion of tolerant and omnivore species was 98% of the total indicating that probably, the fauna was influenced by physical habitat disturbance and physicochemical degradations. Fish distribution analysis along with littoral zone showed that the most fishes (${\sim}$95%) were observed in the littoral zone where emerged macrophytes were well developed. Also, substrate analysis indicated that the most species were found near silt area (11 species, 91.7%), so that the significant differences were found between the substrate types. Analysis of water quality indicated that concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) and chlorophyll-a (ChI-a) as a lake trophic indicator were judged as eutrophic states, respectively and COD as an indicator of organic matter pollution averaged 10.9 mg $L^{-1}$. Based on the water quality, this system were influenced by the nutrient enrichments and organic matter. The degradations of water quality in Masan Reservoir resulted in trophic compositions of fish (increase of omnivore species) and the dominance of tolerant fish. This Monitoring data may contribute changes of fish fauna and compositions in relation to habitat modifications and chemical water quality degradations in the future.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2011

We examined the effect of the turbid water on the periphytic diatom community in an artificial stream system. The artificial stream was constructed with transparent acryl and composed of four channels. Each channel ($20\;cm{\times}200\;cm{\times}40\;cm$) was supplied continuously with eutrophic lake water. In order to the freely colonize and grow diatoms, artificial substrate was installed with commercial slide glass soaked in 1% agar. Prior to introducing turbid water, the artificial stream was operated with lake water for 6 days to permit the propagation of diatom community on the substrates. The turbid water prepared with sediment sieved with ${\varphi}$ $64\;{\mu}m$ at $2\;g\;L^{-1}$ (final concentration, 300 NTU) was provided daily for 50 minute duration. The experiment was conducted for 7 days with manipulated experimental condition of light ($50{\sim}80\;{\mu}mol\;m^{-2}s^{-1}$, light:dark=24:0), temperature ($10{\pm}1^{\circ}C$), and flow rate ($0.31\;cm\;s^{-1}$). Sampling and analysis were conducted daily for water quality and diatom. Turbidity of the water varied 162.2~173.2 NTU during the experiment. After introduction of turbid water, DO, pH and TN were decreased, while SS and TP increased significantly. A total of 14 genera and 47 species of diatoms was observed on the artificial substrates during the experimental period. Of these, Navicula appeared to be a most dominant genus with 10 species, followed by Cymbella (6 species), Fragilaria (6 species) and Gomphonema (5 species). Achnanthes minutissima was the most dominant species (>70% of total frequency) in both control and treatment experiments. Increase in diatom abundance lasted for three days since turbid water introduction, after that they gradually decreased by the termination of the experiment. These results suggest that frequent supply of highly-concentrated turbid water significantly decreases the periphytic diatom community, and retard the recovery of the stable food-web within the stream.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.198-206
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• 2017

From June 2007 to May 2008, seasonal variations of bacterial abundance and heterotrophic nanoflagellate (HNF), together with environmental factors, were investigated at weekly and monthly intervals in Kyeonggi Bay. During the study period, the water temperature and salinity varied from $1.9^{\circ}C{\sim}29.0^{\circ}C$ and 31~35.1 psu, respectively. The concentration of ammonia, nitrate+nitrite, phosphate, and silicate ranged from 0.01 to $3.22{\mu}M$, 2.03 to $15.34{\mu}M$, 0.06 to $1.82{\mu}M$, and 0.03 to $18.3{\mu}M$, respectively. The annual average concentration of Chl. a varied from $0.86{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$ to $37.70{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$; the concentration was twice as much at the surface than at the deeper layers. The abundance of bacteria and HNF ranged from $0.29{\times}10^6$ to $7.62{\times}10^6cells\;mL^{-1}$ and $1.00{\times}10^2$ to $1.26{\times}10^3cells\;mL^{-1}$, respectively. In particular, there were significant correlations between bacteria and HNF abundance (p<0.05), and then the high abundance of HNF was frequently observed with an increase of bacterial abundance in summer (p<0.001). Our results therefore indicate that bacterial abundance in the bay was mainly controlled by resources supplied as organic and inorganic substances from Lake Shihwa due to the daily water exchange after dike construction. Also, the bacterial abundance was significantly controlled by HNF grazing pressure (top-down) in the warm seasons, i.e. excluding winter, in the Kyeonggi Bay.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.129-138
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• 2012

We investigated an ecological impact of drought simulated by discharge depletion on the water quality and benthic diatom community in the indoor experimental channel. As artificial substrates slide-glass was installed in acrylic channel for 16 days. Channels were supplied continuously with eutrophic lake water with a discharge rate of 6 L $min^{-1}$ in duplication during the colonized period. And then during the discharge depletion period, three discharge rates were provided: NDF (No depletion of flow rate (Control): 6 L $min^{-1}$), LDF (Low depletion of flow rate: 3 L $min^{-1}$) and HDF (High depletion of flow rate: 1 L $min^{-1}$). Environmental factors in the water, such as suspended solid, Chl-$a$ and nutrients concentration, were measured with periphytic algae including AFDM (ash free dry matter), Chl-$a$ concentration and cell density at 1-day intervals. Light intensity increased significantly with discharge depletion (F=229.5, p= 0.000). $NH_4$-N concentration was highest at HDF. Suspended solid in outflowing water decreased at HDF (88%), LDF (97%) and NDF (99%), compared to inflowing water (100 %). Chl-$a$ in substrates increased more than two times at LDF and HDF than NDF (F= 8.399, p=0.001). Also AFDM and benthic diatom density increased significantly at LDF and HDF than NDF (F=9.390, p=0.001; F=6.088, p=0.007). In all experimental groups, $Aulacoseira$ $ambigua$, $Achnanthes$ $minutissima$ and $Aulacoseira$ $granulata$ were dominant species accounting for greater than 10% of benthic diatom density. The most dominant species, $A.$ $ambigua$ was highest at LDF, followed by HDF and NDF (F=8.551, p=0.001). In conclusion, the effect of drought simulated by discharge depletion in an artificial stream ecosystem caused significant changes on water quality and benthic diatom biomass. This result provides a useful data to understand the effect of draught on stream ecosystem in situ.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.spc
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• pp.50-60
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• 2008

We performed the experiment to evaluate the effect of different DO concentrations (0.5, 4.5 and 9.0 $mgO_2L^{-1}$) and water depths (20, 50 and 80 cm) on the filtering rate, mortality, and pseudifeces production of Unio douglasiae against the cyanobacterial bloom (mainly Microcystis aeruginosa). A solitary-living bivalve U. douglasiae was collected in the upstream region of the North Han River (Korea). The harvested mussels were carefully transferred to the laboratory artificial management system, which was controlled temperature $(18{\pm}2^{\circ}C)$, flow rate (10L $h^{-1}$), food $(Chlorella^{TM})$, sediment (pebble and clay), light intensity (ca. $20{\mu}mol$ photons), and photocycle (12 L : 12 D). In the field observation, the mussel mortality was significantly correlated with water temperature, pH and DO concentration (P<0.05). The mortality was decreased with water depth; 65, 90, 80% of mortality at 20, 50, 80 cm water-depth, respectively. Filtering rate (FR) showed the highest value at 50 cm water depth, and thereby the concentration of chlorophyll-${\alpha}$ decreased continuously by 94% of the control at the end of the experiment. In contrast, FR decreased by 34% of the initial concentration at 20 cm water depth. Over the given water-depth range, the mussel FR ranged from $0.15{\sim}0.20L\;gAFDW^{-1}hr^{-1}$ during the 18hrs of experiment, and thereafter, they appeared to be approximately 0.11, 0.26 and 0.30 L $gAFDW^{-1}hr^{-1}$ at 20, 50 and 80cm water depth, respectively. FR was highest with the value of 0.46L $gAFDW^{-1}hr^{-1}\;at\;0.5mgO_2 L^{-1}$ at the early stage of the experiment, while it increased with DO concentration. Maximum pseudofaeces production was 11.2 mg $gAFDW^{-1}hr^{-1}\;at\;9.0mgO_2L^{-1}$. Our results conclude that U. douglasiae has a potential to enhance water quality in eutrophic lake by removing dominant cyanobacteria, but their effects vary with environmental parameters and the water depth at which they are located.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.166-174
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• 2003

Microcystin produced by cyanobacteria in surface waters, such as eutrophic lake and river, is a kind of serious environmental problems due to its toxicity to human and wild animals. Microcystin is synthesized nonribosomally by the large modular multi-functional enzyme complex known as microcystin synthetase encoded by the mcy gene cluster. Amplification of mcy genes by PCR from cultures and environmental samples is a simple and efficient method to detect the toxigenic Microcystis. In order to evaluate primers designed to detect toxic microcystin-producing strains, 17 cyanobacterial strains and 20 environmental samples were examined by PCR with 7 pairs of primers. Some microcystin-producing cyanobacteria were not detected with FAA-RAA, TOX4F-TOX4R and FP-RP primers. The fragment of unexpected size was amplified with NSZW2-NSZW1 primers in Microcystis strains isolated from the lakes in Korea. TOX1P-TOX1F primers failed in amplification of toxin-producing strains. Only MSF-MSR and TOX2P- TOX2F primers amplified the fragments of mcy genes from 11 strains of microcystin-producing Microcystis. The water samples taken from 20 lakes in Korea were analyzed by PCR using each of the primers. In all the water samples, cyanobacteria capable of producing microcystin were detected by the PCR with TOX2P-TOX2F primers. These results indicate that TOX2P-TOX2F primers are better than the other primers for detection of microcystin-producing Microcystis strains in Korea. The nucleotide sequences of mcy gene in Microcystis aeruginosa NIER10010 suggest genetic diversity of Korean isolates.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.108-114
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• 2015

Single - and combined effects of a domestic freshwater bivalve Unio douglasiae (7.6~8.6 cm in shell length) and zooplankton Daphnia magna (1~2 mm in body size) were examined to understand whether they inhibit the growth of harmful cyanobacterial bloom (i.e. Microcystis aeruginosa) in a eutrophic lake. The experiments were triplicated with twelve glass aquaria (40 L in volume); three aquaria without mussel and zooplankton, served as a control, three zooplankton aquaria (Z, density=40 indiv. $L^{-1}$), three mussel aquaria (M, density=0.5 indiv. $L^{-1}$), and three mussel plus zooplankton aquarium (ZM, density=40 indiv.Z $L^{-1}$ plus 0.5 indiv.M/L), respectively. Algal growth inhibition (%) calculated as a difference in the concentration of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) before and after treatment. Chl-a in all aquaria decreased with the time, while a greatest algal inhibition was seen in the ZM aquaria. After 24 hrs of incubation, Chl-a concentration at the mid-depth (ca. 15 cm) in ZM aquaria reduced by 90.8% of the control, while 63.2% and 79.8% in Z and M aquaria, respectively. Interestingly, during the same period, the surface Chl-a was diminished by 51.9% and 65.4% relative to the control in Z and ZM aquaria, while 27.4% of initial concentration decreased in M aquarium, respectively. These results suggest that 1) this domestic freshwater filter-feeding bivalve plays a significant role in the control of cyanobacterial bloom (M. aeruginosa), and 2) the combination with zooplankton and mussel has a synergistic effect to diminish them, compared to the single treatment of zooplankton and mussel.