• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.36-40
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• 2010

Ballast water has been known as a major vector for global dispersal of toxic dinoflagellates and other microalgae. In this study, biodiversity in ships’ ballast water was examined using a dinoflagellate-oriented PCR primer set and species-specific real-time PCR. While motile dinoflagellates could be observe at very low cell densities by light microscopy,a wide range of dinoflagellate taxa including parasitic and phototrophic pico-dinoflagellates as well as harmful species to marine fish/shellfish was detected when techniques for cloning/sequencing of SSU rDNA of sample cells were used. Present result suggests that molecular methods including species-specific PCR primers may offer rapid and accurate detection of invasive species in ballast water.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.141-150
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• 2016

Most previous studies on dinoflagellates in Korean coastal areas were conducted without morphological descriptions and illustrations of the observed dinoflagellates. This indicates that the species and diversity of dinoflagellates may have been respectively misidentified and underestimated in the past, probably due to cell shrinkage, distortion and loss caused by sample fixation. This study provides information on the morphological observations of four dinoflagellate orders (Prorocentrales, Dinophysiales, Gonyaulacales and Gymnodiniales) from Jangmok Harbour in Jinhae Bay, Korea. The unfixed samples were collected weekly from December 2013 to February 2015. A total of 13 genera and 30 species were identified using light and scanning electron microscopy, although some samples were not clarified at the species level. Harmful dinoflagellates, Prorocentrum donghaiense, Tripos furca, Alexandrium affine, A. fundyense, Akashiwo sanguinea and Cochlodinium polykrikoides, were identified based on the morphological observations. The results also reflect the occurrence and identification of dinoflagellates that had not been previously recorded in Jangmok Harbour.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.381-386
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• 2010

We have cultured the bluefin tuna in Yokjido, Tongyeong with floating cage which was vulnerable to harmful dinoflagellate, Cochiodinium polykrikoides. This study inspected a vertical migration of phytoplankton and Chl-a for reasonable sinking depth in floating cage. Furthermore, we analyzed the fluctuation of the phytoplankton including harmful dinoflagellates occurring in Yokgido for 6 years. Total cell density showed a significant monthly variation and the flora was predominated with diatoms. Gymnodinium sp. occurred 19 times, the greatest number of occurrence in all kinds of dinoflagellates during summer. In particular, the total number of occurrence at C. polykrikoides was 8, and harmful dinoflagellates such as Karenia brevis/Fibrcapsa japonica occurred. The relationship between Chl-a concentration/total cell number and sunset/sunrise was significant and reasonable sinking depth in floating cage was found to be at least 3m from the water surface, which was associated with massive fish kills caused by C. polykrikoides.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.959-966
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• 2004

Twenty-three cultures of harmful algal bloom (HAB)-(causing dinoflagellates were isolated from the coastal waters of Korea. For each of the 14 morphospecies, the nuclearencoded small subunit (SSU) rDNA was analyzed to determine the phylogenetic relatedness of the species. Despite temporal and spatial isolation, 3-4 clonal cultures of Alexandrium catenella, Cochlodinium polykrikoides, and Gymnodinium catenatum had 100% identical SSU rDNA sequences. In contrast, heterogeneities in the SSU rDNA sequences were observed in Akashiwo sanguinea and Lingulodinium polyedrum strains. Extreme sequence polymorphism was shown within the SSU rRNA genes of an Al. tamarense clonal culture. A homology search in GenBank revealed that 11 dinoflagellate species were located in clusters corresponding to their morphological classification. The SSU rDNA sequences of C. polykrikoides, Gyrodinium instriatum, and Pheopolykrikos hartmannii, which were determined for the first time in this study, showed the following phylogenetic relationships: C. polykrikoides formed an independent branch separated from other dinoflagellates; Gyr. instriatum was placed in a monophyletic group with Gyr. dorsum and Gyr. uncatenum; and Ph. hartmanii, which forms a distinct two-celled pseudocolony, belonged to Gymnodinium sensu Hansen and Moestrup.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.74-80
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• 2001

The nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS1 and ITS2) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA), and the 5.85 rRNA gene, have been determined for 13 strains of dinoflagellates in order to analyze the phylo-genetic relationship. The DNA sequences contained considerable variation in the ITS regions, but little in the 5.85 rDNA. In addition, the ITS1 was more variable than the ITS2 in all species examined. The nucleotide length of this region varied from 519 bp to 596 bp depending on the taxa. The investigated taxa were divided into three large groups based on the ITS length, i. e., a group with short ITS region (A. fraterculus and Alexandrium sp.), a with ITS region group (P. micans, P. minimum and P. triestinum) and a with ITS region group (G. impudicum, C. polykrikoides, G. sanguineum, G. catenatum and H. triquetra). The relationship between nucleotide length of ITS1 and that of ITS2 was negative, whereas G+C content and nucleotide length showed positive correlation. In phylogenetic analyses producing NJ trees, the topology was similar cluster and clearly divided the taxa into three groups based on 5.8S rDNA that were similar to those based on morphological characteristics. In particular, G. impudicum was more closely related to G. catenatum than to C. polykrikoides using phylogenetic analysis. From this study, we chew that the length of ITS region contributes to discriminate Korean harmful algal species and ITS analysis is a useful method for resolving the systematic relationships of dinoflagellates.

• ALGAE
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.315-326
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• 2021

Ion channels are membrane protein complexes mediating passive ion flux across the cell membranes. Every organism has a certain set of ion channels that define its physiology. Dinoflagellates are ecologically important microorganisms characterized by effective physiological adaptability, which backs up their massive proliferations that often result in harmful blooms (red tides). In this study, we used a bioinformatics approach to identify homologs of known ion channels that belong to 36 ion channel families. We demonstrated that the versatility of the dinoflagellate physiology is underpinned by a high diversity of ion channels including homologs of animal and plant proteins, as well as channels unique to protists. The analysis of 27 transcriptomes allowed reconstructing a consensus ion channel repertoire (channelome) of dinoflagellates including the members of 31 ion channel families: inwardly-rectifying potassium channels, two-pore domain potassium channels, voltage-gated potassium channels (K_v), tandem K_v, cyclic nucleotide-binding domain-containing channels (CNBD), tandem CNBD, eukaryotic ionotropic glutamate receptors, large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels, intermediate/small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels, eukaryotic single-domain voltage-gated cation channels, transient receptor potential channels, two-pore domain calcium channels, four-domain voltage-gated cation channels, cation and anion Cys-loop receptors, small-conductivity mechanosensitive channels, large-conductivity mechanosensitive channels, voltage-gated proton channels, inositole-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors, slow anion channels, aluminum-activated malate transporters and quick anion channels, mitochondrial calcium uniporters, voltage-dependent anion channels, vesicular chloride channels, ionotropic purinergic receptors, animal volage-insensitive cation channels, channelrhodopsins, bestrophins, voltage-gated chloride channels H⁺/Cl^- exchangers, plant calcium-permeable mechanosensitive channels, and trimeric intracellular cation channels. Overall, dinoflagellates represent cells able to respond to physical and chemical stimuli utilizing a wide range of G-protein coupled receptors- and Ca²⁺-dependent signaling pathways. The applied approach not only shed light on the ion channel set in dinoflagellates, but also provided the information on possible molecular mechanisms underlying vital cellular processes dependent on the ion transport.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.191-202
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• 2018

In this study we conducted a weekly monitoring exercise at a fixed station in the saltwater zone during the dry season (Jan-Mar, 2013) and wet season (Jun-Aug, 2013) to understand the fluctuations in phytoplankton communities and environmental factors in the Youngsan River estuary altered by a dike constructed in the coastal area. Phytoplankton communities displayed seasonality; diatoms were dominant during the dry season whereas dinoflagellates were dominant during the wet season. T-test analysis showed that water temperature was significantly different between the seasons whereas freshwater discharge from the dike was not significantly different. This suggests that seasonal variations of phytoplankton are more likely affected by water temperature than freshwater discharge. However, a short-term fluctuation was also observed in response to freshwater discharge; freshwater species appeared during or after the discharge in the dry and wet seasons and blooms of harmful species developed after the discharge. Phytoplankton communities may be affected by changes in physical factors such as turbidity and salinity and nutrient supply resulting from freshwater discharge. Especially, the nutrient supply may directly contribute to the harmful algal blooms (HABs) composed of dinoflagellates which can adapt to low salinity after freshwater discharge.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2003

To know the effects of the red tide and toxic dinoflagellates on survival and growth of larvae of the mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, laboratory experiments were conducted by incubating larvae with either unialgal culture of 4 dinoflagellate species (Amphidinium carterae, Prorocentrum triestinum, Gymnodinium impudicum, or Akashiwo sanguinea) or a standard food (Isochrysis galbana) for 10 days. The survival of larvae was higher than 80% when the food was A. carterae, G. impudicum, or A. sanguinea. The lowest survival (20%) was found when the food was P. triestinum. When the food was P. triestinum, the survival of larvae rapidly decreased from 87% at day 4 down to ca. 50% at day 6, and 20% at day 10. This implies that the larval population of M. galloprovincialis can seriously be affected if they are exposed to the red tide water dominated by P. triestinum for more than 4 days. Shell length of larvae either increased or decreased according to the food species. When the food was A. carterae, G. impudicum, or A. sanguinea, shell length of larvae increased. But, it decreased when the food was P. triestinum. Though shell length increased in 3 treatments, the daily increments (0.63 $\mu$ m for A. carterae, 0.46 m for $\mu$ G. impudicum, and 1.10 m for $\mu$ A. sanguinea) were smaller than that of the standard food (3.79 m for $\mu$ I. galbana). Correlation analyses chowed that the change in shell length was not significant when the food was A. carterae or G. impudicum. Therefore, all of 4 dinoflagellates affected the growth of M. galloprovincialis larvae: growth was negative for P. triestinum, nil for A. carterae and G. impudicum, and positive but lower than standard food for A. sanguinea. These imply that the dinoflagellates are less valuable as foods for M. galloprovincialis larvae. So, decreased growth rate of larvae is expected during red tides, which will consequently cause delayed metamorphosis or failure to recruitment to the adult populations. In considering the harmful effects of red tides on the aquatic ecosystem, not only the effects on adult populations of fish and shellfish, but also the effects on larval populations should be included.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.15-19
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• 2009

Early studies claimed that heterotrophic dinoflagellates Pfiesteria piscicida and related genera may produce a putative water-soluble toxin that causes death of fish and other marine animals. Several methods were tested to visualize plate morphology of Cryptoperidiniopsis brodyi and Pfiesteria piscicida. Cellulose plates of cells were exposed and visualized- by a membrane stripping method using Triton X-100. While calcofluor M2R white stain could readily bind to the thecal plates, details of the plate tabulation were difficult to observe. Fixation with osmium tetroxide $(OsO_4)$ produced well preserved cells with little morphological distortion, but thecal plates could not be visualized. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation using the membrane stripping method showed distinctive plate tabulations between C. brodyi and P. piscicida suggesting that this method is a useful tool for morphological identification of lightly armored dinoflagellates.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.236-244
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• 2021

Unarmored dinoflagellates, in the family Kareniaceae, include harmful or toxic bloom-forming species, which are associated with massive fish kills and mortalities of marine organisms worldwide. The occurrence and distribution of the toxigenic species in the family Kareniaceae were investigated in the brackish and coastal waters of Korea between July 2018 and October 2020. During the survey, we collected seven newly recorded species; Karenia papilionacea, Karlodinium digitatum, Karl. veneficum, Karl. zhouanum, Takayama acrotrocha, T. helix, and T. tasmanica. A total of fifteen strains of the seven taxa were successfully established as clonal cultures and examined using LM, SEM, and molecular phylogeny inferred from LSU rDNA sequences. Herein, we present the taxonomic information, morphological features, and molecular phylogenetic positions of the unrecorded dinoflagellate species collected from Korean coastal waters.