• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제27권5호
• /
• pp.515-523
• /
• 2009

To infer the monophyletic origin and phylogenetic relationships of the order Desmoscolecida, a unique and puzzling group of mainly free-living marine nematodes, we newly determined nearly complete 18S rDNA sequences for six marine desmoscolecid nematodes belonging to four genera (Desmoscolex, Greeffiella, Tricoma and Paratricoma). Based on the present data and those of 72 nematode species previously reported, the first molecular phylogenetic analysis focusing on Desmoscolecida was done by using neighbor joining (NJ), maximum parsimony (MP), maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods. All four resultant trees consistently and strongly supported that the family Desmoscolecidae forms a monophyletic group with very high node confidence values. The monophyletic clade of desmocolecid nematodes was placed as a sister group of the clade including some members of Monhysterida and Araeolaimida, Cyartonema elegans (Cyartonematidae) and Terschellingia Iongicaudata (Linhomoeidae) in all the analyses. However, the present phylogenetic trees do not show any direct attraction between the families Desmoscolecidae and Cyartonematidae. Within the monophyletic clade of the family Desmoscolecidae in all of the present phylogenetic trees, there were consistently observed two distinct subgroups which correspond to the subfamilies Desmoscolecinae [Greeffiella sp. + Desmoscolex sp.] and Tricominae [Paratricoma sp. + Tricoma sp].

• 한국잠사학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국잠사학회 2003년도 International Symposium of Silkworm/Insect Biotechnology and Annual Meeting of Korea Society of Sericultural Science
• /
• pp.87-90
• /
• 2003

Cytokines represent an essential part of the innate immune response in mammals. Recently, several studies have reported presence of cytokine-like activities and molecules in the invertebrates such as echinoderms, tunicates, molluscs and insects (Beck and Habicht, 1986; Beck et al.; 1959; Ottaviani et al.; 1993; Franchini, 1996). The cytokines found in those organisms include IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). (omitted)

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• 제32권3호
• /
• pp.197-206
• /
• 2009

Benthic macroinvertebrate communities were collected from six different sites in the Dobong Stream in Seoul, Korea to investigate spatial and temporal changes in benthic macroinvertebrate communities in response to natural disturbances such as floods and droughts. We collected samples monthly or semimonthly with a Surber net ($30cm{\times}30cm$), and measured environmental factors, including stream temperature, discharge, width, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and pH at each sampling site. Benthic macro invertebrates were strongly affected by floods as well as droughts. In addition, benthic macroinvertebrate communities displayed different responses to the onset of the rainy season in summer 2006 and 2007, apparently due to differences in the intensity and amount of precipitation. Chironomids were particularly sensitive to heavy rain. Floods and droughts also affected the proportions of functional feeding groups during the survey period: the proportion of scrapers was high right after heavy rains, while the proportion of predators tended to increase in intermittent-type streams as the riffle zone decreased. Finally, although species richness and abundance were strongly influenced by heavy rain, they recovered to background levels for within one month, and varied consistently among stream types, indicating habitat stability.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• 제33권3호
• /
• pp.237-244
• /
• 2010

In this study, we evaluated the distribution, habitat characteristics, and diet of two Korean freshwater turtle species (Chinemys reevesii, Pelodiscus sinensis) and an invasive turtle species (Trachemys scripta elegans) in the area surrounding the Seomjin River and the Nam River. We surveyed basking turtles in multiple locations along a 48-km stretch of the Seomjin River and in 99 reservoirs distributed along the Seomjin and Nam rivers from June to September, 2009. We observed 8 and 6 red-eared turtles in 3 reservoirs and at 3 sites in the Seomjin River, respectively, and 33 Reeve's turtles in 9 reservoirs. There were also 28 and 16 mud turtles detected at 15 sites along the Seomjin River and in 8 reservoirs, respectively. Among the 14 biotic and abiotic habitat characteristics that might influence the abundance of freshwater turtles in reservoirs, only the distance between a reservoir and the nearest residential areas was correlated negatively with abundance. With regard to the diet, all Reeve's and red-eared turtles investigated were determined to forage on water snails. Some turtles also foraged on vegetation and aquatic invertebrates. Additionally, we found fish in the stomach of one of the Reeve's turtles, and dragonflies in the stomachs of two red-eared turtles.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• 제48권11호
• /
• pp.1153-1161
• /
• 2005

As known by other name(natural immunity), the innate immune system comprises all those mechanisms for dealing with infection that are constitutive or built in, changing little with age or with experience of infection. Though in some ways less sophisticated than adaptive immunity, innate immunity should not belittled, since it has evidently protected thousands of species of invertebrates sufficiently to survive for up to 2 billion years. In the innate immune system, molecules of both cellular and humoral types are involved, corresponding to the need to recognize and dispose of different types of pathogen, to promote inflammatory responses and to interact to the adaptive immune system. A major features of innate immunity are the presence of the normal gut flora, complements, macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells and many cytokines that can block the establishment of infection. Both phagocytic cells and complement system have tremendous potential for damaging host cells, but fortunately they are normally only triggered by foreign materials, and usually most of their destructive effects are focussed on the surface of these or in the safe environment of the phagolysosome. This article addreses the comprehensive mechanisms of the major components of the innate immune system to prevent the infection.

• 한국수산과학회지
• /
• 제43권4호
• /
• pp.293-297
• /
• 2010

To prevent amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) resulting from the consumption of shellfish contaminated with domoic acid, the quantitative analysis of domoic acid is very important. We validated a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for accurate and precise quantification of domoic acid. A clear peak and the isolation of domoic acid resulted on injecting a 50% methanol extract of CRM-ASP-Mus-c mussel reference material using HPLC. The limit of detection of domoic acid under the established HPLC conditions was $0.10\;{\mu}g/g$, and the limit of quantification of the toxin under the same conditions was $0.25\;{\mu}g/g$. The intra-accuracy and precision for domoic acid in CRM-ASP-Mus-c were 90.7-95.7% and 0.28-22.25%, respectively. The inter-accuracy and precision for domoic acid were 89.1-97.1% and 1.7-4.1%, respectively. The mean recovery of domoic acid in methanol extracts from ten species of marine invertebrates was 88.6-1105.1%.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• 제20권11호
• /
• pp.28.1-28.17
• /
• 2017

Members of the phylum Echinodermata, commonly known as echinoderms, are exclusively marine invertebrates. Among the Echinodermata, sea cucumber belongs to the family Holothuroidea. The sea cucumber Stichopus (Apostichous) japonicus (Selenka) is an invertebrate animal inhabiting the coastal sea around Korean, Japan, China, and Russia. Sea cucumber has a significant commercial value, because it contains valuable nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. They possess a number of distinctive biologically and pharmacologically important compounds. In particular, the body wall of sea cucumber is a major edible part. It consists of peptide, collagen, gelatin, polysaccharide, and saponin, which possess several biological activities such as anti-cancer, anti-coagulation, anti-oxidation, and anti-osteoclastogenesis. Furthermore, the regenerative capacity of sea cucumber makes it a medically important organism. This review presents the various biological activities and biomedical potential of sea cucumber S. japonicus.

• Journal of Species Research
• /
• 제5권3호
• /
• pp.517-529
• /
• 2016

Two scale worms of the family Polynoidae, Arctonoe vittata (Grube, 1855) and Hyperhalosydna striata (Kingberg, 1856) were found for the first time from Korea by SCUBA diving survey. The two species are free-living organisms or associated commensally with a wide variety of other invertebrates. Specimens of A. vittata were collected from the East Sea and were closely associated with asteroids, holothuroids, gastropods and nudibranchs species. Specimens of H. striata were collected from Jeju-do Island, and of these, one specimen was collected in a tube of eunicid species. The two species can be easily distinguished from their congeners by distinct morphological characteristics as follows: (1) A. vittata has pigmented band near segment eight and two kinds of neurochaetae; (2) H. striata has reddish-brown longitudinal striped elytra. The morphological key characteristics of both species agreed well with their original descriptions and redescriptions. In this study, the descriptions, detailed illustrations and ecological photographs of two species based on Korean materials were provided.

• Water Engineering Research
• /
• 제3권4호
• /
• pp.259-267
• /
• 2002

South Africa has developed a policy and law that calls and provides for the equitable and sustainable use of water resources. Sustainable resource use is dependent on effective resource protection. Rivers are the most important freshwater resources in the country, and there is a focus on developing and applying methods to quantify what rivers need in terms of flow and water quality. These quantified and descriptive objectives are then related to specified levels of ecological health in a classification system. This paper provides an overview of an integrated and systematic methodology, where, fer each river, and each river reach, the natural condition and the present ecological condition are described, and a level/class of ecosystem health is selected. The class will define long term management goals. This procedure requires each ecosystem component to be quantified, starting with the abiotic template. A modified flow regime is modelled for each ecosystem health class, and the resultant fluvial geomorphology and hydraulic habitats are described. Then the water chemistry is described, and the water quality changes that are likely to occur as a consequence of altered flows are predicted. Finally, the responses to the stress imposed on the biota (fish, invertebrates and vegetation) by modified flow and water quality are predicted. All of the predicted responses are translated into descriptive and/or quantitative management objectives. The paper concludes with the recognition of active method development, and the enormous challenge of applying the methods, implementing the law, and achieving river protection and sustainable resource-use.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• 제29권2호
• /
• pp.175-183
• /
• 2006

The discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents and their ecosystems is a monumental landmark in the history of Ocean Sciences. Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are scattered along the global mid-ocean ridges and back-arc basins. Under sea volcanic phenomena related to underlying magma activities along mid-ocean ridges generate extreme habitats for highly specialized communities of animals. Multidisciplinary research efforts during past three decades since the first discovery of hydrothermal vents along the Galapagos Rift in 1977 revealed fundamental components of physiology, ecology, and evolution of specialized vent communities of micro and macro fauna. Heterogeneous regional geological settings and tectonic plate history have been considered as important geophysical and evolutionary factors for current patterns of taxonomic composition and distribution of vent faunas among venting sites in the World Ocean basins. It was found that these communities are based on primary production of chemosynthetic bacteria which directly utilize reduced compounds, mostly $H_2S$ and $CH_4$, mixed in vent fluids. Symbioses between these bacteria and their hosts, vent invertebrates, are foundation of the vent ecosystem. Gene flow and population genetic studies in parallel with larval biology began to unveil hidden dispersal barrier under deep sea as well as various dispersal characteristics cross taxa. Comparative molecular phylogenetics of vent animals revealed that vent faunas are closely related to those of cold-water seeps in general. In perspective additional interesting discoveries are anticipated particularly with further refined and expanded studies aided by new instrumental technologies.