Joon Sang Park

Effects of crude oil on marine microbial communities in short term outdoor microcosms

To assess the effects of crude oil spills on marine microbial communities, 10 L outdoor microcosms were manipulated over an exposure period of 8 days. The responses of microbial organisms exposed to five crude oil concentrations in 10 to 10,000 ppm (v/v) were monitored in the microcosms. The abundance of microalgae and copepods decreased rapidly upon the addition of crude oil at concentrations over 1,000 ppm, whereas the total density of heterotrophic bacteria increased dramatically at the higher concentrations. Bacterial diversity, determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, was increased at higher concentrations. In particular, the intensity of the bands representing Jannaschia sp. and Sulfitobacter brevis increased with the addition of oil. These results indicate that crude oil spills with concentrations over 1,000 ppm seriously affected the structure of the microbial communities.

Critical criteria for identification of the genus Chaetoceros (Bacillariophyta) based on setae ultrastructure. II. Subgenus Hyalochaete

Abstract: Our objective was to select setae ultrastructure characteristics as identification criteria for Chaetoceros subgenus Hyalochaete. We sampled 53 Korean coastal water locations and three Chukchi Sea, Arctic Ocean sites, and we studied 22 species using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. We selected 12 criteria for species-specific identification: (1) point of fusion of the sibling setae, (2) spine form, (3) poroid shape, (4) spine arrangement, (5) poroid arrangement, (6) number of poroid rows per μm along the setae, (7) special intercalary setae, (8) connecting bridge-like structure on the basal part of the intercalary setae, (9) siliceous capilli on the basal part of the setae, (10) setae cross-sectional shape, (11) silicification of the setae wall and (12) direction of setae to the chain axis. Using these criteria, we constructed a dichotomous key to aid species-specific identification in the subgenus Hyalochaete.

A Study on the Fine Structure of the Marine Diatoms of Korean Coastal Waters - Genus Thalassiosira 3

A study on the fine structure of the marine diatom Thalassiosira has been carried out during the periods from January 2007 to March 2008 in Korean coastal waters. As the third series of the Thalassiosira species, a fine structure, description, distribution and taxonomic remarks of the six Thalassiosira species were observed by means of light microscope and scanning electron microscope. The critical features of Thalassiosira species were a shape of external tubes of marginal strutted processes and labiate process. Six species showed each different shape of external tubes, marginal strutted processes and labiate process. The shape of external tube was divided into five types: T shape of Thalassiosira curviseriata, small-rounded shape of T. lundiana, double-layer form and flame shape of T. nordenskioeldii, tulip shape of T. punctigera and tooth-shape of T. tenera. This external character may be able to key character for positive identification of the Thalassiosira species. Of these Thalassiosira lundiana, T. minuscula and T. tenera were new records for Korean coastal waters.

Species diversity of the genus Thalassiosira (Thalassiosirales, Bacillariophyta) in South Korea and its biogeographical distribution in the world

Abstract: Thalassiosira species are an important component of phytoplankton populations, and most species are considered cosmopolitan. Many authors have investigated the diversity of Thalassiosira species in order to understand their ecological roles in local areas. Our regional taxonomic study revealed the presence of 44 Thalassiosira species at 124 sites in Korean coastal waters. Of these, 14 species are newly reported in Korean waters and are described in detail with external and internal valve illustrations. Some morphologically confused taxa, such as the Thalassiosira s.s. group, T. curviseriata/T. tealata, T. simonsenii/Planktoniella blanda and T. proschkinae/T. spinulata, are clearly distinguished using additional morphological criteria. In addition, the full biogeographical distribution of Thalassiosira is described and compared with the Korean species. Korean waters seem to be the ‘Maginot Line’ for the cold- and warm-water Thalassiosira species. Knowledge of Thalassiosira species diversity will increase with more intensive work in relatively little-studied regions, such as the Indo-Pacific and tropical Atlantic Oceans.

A new gelatinous colony-forming Thalassiosira minicosmica sp. nov. (Bacillariophyta) from Korean coastal waters and a consideration of the Thalassiosira subtilis group

A new, convex-valved Thalassiosira species, T. minicosmica, was observed from Korean coastal waters between 6 May 2009 and 6 March 2014. Thalassiosira minicosmica was characterized by: (1) gelatinous colony formation by mucilage threads extruded from the fultoportulae, (2) eccentric arrangement of the areolae, (3) almost occluded foramina, (4) a short external tube of marginal fultoportulae, and (5) a single rimoportula (with a remarkably long external tube) between marginal fultoportulae. Similar species, such as T. minuscula, T. diporocyclus and T. subtilis, were compared with T. minicosmica, and their several shared characters, such as the convex valve, foramen structure and an externally larger rimoportula than fultoportula, are diagnostic for the Thalassiosira subtilis group, rather than the gelatinous colony-forming feature. Based on the morphological similarities, we recognize the Thalassiosira subtilis group including seven Thalassiosira species.

Transfer of the small diatoms Thalassiosira proschkinae and T. spinulata to the genus Minidiscus and their taxonomic re-description

The marine diatoms Thalassiosira proschkinae and T. spinulata are relatively small in size; their taxonomic identities have been debated owing to the diverse morphological variations. In the present study, we isolated both morphotypes from Korean coastal waters and examined their fine structures and conducted molecular sequence comparisons. The morphological and molecular analyses showed that T. proschkinae and T. spinulata were certainly distinct, and phenotypic plasticity of valve structure was not noted. Based on the morphological similarity and phylogenetic relationship, we transferred T. proschkinae and T. spinulata to another genus Minidiscus within Thalassiosirales that includes small-sized species and proposed new combination names, Minidiscus proschkinae (Makarova) Park & Lee comb. nov. and Minidiscus spinulatus (Takano) Park & Lee comb. nov., respectively. The genus description of Minidiscus was emended.

Mapping distribution of cysts of recent dinoflagellate and Cochlodinium polykrikoides using next-generation sequencing and morphological approaches in South Sea, Korea

The total dinoflagellate cyst community and the cysts of Cochlodinium polykrikoides in the surface sediments of South Sea (Tongyeong coast), South Korea, were analysed using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and morphological approaches. Dinoflagellate cysts can be highly abundant (111–4,087 cysts g−1 dry weight) and have diverse species composition. A total of 35 taxa of dinoflagellate cysts representing 16 genera, 21 species (including four unconfirmed species), and 14 complex species were identified by NGS analysis. Cysts of Scrippsiella spp (mostly Scrippsiella trochoidea) were the most dominant and Polykrikos schwartzii, Pentapharsodinium dalei, Ensiculifera carinata, and Alexandrium catenella/tamarense were common. Thus, a combination of NGS and morphological analysis is effective for studying the cyst communities present in a given environment. Although C. polykrikoides developed massive blooms during 2013–2014, microscopy revealed low density of their cysts, whereas no cysts were detected by NGS. However, the vegetative C. polykrikoides not appeared during 2015–2017 in spite of the observation of C. polykrikoides cysts. This suggests that the C. polykrikoides blooms were not due to development of their cysts but to other factors such as currents transporting them to a marine environment suitable for their growth.

Fossil diatom assemblages as paleoecological indicators of paleo-water environmental change in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea, Republic of Korea

The fossil diatom assemblage record from two sediment cores obtained from the Ulleung Basin, East Sea, Republic of Korea, revealed changes in the diatom assemblage zones in PG1 and PD3 core samples. The two sediment cores were δC14 dated and approximately represented the late Pleistocene–Holocene. The analysis of age zones in the PG1 core and PD3 core was assessed based on the frequency of variations, and occurrences of biostratigraphical fossil diatom species. During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the sea level was lower than that at present and the Ulleung Basin became isolated from the Pacific Ocean. As a result, there would have been a limited Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) influence, and salinity would have decreased resulting in increased freshwater and coastal diatoms. The distribution pattern of diatoms presented in the cores was associated with changes in water temperature and salinity and the adding of terrigenous material brought about by the input of freshwater. Changes in the abundance of a tychopelagic diatom, Paralia sulcata, reflected the effect of the water currents. Diatom temperature (Td) values and the ratio of centric/pennate diatoms provided evidence of limited influences of the TWC and freshwater inflow. It is thought that all assemblage zones were influenced by the TWC, which had an important effect on the distribution and composition of fossil diatoms.