Min-Chul Jang

Influence of food quality on egg production and viability of the marine planktonic copepod Acartia omorii

Egg production, egg viability and fecal pellet production were determined for individual Acartia omorii, which were fed diets of two species of diatoms (Skeletonema costatum and Phaeodactylum tricornutum ) and three species of dinoflagellates ( Scrippsiella trochoidea, Heterocapsa triquetra and Cochlodinium polykrikoides ). Diets were analyzed for fatty acid content as an indicator of food quality. Depending on the diet, egg production of A. omorii varied over time, diminishing with some diets (S. trochoidea, C. polykrikoides, P. tricornutum ). This rate of reduction was much more rapid for a diet of C. polykrikoides, which caused egg production to decrease to ca. 2.4 eggs f 1 d 1 in only four days. As for all diets, egg viability was high at the beginning but with the C. polykrikoides and P. tricornutum diets, it rapidly decreased with time. Fecal pellet production also varied with time, depending on the diet. Egg production rate was closely correlated with fecal pellet production. There was no direct relationship between egg viability and egg production rate, but both egg production and viability were affected by the nutritional quality of food. Egg viability was also highly dependent on the composition of fatty acids in the eggs. Egg viability showed positive correlation with the ratio of ω 3:ω 6 groups among egg fatty acids, and negative correlation with the ratio of 20:5 (n3) : 22:6 (n3). While comparing several diets, egg production rate was higher on diets (H. triquetra and S. trochoidea) containing ample amounts of essential fatty acids such as 18:4 (n3) and 22:6 (n3). The results suggest that fertility of A. omorii was dependent upon the quality of the food, and dinoflagellate diets, with the exception of C. polykrikoides, were preferable to diatom diets.  2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced Production of Oceanic Dimethylsulfide Resulting from CO2-Induced Grazing Activity in a High CO2 World

Oceanic dimethylsulfide (DMS) released to the atmosphere affects the Earths radiation budget through the production and growth of cloud condensation nuclei over the oceans. However, it is not yet known whether this negative climate feedback mechanism will intensify or weaken in oceans characterized by high CO(2) levels and warm temperatures. To investigate the effects of two emerging environmental threats (ocean acidification and warming) on marine DMS production, we performed a perturbation experiment in a coastal environment. Two sets of CO(2) and temperature conditions (a pCO(2) of ∼900 ppmv at ambient temperature conditions, and a pCO(2) of ∼900 ppmv at a temperature ∼3 °C warmer than ambient) significantly stimulated the grazing rate and the growth rate of heterotrophic dinoflagellates (ubiquitous marine microzooplankton). The increased grazing rate resulted in considerable DMS production. Our results indicate that increased grazing-induced DMS production may occur in high CO(2) oceans in the future.

Algicidal Effects of a Newly Developed Thiazolidinedione Derivative, TD49, on Dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea

Abstract : To evaluate the algicidal impact of a newly developed algicide thiazolidinedione derivative,TD49, on dinophyceae Akashiwo sanguinea in aquatic ecosystems, tentative culture experiments for thetarget species were conducted in small (SS), middle (MS), and large scale (LS) culture vessels. When TD49was introduced at the final concentration of 2 µM in SS and MS, as well as 1 µM in LS, the abundance of A.sanguinea decreased significantly in all the treatments. On the other hand, total phytoplankton abundance,except A. sanguinea in the TD49 treatments, gradually increased with culture time, which implies that a celldestruction of A. sanguinea by TD49 is a major cause of the population growth by other phytoplanktonspecies. Also, A. sanguinea was easily destroyed, which was likely to be a source of extracellularsubstances. In particular, a pH decrease was significant in the treatments than in the control, which indicatesthat the water in the treatments has been acidified, due to an increase in the heterotrophic metabolisms ofbacteria and degradation of A. sanguinea cells. Our results indicate that the TD49 substance is the potentialagents for the control of A. sanguinea in the enclosed and eutrophic water bodies.Key words :Akashiwo sanguinea, algicidal effect, thiazolidinedione, ecosystem*Corresponding author. E-mail : yokim@kordi.re.kr

Summer pattern of phytoplankton distribution at a station in jangmok bay

Daily changes in phytoplankton abundance and species composition were monitored from July to September 2003 (n=47) to understand which factors control the abundance at a station in Jangmok Bay. During the study, the phytoplankton community was mainly composed of small cell diatoms and dinoflagellates, and the dominant genera wereChaetoceros,Nitzschia, Skeletonema andThalassionema. Phytoplankton abundance varied significantly from 6.40x104 to 1.22x107 cells/l. The initially high level of phytoplankton abundance was dominated by diatoms, but replacement by dinoflagellates started when the N/P ratio decreased to < 5.0. On the basis of the N/P and Si/N ratios, the sampling period could be divided into two: an inorganic silicate limitation period (ISLP, 14th July-12th of August) and an inorganic nitrogen limitation period (INLP, 13th of August - the end of the study). Phosphate might not limit the growth of phytoplankton assemblages in the bay during the study period. This study suggests that phytoplankton abundance and species composition might be affected by the concentrations of inorganic nutrients (N and Si), and provides baseline information for further studies on plankton dynamics in Jangmok Bay.

In Situ Hatching Success of Calanoid Copepod Eggs in Hypoxic Sediments of a Coastal Bay

ABSTRACT Choi, K-H.; Jang, M-C.; Shin, H.H.; Lee, W-J., and Shin, K., 2016. In situ hatching success of calanoid copepod eggs in hypoxic sediments of a coastal bay. Hypoxia can have adverse effects on recruitment of marine copepods via its effects on egg hatching and survival of nauplii. This study investigated the effects of hypoxia on in situ hatching success of calanoid copepods in Gamak Bay, Korea, a shallow (9-m) microtidal coastal bay with long water residence times exceeding a month. Plankton emergence trap/chambers were placed into seafloor–surface sediments in July at a hypoxic site (mean = 0.6 mL L−1) in the inner part of the bay and at a normoxic site in the mid bay. Nauplii that hatched and left the sediment were collected daily for 12 days, and the top 1 cm of sediment was preserved at the end of incubation. The number of eggs in the sediment was >3 × 105 eggs m−2 at the hypoxic site, about six times that at the normoxic site. Most of the eggs appeared to be subitaneous. Egg-hatching rate in the hypoxic site, however, was only 4% of that at the normoxic site, where 57% of the eggs present hatched. Cumulative numbers of eggs hatching into the hypoxic chambers were about half the numbers hatching into the normoxic chambers. The pH level in the sediment was 7.1 to 7.3 at the hypoxic site, slightly lower than in the normoxic sediment (pH > 7.5). That difference seemed to have little effect on egg hatching. High sulfide concentration at the hypoxic site (>300 μM), combined with low dissolved oxygen in summer were likely responsible for the depressed egg hatching. However, the cumulative number of eggs that hatched in the hypoxic chambers was still about half of that in the normoxic chambers. Thus, it appears that the hypoxic site might still be a significant source of juveniles for the next generation of the copepods.

Effects of Increased CO 2 and Temperature on the Growth of Four Diatom Species (Chaetoceros debilis, Chaetoceros didymus, Skeletonema costatum and Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii) in Laboratory Experiments

We examined the combined impacts of future increases of CO2 and temperature on the growth of four marine diatoms (Skeletonema costatum, Chaetoceros debilis, Chaetoceros didymus, Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii). The four strains were incubated under four different conditions: present (pCO2: 400ppm, temperature: 20℃), acidification (pCO2: 1000ppm, temperature: 20℃), global warming (pCO2: 400ppm, temperature: 25℃), and greenhouse (pCO2: 1000ppm, temperature: 2 5℃) conditions. Under the condition of higher temperatures, growth of S. costatum was suppressed, while C. debilis showed enhanced growth. Both C. didymus and T. nodenskioldii showed similar growth rates under current and elevated temperature. None of the four species appeared affected in their cell growth by elevated CO2 concentrations. Chetoceros spp. showed increase of pH per unit fluorescence under elevated CO2 concentrations, but no difference in pH from that under current conditions was observed for either S. costatum or T. nodenskioeldii, implying that Chetoceros spp. can take up more CO2 per cell than the other two diatoms. Our results of cell growth and pH change per unit fluorescence suggest that both C. debilis and C. didymus are better adapted to future oceanic conditions of rising water temperature and CO2 than are S. costatum and T. nodenskioeldii.

Effects of temperature and nutrients on changes in genetic diversity of bacterioplankton communities in a semi-closed bay, South Korea

Bacterioplankton communities in a semi-closed bay (Jangmok Bay, South Korea) were analysed using a 16S rDNA multiplex 454 pyrosequencing approach. Diversity and operational taxonomic units of bacterioplankton communities in the Jangmok Bay are highest in cold water seasons and lowest in warm water ones. During cold seasons, α-proteobacteria respond rapidly to pulses of the concentration of inorganic nutrients, while γ-proteobacteria during warm water seasons are the most active type of bacterioplankton resent in the prevailing conditions, which include high dissolved organic carbon, chemical oxygen demand and primary production. Cyanobacteria, a minor group constituting 4.58% of the total bacterioplankton, are more abundant at low temperature. Flavobacteria are more abundant in nutrient-rich conditions and the abundance of this group also demonstrated a delayed decline following summer phytoplankton blooms. The pronounced seasonal oscillations in phosphorus concentration and temperature exert strong selection pressure on bacterioplankton communities.

Potential invasions of phytoplankton in ship ballast water at South Korean ports

We studied the phytoplankton communities in ballast water in ships that arrived at two South Korean ports. We determined the potential for phytoplankton in the ballast water to invade the South Korean marine environment, given the specific growth rates of the phytoplankton, the delay before the phytoplankton started growing, and the rate at which the phytoplankton would initially disperse in ports and bays. Most of the phytoplankton in the ballast water samples originated in countries such as China and Japan that are adjacent to South Korea, and diatoms dominated these phytoplankton communities. The abundance of phytoplankton in a sample did not appear to be related to any particular environmental parameter, including the voyage duration. However, the number of phytoplankton taxa in a sample decreased as the voyage duration increased. The survival and growth of phytoplankton communities in the South Korean marine environment were assessed, and we found that most invasions failed at the initial dispersal phase, especially when a community was introduced to pier-side seawater. However, some members of phytoplankton communities, if they were dispersed and where conditions were highly eutrophic, could grow fast enough to overcome the initial dispersal phase in South Korean ports and bays.

Mesozooplankton community in a seasonally hypoxic and highly eutrophic bay

A 2-year survey of seawater chemistry and mesozooplankton abundance was carried out in Masan Bay, South Korea, one of the most eutrophic coastal ecosystems known. The study aimed to identify the major factors contributing to the seasonally persistent hypoxia in the bay, to characterise the Bay’s mesozooplankton community and to examine the effects of low oxygen on the distribution of mesozooplankton. Hypoxia ( 4000 individuals m–3) during summer. During hypoxic events, the abundance of Penilia avirostris was positively related to oxygen levels in the bottom water, suggesting that hypoxic conditions may cause mortality or have sublethal negative effects on population growth of this filter-feeding cladoceran.

Thermal effects on the growth and fatty acid composition of four harmful algal bloom species: Possible implications for ichthyotoxicity

Little is known regarding how harmful algal bloom species respond to different temperatures in terms of fatty acid production. This study examined the effects of temperature on the growth rates, cell volumes, and fatty acid concentrations and compositions of four harmful algal bloom species (HABs), Akashiwo sanguinea, Alexandrium tamarense, Chattonella ovata, and Prorocentrum minimum. The HABs species were cultured at 15, 20, 25, and 30°C in a nutrient-enriched medium. Three of the species maintained optimal growth rates over a wide range of temperatures, but A. tamarense did not. The cell volumes of each species showed little change over the temperature range. The total fatty acid concentrations in A. sanguinea, A. tamarense and C. ovata decreased as the temperature increased, but P. minimum showed no trend in this respect. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), the key biochemical components that maintain cell membrane fluidity and which are associated with toxicity, decreased in both concentration and proportion of total fatty acids as temperature increased, except in A. sanguinea, in which the proportion of PUFAs to the total fatty acids increased. These reductions in PUFA concentration and proportion could reduce cell membrane fluidity and toxicity in HABs; however, enhanced growth and/or ruptured cells, which are considered more toxic than intact cells, could compensate for the reduced per-cell toxicity. This phenomenon might impact on the marine ecosystem and aquaculture industry.