Population Dynamics of the ‘Golden Tides’ Seaweed, <i>Sargassum horneri</i>, on the Southwestern Coast of Korea: The Extent and Formation of Golden Tides
Since 2015, troublesome masses of floating <i>Sargassum horneri</i> have been introduced via ocean currents and winds to the southwestern coastline of Korea, including Jeju Island. These massive mats have caused considerable damage to the aquaculture industry, tourism, and the marine eco...
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doaj-6a1e6994ddbf48cc863ba6b6806302742020-11-25T02:37:38ZengMDPI AGSustainability2071-10502020-04-01122903290310.3390/su12072903Population Dynamics of the ‘Golden Tides’ Seaweed, <i>Sargassum horneri</i>, on the Southwestern Coast of Korea: The Extent and Formation of Golden TidesSun Kyeong Choi0Hyun-Ju Oh1Suk-Hyun Yun2Hyuk Je Lee3Kyounghoon Lee4Young Seok Han5Sangil Kim6Sang Rul Park7Estuarine & Coastal Ecology Laboratory, Department of Marine Life Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, KoreaOcean Climate & Ecology Research Division, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Busan 46083, KoreaOcean Climate & Ecology Research Division, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Busan 46083, KoreaMolecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, Department of Biological Science, College of Science and Engineering, Sangji University, Wonju 26339, KoreaSchool of Marine Technology, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Chonnam National University, Yeosu 59626, KoreaResearch & Development Center, Neo Environmental Business Co., Bucheon 14523, KoreaOcean Climate & Ecology Research Division, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Busan 46083, KoreaEstuarine & Coastal Ecology Laboratory, Department of Marine Life Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, KoreaSince 2015, troublesome masses of floating <i>Sargassum horneri</i> have been introduced via ocean currents and winds to the southwestern coastline of Korea, including Jeju Island. These massive mats have caused considerable damage to the aquaculture industry, tourism, and the marine ecosystem. Most previous studies of <i>S. horneri</i> have focused on cultivation, the development of gene markers, and photosynthetic activity, but few data on population dynamics are available. We investigated the population dynamics of native <i>S. horneri</i> off the southwestern coast of Korea with the aim of predicting the formation of golden tides. Populations at two sites had obligate annual life cycles. Thalli were recruited during the period September–November, grew during the period December–April, and senesced by July. This pattern reflected seasonal trends in water temperature. Specific growth rates and heights of the thalli at Munseom were significantly higher than those at Jindo. The greatest environmental difference between the two sites is probably the degree of exposure to wave action. Mortality density (thalli lost per unit area) in the Munseom population was highest during the period December–January (i.e., 2–3 months after recruitment) and in March. Most thalli in the Jindo population died off in July when water temperatures increased. The maximum average biomass of <i>S. horneri</i> thalli detaching from the substrata reached 1.6 kg fresh weight m<sup>–2</sup> during January and March. Thus, large-scale drifting mats were formed by <i>S. horneri</i> detachment from the substrata. Despite the differences in space and environment between China and Korea, our findings will enable quantitative assessments of the overall floating <i>Sargassum</i> biomass in the East China and Yellow Seas.https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/7/2903<i>Sargassum horneri</i>golden tidespopulation dynamicsmortalitydetached biomass |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Sun Kyeong Choi Hyun-Ju Oh Suk-Hyun Yun Hyuk Je Lee Kyounghoon Lee Young Seok Han Sangil Kim Sang Rul Park |
spellingShingle |
Sun Kyeong Choi Hyun-Ju Oh Suk-Hyun Yun Hyuk Je Lee Kyounghoon Lee Young Seok Han Sangil Kim Sang Rul Park Population Dynamics of the ‘Golden Tides’ Seaweed, <i>Sargassum horneri</i>, on the Southwestern Coast of Korea: The Extent and Formation of Golden Tides Sustainability <i>Sargassum horneri</i> golden tides population dynamics mortality detached biomass |
author_facet |
Sun Kyeong Choi Hyun-Ju Oh Suk-Hyun Yun Hyuk Je Lee Kyounghoon Lee Young Seok Han Sangil Kim Sang Rul Park |
author_sort |
Sun Kyeong Choi |
title |
Population Dynamics of the ‘Golden Tides’ Seaweed, <i>Sargassum horneri</i>, on the Southwestern Coast of Korea: The Extent and Formation of Golden Tides |
title_short |
Population Dynamics of the ‘Golden Tides’ Seaweed, <i>Sargassum horneri</i>, on the Southwestern Coast of Korea: The Extent and Formation of Golden Tides |
title_full |
Population Dynamics of the ‘Golden Tides’ Seaweed, <i>Sargassum horneri</i>, on the Southwestern Coast of Korea: The Extent and Formation of Golden Tides |
title_fullStr |
Population Dynamics of the ‘Golden Tides’ Seaweed, <i>Sargassum horneri</i>, on the Southwestern Coast of Korea: The Extent and Formation of Golden Tides |
title_full_unstemmed |
Population Dynamics of the ‘Golden Tides’ Seaweed, <i>Sargassum horneri</i>, on the Southwestern Coast of Korea: The Extent and Formation of Golden Tides |
title_sort |
population dynamics of the ‘golden tides’ seaweed, <i>sargassum horneri</i>, on the southwestern coast of korea: the extent and formation of golden tides |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Sustainability |
issn |
2071-1050 |
publishDate |
2020-04-01 |
description |
Since 2015, troublesome masses of floating <i>Sargassum horneri</i> have been introduced via ocean currents and winds to the southwestern coastline of Korea, including Jeju Island. These massive mats have caused considerable damage to the aquaculture industry, tourism, and the marine ecosystem. Most previous studies of <i>S. horneri</i> have focused on cultivation, the development of gene markers, and photosynthetic activity, but few data on population dynamics are available. We investigated the population dynamics of native <i>S. horneri</i> off the southwestern coast of Korea with the aim of predicting the formation of golden tides. Populations at two sites had obligate annual life cycles. Thalli were recruited during the period September–November, grew during the period December–April, and senesced by July. This pattern reflected seasonal trends in water temperature. Specific growth rates and heights of the thalli at Munseom were significantly higher than those at Jindo. The greatest environmental difference between the two sites is probably the degree of exposure to wave action. Mortality density (thalli lost per unit area) in the Munseom population was highest during the period December–January (i.e., 2–3 months after recruitment) and in March. Most thalli in the Jindo population died off in July when water temperatures increased. The maximum average biomass of <i>S. horneri</i> thalli detaching from the substrata reached 1.6 kg fresh weight m<sup>–2</sup> during January and March. Thus, large-scale drifting mats were formed by <i>S. horneri</i> detachment from the substrata. Despite the differences in space and environment between China and Korea, our findings will enable quantitative assessments of the overall floating <i>Sargassum</i> biomass in the East China and Yellow Seas. |
topic |
<i>Sargassum horneri</i> golden tides population dynamics mortality detached biomass |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/7/2903 |
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