• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.813-818
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• 2013

In order to understand the co-culture impact of the sea squirt Halocynthia roretzi on the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, we examined the filtration rate of the sea squirt in relation of water temperature ($5-25^{\circ}C$) and body weight. The filtration rate increased in relation to body weight and water temperature, indicating a clear positive correlation with the two variables. Due to the clear positive correlation between filtration rates at each temperature groups for acceptable collinearity, each constants at regression equation was further analyzed for a unified model of filtration rate. Therefore the filtration rate of H. roretzi was estimated as: Fr (L/h/animal)=$(0.1956+0.0182T){\times}DW^{0.7978EXP(-0.0273T)}$ for water temperature in the range of $5-25^{\circ}C$. The estimated filtration rates of H. roretzi were higher than those of C. gigas in the winter season (water temperatures below $16^{\circ}C$) in condition of equal body weight. Our results indicate that H. roretzi may have an advantage over C. gigas in food competition during the winter season when the two species are co-cultured.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.366-371
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• 2011

The sea squirt Halocynthia roretzi is mainly cultured in Tongyeong, Southern coastal area of Korea. This study presents the physiological rates of respiration, excretion, feeding and assimilation efficiency of the sea squirt Halocynthia roretzi to analyze the SFG(scope for growth) and net growth efficiency, determined during 2007. Oxygen consumption and nitrogen excretion rates increased with a rise in temperature during the summer period whereas feeding rates decreased. The O:N ratio was high during winter(October to February). Assimilation efficiency showed an annual average of 75.4% during the experimental period, except during a period of elevated temperature in July to September(average $25^{\circ}C$). Net growth efficiency($K_2$) was 8.7 to 64.2% except for May to September, when temperature increased at the aquaculture farm. SFG was negative from May to September, reflecting high temperatures and low feeding rates during this period; its highest positive values occurred during winter.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.359-364
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• 2011

The seven selected primers OPA-02, OPA-04, OPA-18, OPD-07, OPD-08, OPD-15 and OPD-16 were used to generate unique shared loci to each species and shared loci by the two species. The hierarchical dendrogram indicates three main branches: cluster 1 (RORETZI 01~RORETZI 11) and cluster 2 (HILGENDORF 12~HILGENDORF 22) from two geographic populations of ascidians, Halocynthia roretzi and H. hilgendorfi. The shortest genetic distance displaying significant molecular difference was between individuals' HILGENDORF no. 14~HILGENDORF no. 19 (genetic distance =0.008). Ultimately, individual no. 02 of the RORETZI ascidian was most distantly related to HILGENDORF no. 21 (genetic distance=0.781). These results demonstrate that the H. roretzi population is genetically different from the H. hilgendorfi population. From what has been said above, the potential of PCR analysis to identify diagnostic markers for the identification of two ascidian populations has been demonstrated. Generally speaking, using a variety of decamer primers, this PCR method has been applied to identify specific markers particular to line, species and geographical population, as well as genetic diversity/polymorphism in diverse species of organisms.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.575-581
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• 2013

We examined the effect of starvation on the occurrence of tunic softness to determine the cause of mass mortality of cultured Halocynthia roretzi (Drasche) in the Tongyeong region, Korea. In terms of the survival rate of H. roretzi and the occurrence rate of tunic softness, H. roretzi starved for 35 days at water temperatures of 8, 12, and $15^{\circ}C{\pm}0.5^{\circ}C$ (room temperature of $15^{\circ}C{\pm}1^{\circ}C$) did not exhibit tunic softness at water temperatures of either $8^{\circ}C$ or $12^{\circ}C$. for morphological changes, although the tunic of H. roretzi was shrunken and became visibly smaller with a darkening color in all experimental groups, as compared to the state prior to starvation, its tunics bulbs continuously. The ratio of RNA/DNA concentrations and protein contents for each of the tunic sections were lower in the starved group. Our results indicate that tunic softness is not related to feeding deficiency, as no histopathological symptoms were apparent in the digestive gland or tunic of H. roretzi due to starvation.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.910-915
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• 1996

Ascidian muscle was blackened during the frozen storage, so the prevention against blackening was investigated. Low storage temperature and packaging in polyethylene bags delayed the blackening of ascidian muscle during the frozen storage. The blackening was prevented by dipping for $3{\sim}5$ minutes in 3% brine solution containing 0.3% citric acid, packaging in the polyethylene bag, freezing at $-45^{\circ}C$ for 5 hours and storing at $-20^{\circ}C$. Under this condition, the color and the quality of frozen ascidian muscle were nearly not changed for 200 days.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2013

The edible ascidian, Halocynthia roretzi is a commercially important fisheries resource in Korea. However, there have been outbreaks of mass mortality due to soft tunic syndrome. It was discovered recently that the cause of death is infection by a protozoan parasite Azumiobodo hoyamushi. Alamar blue assay and microscopic counting were used to estimate anti-protozoal effects of 20 drugs having different action mechanisms. Through comparison of alamar blue assay and microscopic counting, 6 drugs were found to be potential in protozoan-killing effects: amphotericin B, formalin, hydrogen peroxide, bithionol, benzalkonium chloride, bronopol (24hr-$EC_{50}{\leq}20{\mu}g/ml$). The preliminary data can be used as a basis to develop anti-protozoal agents against A. hoyamushi.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.480-485
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• 2012

The hemocytes of the tunicate Halocynthia roretzi are classified into six types based on their size, cellular form, and fine structure of the cytoplasmic granules: hyalinocytes, granulocytes, phagocytes, nephrocytes, morula cells, and multi-vacuole cells. Based on cell size, they are ordered multi-vacuole cells ($7.5{\mu}m$)>nephrocytes ($7.1{\mu}m$)>phagocytes ($6.8{\mu}m$)>granulocytes ($6.1{\mu}m$)>morula cells ($5.7{\mu}m$)>hyalinocytes ($5.4{\mu}m$). The proportion of hemocytes is ranked in the order multi-vacuole cells (54.8%)>nephrocytes (16.9%)>granulocytes (9.9%)>morula cells (8.8%)>phagocytes (6.1%)>hyalinocytes (3.5%).

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.1021-1025
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• 1996

The experiments were carried out to find how the processing of ascidian (Halocynthia roretzi) was affected by the frozen storage. The quality of ascidian which takes the shell-on was changed quickly in the frozen storage. The causes of the change were as follows: 1. the damage caused by the ice crystal in the muscle, 2. a lot of drips after thawing, 3. the discoloration of the muscle after thawing. On the contrary, the quality of ascidian which takes the shell-off was even better in color, texture, yield and drips after 60 days of the frozen storage. But the muscle was blackened after that.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.299-303
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• 2021

The ascidian Halocynthia aurantium (sea peach), a marine invertebrate, belongs to the same genus of the phylum Chordata along with the ascidian Halocynthia roretzi (sea pineapple), which is one of the model animals in the field of developmental biology. The characteristics of development and reproduction of H. aurantium are not yet known in detail. In order to find out the spawning period of H. aurantium, we investigated development of the gonads during the annual reproductive cycle. Testis and ovary were both in the bisexual gonads (ovotestes) of H. aurantium, which is a hermaphrodite like H. roretzi. In H. aurantium, the right gonad was longer and slightly larger than the left gonad throughout the year. In each gonad, the number of the testis gonoducts was slightly higher than that of the ovary gonoducts. These features were similarly observed in H. roretzi. However, the number of the testis gonoducts and the ovary gonoducts in each gonad of H. aurantium was about half that of H. roretzi. The gonads of H. aurantium contracted during the winter and summer seasons. The gonads decreased to the smallest size around February, and then started to increase again in March. The gonads were most developed in September of the year. Therefore, it is estimated that the spawning of H. aurantium begins around this period.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.349-354
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• 2012

To evaluate the biological response of sea squirt Halocynthia roretzi with different body size to heavy metals and its suitability for ecotoxicity assays, the effects of Cr, Cu and Zn on its clearance and oxygen consumption rates were investigated. Clearance and oxygen consumption rates of H. roretzi with various body sizes were calculated at different metal concentrations. Both clearance and oxygen consumption rate were negatively correlated with body sizes. Clearance rate of H. roretzi decreased gradually with increasing concentration of heavy metal, the decreasing rate was in an order of Cr>Cu>Zn. The oxygen consumption rate first increased at low metal concentration (below $100{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$) and then decreased rapidly with increasing metal concentrations. The decreasing rate was in an order of Cu>Cr=Zn. There was a trend that the clearance rate and oxygen consumption rate decreased drastically under a concentration of $400{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$, and then decreased smoothly when the metal ion concentration increased continually. So the oxygen consumption and clearance rate at a concentration of $400{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$ Cu could be thought as a suitable biological tool for exotoxicology analysis.