Yellow Sea In South Korea Research Articles

Polaribacter ponticola sp. nov., isolated from seawater, reclassification of Polaribacter undariae as a later heterotypic synonym of Polaribacter sejongensis, and emended description of Polaribacter sejongensis Kim et al. 2013.

A Gram-stain-negative, yellow-pigmented, and strictly aerobic bacterium, designated as strain MSW5T, was isolated from seawater of the Yellow Sea in South Korea. The cells were non-motile rods exhibiting oxidase- and catalase-positive activities. Growth was observed at 15-25 °C (optimum, 25 °C) and pH 5.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-8.0) and in the presence of 1.0-5.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2.0%). Menaquinone-6 was the sole respiratory quinone, and iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c), iso-C15 : 0 3-OH, and C15 : 1 ω6c were the major cellular fatty acids. Major polar lipids included phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified aminolipids, and three unidentified lipids. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and 92 concatenated core protein sequences revealed that strain MSW5T formed a distinct lineage within the genus Polaribacter. The genome of strain MSW5T was 3582 kb in size with a 29.1 mol% G+C content. Strain MSW5T exhibited the highest similarity to Polaribacter atrinae WP25T, with a 97.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. However, the average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values were 79.4 and 23.3%, respectively, indicating that strain MSW5T represents a novel species. Based on its phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, and phylogenetic characteristics, strain MSW5T is proposed to represent a novel species, with the name Polaribacter ponticola sp. nov. The type strain is MSW5T (=KACC 22340T=NBRC 116025T). In addition, whole genome sequence comparisons and phenotypic features suggested that Polaribacter sejongensis and Polaribacter undariae belong to the same species, with P. undariae proposed as a later heterotypic synonym of P. sejongensis. An emended description of Polaribacter sejongensis is also proposed.

Alishewanella maricola sp. nov., isolated from seawater of the Yellow Sea.

A Gram-stain-negative and facultative aerobic bacterium, strain 16-MAT, was isolated from seawater of Yellow Sea in South Korea. Cells were catalase- and oxidase-positive and non-motile rods. Growth occurred at 4-37 °C (optimum, 30 °C) and pH 6.0-11.0 (optimum, 8.0), and in the presence of 0-7.0% NaCl (optimum, 3 %). Strain 16-MAT contained ubiquinone-8 as the sole isoprenoid quinone, C16 : 0 and summed feature three as the major fatty acids (>10 %), and phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified phospholipid, an unidentified aminophospholipid, and an unidentified polar lipid as the major polar lipids. The genome size and DNA G+C content of strain 16-MAT were 3.69 Mb and 46.0 mol%, respectively. Strain 16-MAT was most closely related to Alishewanella alkalitolerans LNK-7.1T with a 97.9 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. A phylogenomic tree based on whole genome sequences showed that strain 16-MAT formed a phylogenetic lineage within the genus Alishewanella. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, and molecular analyses, strain 16-MAT represents a novel species of the genus Alishewanella, for which the name Alishewanella maricola is proposed. The type strain is 16-MAT (=KACC 22238T =JCM 34596T).

First report of abnormal body coloration in Sebastes koreanus (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Sebastinae)

This study reports the first record of abnormal coloration in Sebastes koreanus Kim et Lee, 1994. The specimen (163.4 mm standard length and 197.3 mm total length) was collected from the Yellow Sea in South Korea in July 2021. The whole body of the specimens was red, and all fins also had red coloration while the slight dark red pattern under the eyes and dark spot on the opercula were similar to normal S. koreanus. It also showed a similar dotted pattern on the pectoral fins with a normal specimen.

Description of Polaribacter batillariae sp. nov., Polaribacter cellanae sp. nov., and Polaribacter pectinis sp. nov., novel bacteria isolated from the gut of three types of South Korean shellfish.

Three aerobic, Gram-negative, and rod-shaped bacterial strains, designated strains G4M1T, SM13T, and L12M9T, were isolated from the gut of Batillaria multiformis, Cellana toreuma, and Patinopecten yessoensis collected from the Yellow Sea in South Korea. All the strains grew optimally at 25°C, in the presence of 2% (w/v) NaCl, and at pH 7. These three strains, which belonged to the genus Polaribacter in the family Flavobacteriaceae, shared < 98.8% in 16S rRNA gene sequence and < 86.68% in whole-genome sequence with each other. Compared with the type strains of Polaribacter, isolates showed the highest sequence similarity to P. haliotis KCTC 52418T (< 98.68%), followed by P. litorisediminis KCTC 52500T (< 98.13%). All the strains contained MK-6 as their predominant menaquinone and iso-C15:0 as their major fatty acid. Moreover, all the strains had phosphatidylethanolamine as their polar lipid component. In addition, strain G4M1T had two unidentified lipids and three unidentified aminolipids, strain SM13T had three unidentified lipids and three unidentified aminolipids, and strain L12M9T had three unidentified lipids and one unidentified aminolipid. The DNA G + C contents of strains G4M1T, SM13T, and L12M9T were 31.0, 30.4, and 29.7 mol%, respectively. Based on phenotypic, phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic, and genotypic findings, strains G4M1T (= KCTC 82388T = DSM 112372T), SM13T (= KCTC 82389T = DSM 112373T), and L12M9T (= KCTC 62751T = DSM 112374T) were classified into the genus Polaribacter as the type strains of novel species, for which the names Polaribacter batillariae sp. nov., Polaribacter cellanae sp. nov., and Polaribacter pectinis sp. nov., respectively, have been proposed.

Environmental Characteristics and Macrobenthic Community Structure of Yubu Island, a UNESCO-Designated Migratory Bird Sanctuary in the South Korea

This study investigated the environmental characteristics and macrobenthic community structures of an intertidal flat located on Yubu Island in the western coastal area of the Yellow Sea of South Korea. The study site has been well known for the migratory bird protection designated by UNESCO. We collected the samples of surface and depth core sediments and macrobenthos from the unused saltern and the area surrounding it in July 2017. Our results demonstrated that the means of mud, total carbon, and total nitrogen contents were 50%, 0.35% and 0.05%, respectively, and the origin of sediment composed of marine sources. The sedimentation rate ranged from 0.99 to 1.66 cm y−1, which was higher than other tidal flats in the Yellow Sea. The result of a topographic analysis indicated that the area in the unused saltern was 289.489 m2, and the length and width were 625 m and 500 m, respectively. A total of 13 species occurred with a mean density of 92 ind. m−2 and a mean biomass of 58.6 gWWt m−2. The Heteromastus filiformis (23.1%, 21 ind. m−2) was the most dominant species, followed by Perinereis linea (19.2%, 18 ind. m−2) and Tubuca arcuata (17.3%, 16 ind. m−2). Thus, this environmental information will help to establish policies to protect migratory birds in the future.

A new genus and species of Nannopodidae (Crustacea, Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from the Yellow Sea of South Korea.

A new monospecific genus of the family Nannopodidae Brady, 1880 is proposed, based on specimens of both sexes of Concilicoxa hispidagen. et sp. nov. collected from subtidal sandy sediments in the Yellow Sea of South Korea. The presence of a coxal outer projection on the first to fourth legs and reduction of both rami of the second to fourth legs in this new genus show a clear relationship with a clade, which is characterised by the modified thoracopods for burrowing ability, comprising Huntemannia Poppe, 1884, Rosacletodes Wells, 1985, Laophontisochra George, 2002, Acuticoxa Huys & Kihara, 2010 and Talpacoxa Corgosinho, 2012 in Nannopodidae. Within this clade, C. hispidagen. et sp. nov. is most closely related to L. maryamae George, 2002 in having the prehensile endopod in the first leg, broad intercoxal sclerite on the second to fourth legs and the female fifth leg being composed of separate exopod and baseoendopod, but is distinguished by the absence of mandibular exopod, two-segmented mandibular endopod, presence of four setae on the distal exopodal segment of the first leg, and fusion of the intercoxal sclerite to the coxae in the third and fourth legs. These four features are considered as autapomorphies of the new genus. The possible relationship amongst members of the nannopodid clade is further discussed. Additionally, some comments on the taxonomic position of L. terueae Björnberg, 2014 are given, resulting in the transfer of the species to Acuticoxa as A. terueaecomb. nov.

Spatial downscaling of MODIS Chlorophyll-a with machine learning techniques over the west coast of the Yellow Sea in South Korea

Effective water quality monitoring of coastal areas through the measurement of Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) has remarkably progressed by ocean color remote sensing. Among different sensors, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Level 3 products provide reliable global representations of the Chl-a concentration. On the other hand, due to the coarse spatial resolution of MODIS data, its applicability is limited for spatially complex coastal regions. To overcome this limitation, a few downscaling techniques have been suggested based on the polynomial regression method. However, this type of regression has some restrictions, such as sensitivity to outliers, and nonlinear types of machine learning algorithms have not been tested in downscaling Chl-a datasets. Therefore, three machine learning (ML) techniques, support vector regression (SVR), random forest regression (RFR), and long short-term memory (LSTM), were developed using the Sentinel-2A/MSI bands as predictors and MODIS Chl-a as a predictand and compared their results with the results of multiple polynomial regression (MPR), to find the most suitable model for downscaling MODIS Chl-a in coastal area of South Korea. The obtained results showed that the 2nd degree MPR and SVR-Radial Basis Function (RBF) illustrate the best performance in the winter and summer days, respectively. In addition, LSTM is less sensitive to the changes in all variables (sensitivity index range from 0.31 to 0.48). Overall, we conclude that the downscaling approach based on ML models, especially SVR-RBF, can serve as a suitable alternative in some cases to produce high-resolution Chl-a maps, especially for coastal marine water quality monitoring.

Complete Genome of Roseobacter ponti DSM 106830T.

Members of the Roseobacter group are known for their different ecologically relevant metabolic traits and high abundance in many marine environments. This includes traits like carbon monoxide oxidation, sulfur oxidation, nitrogen oxidation, DMSP demethylation, denitrification, and production of bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, their role in the marine biogeochemical cycles remains to be elucidated. Roseobacter ponti DSM 106830T, also designated strain MM-7T (=KCTC 52469T =NBRC 112431T), is a novel type strain of the Roseobacter group, which was proposed as new Roseobacter species. It was isolated from seawater of the Yellow Sea in South Korea. We report the complete genome sequence of R. ponti DSM 106830T, which belongs to the family Rhodobacteraceae. The genome of R. ponti DSM 106830T comprises a single circular chromosome (3,861,689 bp) with a GC content of 60.52% and an additional circular plasmid (p1) of 100,942 bp with a GC content of 61.51%. The genome encodes 3,812 putative genes, including 3 rRNA, 42 tRNA, 1 tmRNA, and 3 ncRNA. The genome information was used to perform a phylogenetic analysis, which confirmed that the strain represents a new species. Moreover, the genome sequence enabled the investigation of the metabolic capabilities and versatility of R. ponti DSM 106830T. Finally, it provided insight into the high niche adaptation potential of Roseobacter group members.

Accumulation and ecological risk of heavy metals in soils along the coastal areas of the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea: A comparative study of China and South Korea

Soils in coastal areas of the land-sea interface are vulnerable to heavy metal (HM) accumulation and subsequently to human health risk. However, few studies have investigated the HM pollution and risk in soils along the coastal areas of the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME), in an international perspective. This study is the first comprehensive work in the YSLME encompassing 122 coastal locations along the Bohai Sea (BS), Yellow Sea of China (YSC), and Yellow Sea of South Korea (YSK). Soil HM pollution showed great spatial variations cross the regions and countries. Accumulations of As, Cu, Pb, and Zn in the YSK were significantly higher than those in the BS and YSC (p < 0.05). Whilst the elevated Cd, Hg, and Ni in soils were found in the BS and YSC compared to those in the YSK (p < 0.05). Meantime, the assessment of ecological risk posed by HMs indicated higher potential risk in the BS than other coastal areas. In specific, Cd and Hg posed a higher risk in the BS and YSC, while As showed relatively high risk in the YSK, indicating site-dependent accumulation of HMs in soils. Soil pH and organic matter were found to be important factors affecting the HM accumulation in the study areas. Industrial activities are the major driving factors influencing spatial distributions of HMs, and such activities exhibited different degrees of influence across the sampling sites. Altogether, the results of present study first identified the bilateral characteristics of soil HM pollution along the entire coasts of the YSLME in a comprehensive manner in several aspects: (1) sources, (2) hot spots, (3) priority chemicals of concern, and (4) site-specific potential risk of the soil HMs. Overall, this study provides references and backgrounds for future environmental management strategies and aids in developing a bilateral government policy towards coastal pollution management of HMs from an international scale and perspective.

Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in sediments and water from the coastal areas of the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea

The Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME) is an important socioeconomic zone in Asia, but has been deteriorated by various environmental pollutants over the last half century. However, comprehensive coastal pollution assessments, particularly for heavy metals (HMs), have been limited from an international perspective. Here, we first evaluate coastal HM pollution in sediment and water from 119 riverine, estuarine, and marine locations along the BS and Yellow Sea to perform a comparative assessment between the two countries of China and South Korea. The occurrence, distribution, sources, multimedia fate, interactions, associated environmental factors, and potential ecological risks relating to the HM pollution are widely addressed. Eight typical HMs (As, Hg, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni) were targeted in both sediments and water, and in situ water properties (pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and temperature) and sediment properties (pH and organic matter (OM) content) were analyzed. The results indicated that As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb concentrations in water were higher in the estuarine area than those in riverine and marine areas and that particularly severe HM pollution was evidenced in the BS. The dominant elements in pollution hot spots varied greatly among the countries and regions. According to the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and pollution load index (PLI) values, the sediments exhibited high Hg and Pb pollution in the BS; high As, Hg, and Pb pollution in the Yellow Sea of China; and high Cd and Hg pollution in the Yellow Sea of South Korea. In general, the sediments were moderately contaminated by HMs based on the high PLI (>1.0) and risk index (RI) values (>160). Ni and Cr in the sediment mainly originated from geogenic sources, while the other elements (Zn, As, Cd, Cu, Hg, and Pb) were primarily linked to anthropogenic sources. Based on the partial redundancy analysis, we found that environmental factors, especially OM, contributed significantly to the concentrations of HMs in both the sediments and water. The sediment HMs significantly contributed to the waterborne HMs due to their release from the sediments to the water column. An overall assessment of the contamination status, spatial distribution, and potential sources of HMs suggested that the water-sediment interaction of HMs and the influence by environmental factors should be subsequently considered for a better understanding of the multimedia fate of HMs in the given dynamic YSLME system or similar environments elsewhere.

Fungal Diversity in Intertidal Mudflats and Abandoned Solar Salterns as a Source for Biological Resources.

Intertidal zones are unique environments that are known to be ecological hot spots. In this study, sediments were collected from mudflats and decommissioned salterns on three islands in the Yellow Sea of South Korea. The diversity analysis targeted both isolates and unculturable fungi via Illumina sequencing, and the natural recovery of the abandoned salterns was assessed. The phylogeny and bioactivities of the fungal isolates were investigated. The community analysis showed that the abandoned saltern in Yongyudo has not recovered to a mudflat, while the other salterns have almost recovered. The results suggested that a period of more than 35 years may be required to return abandoned salterns to mudflats via natural restoration. Gigasporales sp. and Umbelopsis sp. were selected as the indicators of mudflats. Among the 53 isolates, 18 appeared to be candidate novel species, and 28 exhibited bioactivity. Phoma sp., Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Penicillium sp. and Pseudeurotium bakeri, and Aspergillus urmiensis showed antioxidant, tyrosinase inhibition, antifungal, and quorum-sensing inhibition activities, respectively, which has not been reported previously. This study provides reliable fungal diversity information for mudflats and abandoned salterns and shows that they are highly valuable for bioprospecting not only for novel microorganisms but also for novel bioactive compounds.

Validation, comparison, and integration of GOCI, AHI, MODIS, MISR, and VIIRS aerosol optical depth over East Asia during the 2016 KORUS-AQ campaign

Abstract. Recently launched multichannel geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite sensors, such as the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) and the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI), provide aerosol products over East Asia with high accuracy, which enables the monitoring of rapid diurnal variations and the transboundary transport of aerosols. Most aerosol studies to date have used low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite sensors, such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR), with a maximum of one or two overpass daylight times per day from midlatitudes to low latitudes. Thus, the demand for new GEO observations with high temporal resolution and improved accuracy has been significant. In this study the latest versions of aerosol optical depth (AOD) products from three LEO sensors – MODIS (Dark Target, Deep Blue, and MAIAC), MISR, and the Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), along with two GEO sensors (GOCI and AHI), are validated, compared, and integrated for a period during the Korea–United States Air Quality Study (KORUS-AQ) field campaign from 1 May to 12 June 2016 over East Asia. The AOD products analyzed here generally have high accuracy with high R (0.84–0.93) and low RMSE (0.12–0.17), but their error characteristics differ according to the use of several different surface-reflectance estimation methods. High-accuracy near-real-time GOCI and AHI measurements facilitate the detection of rapid AOD changes, such as smoke aerosol transport from Russia to Japan on 18–21 May 2016, heavy pollution transport from China to the Korean Peninsula on 25 May 2016, and local emission transport from the Seoul Metropolitan Area to the Yellow Sea in South Korea on 5 June 2016. These high-temporal-resolution GEO measurements result in more representative daily AOD values and make a greater contribution to a combined daily AOD product assembled by median value selection with a 0.5∘×0.5∘ grid resolution. The combined AOD is spatially continuous and has a greater number of pixels with high accuracy (fraction within expected error range of 0.61) than individual products. This study characterizes aerosol measurements from LEO and GEO satellites currently in operation over East Asia, and the results presented here can be used to evaluate satellite measurement bias and air quality models.

Draft Genome Sequence of Urease-Producing Pseudorhodobacter sp. Strain E13, Isolated from the Yellow Sea in Gunsan, South Korea.

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Pseudorhodobacter sp. strain E13, a Gram-negative, aerobic, nonflagellated, and rod-shaped bacterium which was isolated from the Yellow Sea in South Korea. The assembled genome sequence is 3,878,578 bp long with 3,646 protein-coding sequences in 159 contigs.

Aestuariibius insulae gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from a tidal flat sediment.

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and ovoid or rod-shaped bacterial strain, DBTF-13T, which was isolated from a tidal flat sediment of the Yellow Sea in South Korea, was characterized taxonomically. Strain DBTF-13T grew optimally at 25-30 °C and pH 7.0-8.0, and in the presence of 2.0 % (w/v) NaCl. The phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain DBTF-13T formed an evolutionary lineage independent of other genera, including the genera Pseudooctadecabacter and Octadecabacter. Strain DBTF-13T exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 96.9 % to the type strain of Pseudooctadecabacter jejudonensis, and of 95.8-96.5 % to the type strains of Octadecabacter species. Strain DBTF-13T contained Q-10 as the predominant ubiquinone and C18 : 1ω7c and C16 : 0 as the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids of strain DBTF-13T were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, one unidentified aminolipid and one unidentified lipid. The DNA G+C content of strain DBTF-13T was 61.6 mol%. The chemotaxonomic data and other differential phenotypic properties made it reasonable to differentiate strain DBTF-13T from the genera Pseudooctadecabacter and Octadecabacter. On the basis of the data presented, strain DBTF-13T constitutes a new genus and species within the class Alphaproteobacteria, for which the name Aestuariibius insulae gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DBTF-13T (=KACC 19432T=NBRC 113038T).

Pseudomaribius aestuariivivens gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from a tidal flat sediment.

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and ovoid or rod-shaped bacterial strain, DBTF-15T, was isolated from a tidal flat sediment on the Yellow Sea in South Korea. Strain DBTF-15T grew optimally at 25-30 °C, at pH 7.0-8.0 and in the presence of 2.0 % (w/v) NaCl. The phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain DBTF-15T joined the cluster comprising the type strains of species of the genus Palleronia. Strain DBTF-15T exhibited higher 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values to the type strains (96.5-96.7 %) of Maribius pelagius and Maribius salinus than to those (94.6-96.1 %) of the three species of the genus Palleronia. It exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of less than 93.9 % to the type strains of the other recognized species. Strain DBTF-15T contained Q-10 as the predominant ubiquinone and C18 : 1ω7c as the major fatty acid. The major polar lipids of strain DBTF-15T were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol and one unidentified aminolipid. The DNA G+C content of strain DBTF-15T was 68.7 mol%. The chemotaxonomic data and other differential phenotypic properties made it possible to distinguish strain DBTF-15T from the genera Maribius and Palleronia. On the basis of the data presented, strain DBTF-15T constitutes a novel genus and species within the class Alphaproteobacteria, for which the name Pseudomaribius aestuariivivens gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DBTF-15T (=KACC 19431T=NBRC 113039T).

Aestuariicoccus marinus gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from sea-tidal flat sediment.

A Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic and halotolerant bacterial strain, designated strain NAP41T, was isolated from a sea tidal flat in the Yellow Sea of South Korea. Cells were non-motile cocci showing oxidase- and catalase-positive activities. Growth of strain NAP41T was observed at 15-40 °C (optimum, 37 °C), at pH 6.5-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-7.5) and in the presence of 0.5-12 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2 %). Strain NAP41T contained summed feature 8 (comprising C18 : ω7c/C18 : 1ω6c) and C18 : 0 as the major fatty acids and ubiquinone-10 as the sole isoprenoid quinone. Phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified aminolipid and three unidentified lipids were detected as the polar lipids. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 56.0 mol%. Strain NAP41T was most closely related to Primorskyibacter insulae SSK3-2T, Thalassococcus lentus YCS-24T and Roseivivax lentus DSM 29430T with 96.67, 96.39 and 96.39 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, respectively, and formed a phylogenetic lineage distinct from closely related taxa within the family Rhodobacteraceae with low bootstrap values. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and molecular properties, strain NAP41T represents a novel species of a novel genus of the family Rhodobacteraceae, for whichthe name Aestuariicoccus marinus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the type species is NAP41T (KACC 18431T=JCM 30739T).

Paracoccus litorisediminis sp. nov., isolated from a tidal flat.

A Gram-stain-negative, non-spore-forming, non-motile and coccoid, ovoid or short rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated GHD-05T, was isolated from a tidal flat on the Yellow Sea in South Korea. Strain GHD-05T grew optimally at 30 °C, at pH 7.0-8.0 and in the presence of 2.0 % (w/v) NaCl. The phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain GHD-05T belonged to the genus Paracoccus, clustering with the type strain of Paracoccusaestuariivivens. Strain GHD-05T exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 97.0-99.1 % to the type strains of Paracoccusaestuariivivens, Paracoccuslimosus, Paracoccuslaeviglucosivorans and Paracoccusmarinus, and of 94.2-96.9 % to the type strains of the other Paracoccus species. Strain GHD-05T contained Q-10 as the predominant ubiquinone and C18 : 1ω7c as the major fatty acid. The major polar lipids detected in strain GHD-05T were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, one unidentified aminolipid and one unidentified glycolipid. The DNA G+C content of strain GHD-05T was 64.1 mol% and its DNA-DNA relatedness values with the type strains of P. aestuariivivens, Paracoccuslimosus, P. laeviglucosivorans and P. marinus were 13-32 %. Differential phenotypic properties, together with its phylogenetic and genetic distinctiveness, revealed that strain GHD-05T is separated from recognized Paracoccus species. On the basis of the data presented here, strain GHD-05T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Paracoccus, for which the name Paracoccuslitorisediminis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is GHD-05T (=KCTC 52978T=NBRC 112902T).

Genome Sequence of Salegentibacter salarius KCTC 12974, Isolated from a Marine Solar Saltern of the Yellow Sea in South Korea.

Salegentibacter salarius KCTC 12974 is isolated from a marine solar saltern of the Yellow Sea in South Korea. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Salegentibacter salarius KCTC 12974. Various glycoside hydrolase genes in even numbers in the genome reflect the ecological adaption of KCTC 12974 to its habitat.

Maribacter litorisediminis sp. nov., isolated from a tidal flat.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming, non-flagellated, non-gliding and rod-shaped bacterial strain, HPTF-2T, was isolated from a tidal flat in the Yellow Sea in South Korea, and subjected to a taxonomic study using a polyphasic approach. Strain HPTF-2T grew optimally at 30 °C, at pH 7.0-8.0 and in the presence of 2.0 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain HPTF-2T fell within the clade comprising the type strains of species of the genus Maribacter. Strain HPTF-2T exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 97.1-98.0 % to the type strains of Maribacter stanieri, M. orientalis, M. arcticus, M. dokdonensis, M. confluentis, M. aquivivus, M. sedimenticola and M. caenipelagi, and of 95.1-96.7 % to the type strains of the other species of the genus Maribacter. Strain HPTF-2T contained MK-6 as the predominant menaquinone and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C15 : 1 G as the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids of strain HPTF-2T were phosphatidylethanolamine and two unidentified lipids. Mean DNA-DNA relatedness values of strain HPTF-2T with the type strains of the nine phylogenetically related species of the genus Maribacter were 10-26 %. The DNA G+C content of strain HPTF-2T was 38.4 mol%. The differential phenotypic properties, together with the phylogenetic and genetic distinctiveness, revealed that strain HPTF-2T is separated from other species of the genus Maribacter. On the basis of the data presented, strain HPTF-2T represents a novel species of the genus Maribacter, for which the name Maribacter litorisediminis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HPTF-2T (=KCTC 52251T=NBRC 112297T).

Draft Whole-Genome Sequence of the Type Strain Bacillus aquimaris TF12T.

Bacillus aquimaris TF12 is a Gram-positive bacteria isolated from a tidal flat of the Yellow Sea in South Korea. We report the draft whole-genome sequence of Bacillus aquimaris TF12, the type strain of a set of bacteria typically associated with marine habitats and with a potentially high biotechnology value.