UV and O3 are materials used in the water treatment process, and many studies have been reported to remove organic matters, contaminants, and microorganisms. In this study, we were investigated effects of Chirnomidae (Chironomus flaviplumus, Chironomus riparius), which are contamination indicator species to exposure UV and O3 for the survival rate, body color change and gene expression response. The survival rate of C. flaviplumus exposed to UV decreased to about 70% after 24 hours, and C. riparius about 50%. There was no change in the survival rate of C. flaviplumus exposed to O3, and C. riparius decreased to 95% after 10 minutes of exposure, but there was no change during the subsequent exposure time. In addition, UV and O3 exposure to the two species in body color faded in a time-dependent. In the HSP70 gene expression, C. riparius showed an increase in expression after UV exposure compared to the control group, and a significant difference was shown 12 hours after exposure (P<0.05). C. flaviplumus exposed to O3 showed a relatively low expression compared to the control group, and showed a significant difference at 10 minutes and 1 hour after exposure (P<0.05). These results reported the ecotoxicological effects on Chironomidae according to UV and O3 exposure. Therefore, the results of this study can be used as basic data to understand the effects of UV and O3, which are disinfectants used in water treatment plants, on Chirnomidae entering plants. Key words: Chironomus flaviplumus, Chironomus riparius, UV, O3, acute toxicity, survival
The Hangang River* is necessary to manage the water environment of severe pollution due to the high density of residential areas, parks, and agriculture and the large population concentrated there. Benthic macroinvertebrates, such as chironomids larvae, are bioindicator species that reflect environmental changes and are crucial for water quality monitoring. In this study, we investigated morphological characteristics and molecular analysis of the chironomids larvae inhabiting the Hangang River area for water environment surveys. For this research, 20 rivers, lakes, and urban area in the Hangang River basin were selected. Chironomids larvae were collected from July to September 2022, and their appearance and characteristics were identified through morphological identification. In addition, phylogenetic analysis was performed based on the mtCOI gene sequences of the collected chironomids larvae, and identification at the genus level was confirmed. As a result, 32 species and 18 genera of 3 subfamilies of Chironomidae larvae were identified, and Stictochironomus sp. dominated most sites (6 sites). The morphological characteristics of the identified chironomids larvae, such as the mentum, ventromental plate, and antenna, were organized into table and pictorial keys, and a Bayesian inference molecular phylogeny was presented. These results provide basic morphological information for genus-level identification and can be used as fundamental information for water quality management. *The public nomenclature following by NGII 2015
Research on food sources through DNA metabarcoding is being used for various organisms based on high resolution and reproducibility. In the study, we investigated the difference in food sources between pre and post-starving in the three bivalve species (Anemina acaeformis, Anodonta woodiana, and Unio douglasiae) through DNA metabarcoding using 18S rRNA V9 primer. The food source of pre-starving appeared in 87 genera, 71 families, 51 orders, 35 classes, and 22 phyla. The primary food sources were the zoo and phytoplankton, including Chlamydomonadales, Euglenales, Ploima, Sphaeropleales, and Stephanodiscales. However, all zoo and phytoplankton were not observed after starving except Schizopyrenida and Rotifera. In Levin’s niche breadth analysis, the Bi index of A. woodiana is 0.3, which was higher than A. acaeformis (0.14) and U. douglasiae (0.21), indicating that they feed on various food sources. The niche overlap of A. acaeformis was measured as 0.78 in A. woodiana, 0.7 in U. douglasiae showing a relative high value compared to other bivalves. The trophic level of A. acaeformis, A. woodiana, and U. douglasiae based on the food source information were investigated as 2.0, 2.0, and 2.5, respectively. The results of the previous study on the trophic level using stable isotopes showed 1.8 to 2.4 values were similar to the results of this study. These results suggest that DNA metabarcoding can be an effective analyzing tool for the gut content in the bivalves.