For landscape ecological management of the isolated forestlands in Incheon city located in the western tip of South Korea, the forest vegetation of Mt. Cheolma was classified phytosciologically and mapped out its spatial distribution at a scale of 1:5,000. Characteristics of forest landscape structures were discussed in terms of the number and size of patches obtained by analyzing vegetation map. Units to manage the forest vegetation were categorized into eighteen communities, seventeen groups, and sixteen subgroups. Landscape elements were classified into five types: secondary vegetation, introduced vegetation for forestry (IVF), introduced vegetation for agriculture (IVA), and other elements. Two hundred and ninety-three forest landscape patches covers 443.3ha of which IVF accounted for 316.8ha(71.5%), the largest portion, secondary vegetation for f01.2ha(22.8%), IVA for 6.2ha(1.4%), and others for 19.1ha(4.3%). The ratio of natural forest elements of 31.9% showed that this area was mainly comprised of artificially introduced vegetation, such as Robinia pseudoacacia plantation and Pinus rigida plantation. Forest landscape patches have a mean area of 4.5ha, a density of 66.1/100ha, and a diversity index of 0.87. It was estimated that differentiation of patches recognized in community level would be related to human interference and those in subordinate level to natural processes.

Main attackers on pine seeds on the forest floor were investigated in Korea. Damage on pine cones begins in early stage of cone formation, especially by squirrel and Korean squirrel. The above animals left Kayak-like hulls of seed on rocks and fallen tree trunk. Field mice also left the same shape of Kayak-like hulls. But birds including doves and peasants left large shreds with longitudinal cracks or seed cup trace. Most of seeds on the leaf litters as well as under the fallen leaf were consumed by fold mice and birds. Especially fold mice found the seeds under fallen leaves and consumed all of them.

The Red Queen hypothesis for the advantage of sex predicts that pathogens will evolve by increasing fitness with frequent encounters with specific host genotypes. In this study, BMV population size, measured as an indicator of fitness, was investigated during repeated passages through the same, or different host genotypes of the crop host, Hordeum vulgare (barley). Overall, mean BMV concentration within individual hosts was significantly higher in genetically homogeneous compared to heterogeneous host passage lines. In addition, BMV populations, passaged through a specific host variety, showed higher growth in that host variety compared to BMV passaged through varying varieties. These results supports the Red Queen hypothesis. However, the decrease in viral populations during passages contradicts the Red Queen. Nevertheless, the results found here show that even under simplified conditions, pathogens do not evolve in simple, predictable ways. Constraints on pathogen evolution may lead to counterintuitive results.

Dynamics of certain $N_2$fixing bacteria such as Rhizobium, Azospirillum and Azotobactor, nodule number in dominant legume, Atylosia trinervia, P-solubilizing bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi were studied in unburned and burned site of natural grassland, southern India. Population of $N_2$- fixing bacteria, P-solubilizing bacteria, fungi and nodule number in legume increased significantly in burned sites. On the other hand, the actinomycetes population remained unchanged. Thirty six species of fungi with tricalcium phosphate solubilizing ability were recorded. The most efficient P-solubilizing fungi recognised in the soils of the study sites are Absidia ramosa, Gongronella butlerii, Mortieralla spinosa, Mucor racemosus, Rhizopus nigricans, R. stolonifer, R. oryzae, Aspergillus fumigatus, A. nidulans, A. niger Theilavia terricola and Cheatomium lunasporium.

Fine root decomposition and nutrient release patterns were examined using in situ buried fine root (< 2mm in diameter) bags inserted vertically into the mineral soil to a depth of the top 15 cm in a sawtooth oak (Quercus acutissima) and a Korean pine (Pinus korainesis) stands in the Jungbu Forest Experiment Station, Kyonggi-do, Korea. The pine roots compared with the oak roots showed rapid mass loss in early stages of decomposition, but decomposed similarly after 12 months of incubation. Decomposition rates of fine roots were about 33%/yr for the oak roots and 37%/yr for the pine roots. Nutrients except for calcium and phosphorus showed similar concentrations between the oak and the pine roots during the study period. However, calcium concentration was significantly higher in the oak than in the pine roots. Nutrient concentrations in both stands except for nitrogen decreased during the study period. In addition, potassium compared with other nutrients was the most mobile ion and about 70% of initial amount was released during the first 3 months of incubation. The results indicate that tree species influence mass loss and nutrient dynamics of fine roots on similar site conditions.

During the breeding season of 1998, breeding ecology of the Great Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus orientalis) was studied at Yangsoo-ri and Yongdam-ri of the Yangpyung-gun, Kyunggi province, Korea. Egg-weight (CV: 6.25) was more variable than either length or breadth, and breadth was the least variable of the measures. Significant variations In overall egg-weight occurred between clutches, and that more of the total variation in egg-weight and shape are due to inter-clutch variation as to intra-clutch variation when the data were pooled. The last egg tends to be larger than the remaining eggs in the clutch of the Great Reed-Warbler, suggest- ing the Great Reed-Warbler may adopt the brood-survival strategy. When method 3 was used, the most common incubation period is 12 days. In the Great Reed-Warbler, the length of the incubation period was related to clutch-size when method 1 (r=0.485, p<0.05) and method 2 (r=0.621, p<0.01) were employed, but not related to egg weight. The average number of days of hatching asynchrony was 2.5, raging 0.5∼2.5. Asynchronous hatching was related to the clutch size (r=0.66, p<0.01). Hatching sequence was closely related to the laying sequence (r=0.93, p<0.001), suggesting Great Reed-Warblers incubate their eggs before clutch completion. The effect of egg weight on hatching asynchrony was found in Great Reed-Warblers (t-test, p<0.01).

Vegetation and riverine structures were compared among urban and several semi-natural rivers by applying direct gradient analysis and ordination method. Urban rivers showed different species composition from the semi-natural ones. Species composition of semi-natural rivers depended on the geographical positions, such as the upstream, midstream, and downstream and on micro-topographies, such as the waterside, flooding bed, and embankment. Semi-natural rivers showed gentle change in micro-topography, whereas urban one did not so. Our restoration plan to improve the ecological quality of the degraded urban river by imitating semi-natural river was prepared based on those data.

Application of phytoremediation in the polluted area to remove undesirable materials is a complex and difficult subject without detailed investigation and experimentation. We investigated the accumulation patterns of cadmium and lead in plants naturally grown, the bioavailability of plants to accumulate these toxic metals and the responses of P. thunbergii to cadmium and lead. The soil samples contained detectable lead (<17.5$\mu\textrm{g}$/g), whereas cadmium was not detected in the soils of study area. The whole body of Persicaria thunbergii contained detectable lead (<320.8$\mu\textrm{g}$/g) but cadmium was detected only in the stem (<7.4$\mu\textrm{g}$/g) and root (<10.4$\mu\textrm{g}$/g) of P. thunbergii. Cadmium was not detected in Trapa japonica and Nymphoides peltata, whereas lead was detected in T. japonica (<323.7$\mu\textrm{g}$/g) and N. peltata (<177.5$\mu\textrm{g}$/g). Correlation coefficient between lead content in soil and in these plant samples represented positive correlation. The total content of lead in each plant sample increased in the order of N.peltata$\leq$P.thunbergii

In order to elucidate the characteristics of standing crop biomass, production and nutrient content of dead bole in mature ecosystem, we surveyed the dynamics of decaying bole of old-aged deciduous forest in 1993 and 2002 in Kwangnung Experimental Forest Station. In addition, we and estimated annual bole production, water content, wood density and nutrient content and compared the results with that of temperate ecosystem. Total dead wood biomass was estimated to be 5.6ton/ha in 1993 and 17.6ton/ha in 2002. Standing dead tree accounted for a total of 1.1ton/ha in 1993 and 4.8ton/ha in 2002, which was 20% and 27% of the sum of dead bole mass in 1993 and 2002, respectively. Annual production of bole biomass was 1.3 ton/ha/yr. These values fall into the low range of dead wood biomass for the mature temperate ecosystems. Tree species composing standing bole was mainly Quercus and Carpinus trees. This bole species composition resembles alive species composition of this forest. Water content of bole increased as positive logarithmically, but wood density of bole decreased as negative exponentially along with the progress of decay. N, P, Ca and Mg concentrations in decaying boles generally increased with decay, except for K. Annual nutrient input via dead bole is 1.6kg/ha/yr for N, 0.04 kg/ha/yr for P. 1.0 kg/ha/yr for K, 1.7kg/ha/yr for Ca and 0.3 kg/ha/yr for Mg, respectively.

Regeneration process of the Korean beech (Fagus multinervis Nakai) forest was studied in relation to the distributional pattern and age structure. In this study, it was clarified that the Korean beech forest is regenerated in both way: seedlings(sexual reproduction) and sprouts(vegetative reproduction) formations. In the large gaps, seedling may be established, resulting in clusters of even-aged individuals. But in the small-sized gaps, there may filed by the extention of surrounding trees and/or by the young trunks, which have sprouted from the base of stumps. As most gaps in the F. multinervis forest were derived from falling of a single stem, regeneration by sprouts seems to be more common than that by the seedlings.