• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.381-396
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• 2017

Understanding species distribution plays an important role in conservation as well as evolutionary biology. In this study, we applied a species distribution model to predict hotspot areas and habitat characteristics for endangered herpetofauna species in South Korea: the Korean Crevice Salamander (Karsenia koreana), Suweon-tree frog (Hyla suweonensis), Gold-spotted pond frog (Pelophylax chosenicus), Narrow-mouthed toad (Kaloula borealis), Korean ratsnake (Elaphe schrenckii), Mongolian racerunner (Eremias argus), Reeve's turtle (Mauremys reevesii) and Soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis). The Kori salamander (Hynobius yangi) and Black-headed snake (Sibynophis chinensis) were excluded from the analysis due to insufficient sample size. The results showed that the altitude was the most important environmental variable for their distribution, and the altitude at which these species were distributed correlated with the climate of that region. The predicted distribution area derived from the species distribution modelling adequately reflected the observation site used in this study as well as those reported in preceding studies. The average AUC value of the eigh species was relatively high ($0.845{\pm}0.08$), while the average omission rate value was relatively low ($0.087{\pm}0.01$). Therefore, the species overlaying model created for the endangered species is considered successful. When merging the distribution models, it was shown that five species shared their habitats in the coastal areas of Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheongnam-do, which are the western regions of the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, we suggest that protection should be a high priority in these area, and our overall results may serve as essential and fundamental data for the conservation of endangered amphibian and reptiles in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.306-317
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• 2007

Reproductive cycle with the gonad developmental phases, first sexual maturity, spawning frequency, sex ratio of the dusky mud hopper, Periophthalmus modestus were investigated by histological observations. Monthly variations of the gonadosomatic index (GSI) began to increase in May and reached a maximum in June when the gonad was getting mature during the period of higher ground (water) temperature-long day length. Changes in the GSI showed a negative correlation to the HSI, but coincided with the fatness index. The reproductive cycle can be classified into five successive stages: in female, early growing stage (April to May), late growing stage (April to May), mature stage (May to June), ripe and spent stage (June to August), and recovery and resting stage (August to March); in males, growing stage (April to May), mature stage (May to June), ripe and spent stage (June to August), and recovery and resting stage (August to March); According to the frequency distributions of egg diameters during the breeding season, Periophthalmus modestus is presumed to be a summer breeder, asynchronous group and polycyclic species to spawn 2 times or more during the spawning season. Total eggs and mature eggs in absolute fecundity and relative fecundity (per cm) increased with the increase of body length. Total eggs and mature eggs in absolute fecundity and relative fecundity (per g) did not increase with the increase of body weight. Percentages of first sexual maturity of females and males ranging from 5.1 to 5.5 cm in body length are over 50%, and 100% for fish over 7.1 cm in body length. The sex ratios of females to males over 5.1 cm in body length were not significantly different from a 1 : 1 sex ratio.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.3
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• pp.129-150
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• 1985

The present investigation was conducted to provide a systematic approach necessary to establish an integrated insect pest management program of barley in Korea. Some ecological surveys on insect pests of barley have been undertaken at the field of Experimental Station, Ky$\check{o}$ngbuk Provincial Office of Rural Development as a fixed point survey area, and at 23 localities for round survey throughout southern and central Korea from 1983 to 1984. Previously known insects injurious to barley in Korea were revised and the population dynamics of 10 dominant harmful species were analyzed according to either 24 localities or 25 cultivars respectively by using several sampling methods of net sweeping, black light traps, yellow water pan traps and visual counting. As the results, a total of 94 species belonging to 77 genera under 32 families are known to be injurious to barley, among them 20 species are newly added here. In the population density level, the dominant species were disclosed as Laodelphax striatellus (43.1 %), Macrosiphum avenae(27.0 %), Rhopalosiphum padi(6.5 %), R. maidis(5.4 %), Psammolettix strialus(2.7 %), Chlorops oryzae(2.2 %), Agromyza albipennis(2.1 %) Phyllotreta nemorum(1.4 %), Chaetoenema cylindrica(1.0 %), Dolycoris baccarum(1.0 %) in order. For the general abundance of major insect pests, it was highest in the cultivar P'aldal whereas lowest in Milyang #22. There were tendencies that Psammotettix striatus, Dolycoris baccarum, Phyllotreta nemorum and Chaetocnema cylindrica represented a maximum increase in the beginning of June, while Chlorops oryzae and Agromyza albipennis showed in the middle of May but aphids were in the end of May. In the dominance of natural enemies, Nabis stenoferus occupied 21.4 % and Propylaea japonica 9.6 %.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.236-243
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• 2016

It was a case study to use as a basic data for efficient the preservation and management of subalpine coniferous forest in national parks. It is based on inhabitation condition of 210 individuals of Abies koreana Wilson that was found through local investigation in the sub-alpine zone of Jirisan National Park and Songnisan National Park. It analyzed the effect of the geographical location and topographical features, which are the basics of location environment, on the growth of A. koreana. The variables related to the growth of A. koreana are tree height and diameter at breast height. Topographical features include geographical longitude, altitude above sea level, slope of the mountains, aspect that describes the direction in which a slope faces and topographical wetness index. Topographical features were extracted through GIS spatial analysis. It used canonical correlation analysis to estimate whether the two variables groups have related to each other and how much they are related, if any, and estimated the effect of the geographical and topographical features on the growth structure of A. koreana using multiple regression analysis. The tree height and diameter at breast height that represent the growth structure of A. koreana show greater relation to geographical latitude distribution than topographical feature and the geographical and topographical factors show greater relation to diameter at breast height than tree height. The growth structure's variable and geographical and topographical variable of A. koreana have meaningful relation and the result shows that geographical and topographical variables explain 18.1% of the growth structure. The variables that affect the diameter at breast height of A. koreana are geographical latitude, topographical wetness index, aspect and altitude, which are put in order of statistical significance. The higher the latitude is, the smaller the diameter at breast height. Depending on the topographical feature, it becomes bigger. The variable that affects the tree height is topographical wetness index, which was the only meaningful variable. Overall, the tree height and diameter at breast height that are related to the growth structure of A. koreana are affected by geographical and topographical feature. It showed that the geographical feature affected it the most. Especially the effect of water among the topographical features is expected to be bigger than the other topographical factors. Based on the result, it is expected that geographical and topographical feature is an important factor for the growth structure of A. koreana. Even though it considered only the geographical and topographical features and used spatial analysis data produced by GIS, the research results will be useful for investigating and researching the growth environment of coniferous forest inhabiting in sub-alpine zone of national parks and are expected to be used as basic data for establishing measures to efficiently manage and preserve evergreen needleaf tree such as A. koreana.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.2 s.90
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• pp.128-135
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• 2000

The authors surveyed the seasonal variations of environmental factors, the distributions of heterotrophic bacteria and Anabaena cylindrica growth-inhibiting bacteria at each water layer in Daechung Reservoir to verify the role of bacteria during the extinction of bloom. Average water depth at site 1, 2, and 3 were 25.5 m, 15.0 m and 12.3 m, respectively. Water temperature showed a typical pattern seasonally. The variation of DO was relatively inverse proportional to that of water temperature, although it was irregular during summer time. DO decreased gradually to early May, fluctuated sharply after then, and followed by gradual increasement after middle of September. This variation pattern was notable at surface layer. There was remarkable difference in DO concentraion between surface layer and the other water layers during the period in which DO irregulary varied. The variation range of chlorophyll-a concentraion at surface layer in summer time was broad, and it was relatively high when DO was high. The population size of heterotrophic bacteria was high from Spring to Autumn, an declined after September when the water temperature droped rapidly. Especially this variation pattern was prominent at the surface layer. Bacteria that inhibit the growth of A. cylindrica was almost not detected by June, and its distribution increased in July. Afterward, it showed different variation pattern between each site. The distribution of A. cylindrica growth-inhibiting bacteria was higher at the middle and bottom layer than the surface layer in July and October, when it was larger at all sites for the study period. This result suggests that the antagonistic bacteria exhibit higher activity when host activity drops. These results also suggest that natural water bacteria control the distirbution of cyanobacteria, especially its activity as controller is remarkable when cyanobacterial growth declines.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.55-68
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• 2010

The seasonal variation of microbial community, based on the bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF), phytoplankton and ciliates, was investigated at three sites in the eutrophic brackish water of Lake Shihwa and its adjacent areas from May 2007 through May 2008. At the upstream-region site St. 1, compared to the other two sites, significantly lower salinities and higher concentrations of nutrients and chlorophyll $\alpha$ (Chl. $\alpha$) were recorded. The annual average abundances of bacteria at St. 1, St. 2 and St. 3 were $6.8{\times}10^6$, $7.4{\times}10^6$ and $4.6{\times}10^6\;cells\;mL^{-1}$, respectively. As for the annual average concentrations of HNF, $19{\times}10^2$, $6.7{\times}10^2$ and $5.9{\times}10^2\;cells\;mL^{-1}$, were recorded in St. 1, St. 2 and St. 3 respectively. The highest ciliate abundance appeared at St. 1 on 29 April, 2008 and in which, 99% were autotrophic ciliate Mesodinium rubrum (Myrionecta rubra). Significant linear correlations between the biomass of bacteria and Chl. $\alpha$ were found, however, no significant relationships between ciliates abudance/biomass and their prey organisms were detected in all three sites, implying relatively low energy transfer efficiencies between them. These results indicated that the trophic relationship between ciliates and their prey organisms in the microbial community might be influenced by indirect route since higher trophic level organisms did not directly correlate to those of lower trophic level, although high primary productions were detected in the eutrophic brackish water of Lake Shihwa and its adjacent areas.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.190-198
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• 2010

This study was conducted to examine the effects of dams on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in Korean streams and rivers. Four low-head dams and three large dams were studied throughout South Korea. Sampling was taken at immediately upper (impoundment), lower (riffle area), and control (riffle area) sites from the dams during 2004-2007. The upper sites, of which substrate heterogeneity and velocity were relatively low, showed a lower degree of species richness, density, and diversity indices, which is very different from the lower and control sites. Heavily polluted streams showed a lesser degree of community differences between the upper and lower sites. In the large dams, the upper and lower sites showed very low values of species diversity indices and very high values of dominance indices compared to the control sites. In the low-head dams, however, the difference of degree of the values was relatively smaller. Compositions of the functional feeding groups and the habitat orientation groups were relatively simpler at the upper sites than at the lower sites and the degree of difference was greater in the large dams. Species richness and community indices of benthic macroinvertebrates were more significantly affected by habitat characteristics than water quality at the upper sites; however, those were more significantly related with water quality at the lower sites. In conclusion, large and low-head dams could simplify stream habitats particularly at the upper sites (impoundment), and they negatively affected on the benthic macroinvertebrate communities inhabited the habitats. The impact was larger in the large dams than in the low-head dams.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.655-661
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• 2015

This study intends to evaluate the effect of nitric acid($HNO_3$) spill accidents on the marine ecosystem, while $HNO_3$ is known as one of the typical HNS. For this purpose, we performed (1) the growth inhibition test by using phytoplankton(Skeletonema costatum), (2) acute and chronic toxicity test by using invertebrate(Brachionus plicatilis and Monocorphium acherusicum), (3) fish(Cyprinodon variegatus) and (4) bacteria(Vibrio fischeri). In these tests, we observed the (1) pH changes induced by the nitric acid spill and (2) changes in nitrate($NO_3$) concentration disassociated from nitric acid after the accident, respectively. The toxicity test result on pH changes induced by $HNO_3$ shows that the no observed effect concentration(NOEC), lowest observed effect concentration(LOEC) and 50 % effect concentration($72h-EC_{50}$) values of M. acherusicum are pH 7 (0.3 mM), pH 5(1.1 mM) and pH 5.2(1.4 mM), respectively, indicating that M. acherusicum is the most sensitive species. The chronic toxicity test (population growth rate test) on $NO_3{^-}$ of B. plicatilis show that the NOEC, LOEC and $96h-EC_{50}$ are 5.9 mM, 11.8 mM and 32.6 mM, respectively, indicating that B. plicatilis is the most sensitive species. In conclusion, toxic effecst on the marine organism caused by the nitric acid spill accident is determined to be so slightly except for the most adjacent area of the ship in pH scale and such concentration of nitrate, to the extent of directly influencing the survival and reproduction of the marine organism, is determined practically not to be applicable in the typical accidents in the sea.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2013

We tried to find out the core feeding site of the Red-crowned Crane(Grus japonensis) in Cheorwon, Korea by using analysis techniques which are MCP(minimum convex polygon), KDE(kernel density estimation), LoCoH(local nearest-neighbor convex-hull). And, We discussed the difference and meaning of result among analysis methods. We choose the data of utilization distribution from distribution map of Red-crowned Crane in Cheorwon, Korea at $17^{th}$ February 2012. Extent of the distribution area was $140km^2$ by MCP analysis. Extents of core feeding area of the Red-crowned Crane were $33.3km^2$($KDE_{1000m}$), $25.7km^2$($KDE_{CVh}$), $19.7km^2$($KDE_{LSCVh}$), according to the 1000m, CVh, LSCVh in value of bandwidth. Extent, number and shape complexity of the core area has decreased, and size of each core area have decreased as small as the bandwidth size(default:1000m, CVh: 554.6m, LSCVh: 329.9). We would suggest the CVh value in KDE analysis as a proper bandwidth value for the Red-crowned crane's core area zoning. Extent of the distribution range and core area have increased and merged into the large core area as a increasing of k value in LoCoH analysis. Proper value for the selecting core area of Red-crowned Crane's distribution was k=24, and extent of the core area was $18.2km^2$, 16.5% area of total distribution area. Finally, the result of LoCoH analysis, we selected two core area, and number of selected core area was smaller than selected area of KDE analysis. Exact value of bandwidth have not been used in studies using KDE analysis in most articles and presentations of the Korea. As a result, it is needed to clarify the exact using bandwidth value in KDE studies.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2010

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the biologically adverse effect of increased carbon dioxide in seawater on marine bacteria, Vibrio fischeri. We measured the bioluminescence and cell density at every 6 hours for 24 hours of the whole incubation period after exposing test microbes to a range of $CO_2$ concentration such as 380(Control), 1,000, 3,000, 10,000 and 30,000 ppm, respectively. Significant effect on relative luminescence(RLU) of V. fischeri was observed in treatments with $CO_2$ concentration higher than 3,000 ppm at t=12 h. However, the difference of RLU among treatments significantly decreased with the incubation time until t=24 h. Similar trend was observed for the variation of cell density, which was measured as optical density using spectrophotometer. The results showed that a significant relationship between $CO_2$ concentration and bioluminescence of test microbes was observed for the mean time. However, the inhibition of relative bioluminescence and also cell density could be recovered at the concentration levels higher than 3,000 ppm. The dissolved $CO_2$ can be absorbed directly by cell and it can decrease the intracellular pH. Our results implied that microbes might be adversely affected at the initial growing phase by increased $CO_2$. However, they could adapt by increasing ion transport including bicarbonate and then could make their pH back to normal level. Results of this study could be supported to understand the possible influence on marine bacteria by atmospheric increase of $CO_2$ in near future and also by released $CO_2$ during the marine $CO_2$ sequestration activity.