• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.269-278
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• 2005

The dynamics and distribution characteristics of Coryjopsis coreana popujation at Cheongsogol, Sunchon, Cholanam-do, Korea, were investigated. The Coryiopsis coreana pop ulation was distributed along the forest edge and it showed characteristics which were distributed on only directional slopes of the north, northeast or northwest. The Coryjopsis coreana constituted subtree or shrub layer in the forest, and its floristic composition was basically similar to those of adjacent areas where the species does not exist. The number of stump was 6.25 per $25\;m^2$, and each stump had 3 sproutings in average. The density of the Corylopsis coreana population in the study area was lower than that in other area, which suggests the population is declining in the study area.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.165-172
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• 2008

In order to clarify the factors that diminish the population size of Scirpus planicumis in Han River Esturay Wetland Conservation Area of South Korea, I analysed the autoecological traits of competitive hydrophytes over the species, compared the performance ability of Scirpus planicum group inhabited between in soil-accumulated site and in soil-unaccumulated site, and suggested the management strategy of restoration of this plant based on the field survey. Scirpus planicumis had lower competitive ability than other hydrophyte such as Phragmites australis, Zonia latifolia, Typha augustifola. in terms of dry matter production, height, and reproductive regime. S. planicumis group in soil-accumulated site had lower tuber production, lower vegetative and reproductive production than that of in soil-unaccumulated site, and plant height was shorter in soil-accumulated than in soil-unaccumulated condition. Tuber was appeared in lower soil depth within 15cm in laboratory condition. These results indicated that soil-accumulated condition is the dominant factor caused the decreasing of population size of S. planicumis. It was urgently suggested that constructing a water ways to removed accumulated soil layer is need to restore the population size of S. planiculmus in this wetland.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.408-423
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• 2021

We established and monitored survey sites in seven regions of Mt. Jiri to investigate population decline and change of the Korean fir (Abies koreana) over a ten-year period from 2009 to 2018. With the exception of one site (Seseok), the six remaining ones all showed a four-layer stratification structure. The importance value of Korean firs in all of the survey areas decreased significantly by 28.5%, from 55.7% in 2009 to 39.8% in 2018. The average population of objects with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of 5cm or more in all survey sites was 711 objects/ha in 2018, and the cumulative death rate from 2009 to 2018 was 10.8%. Among the death types, DS (dead standing) was the most dominant, comprising 82.4% of the total survey area. However, in Banyabong 1, which had a high gradient of 35°, the death types other than DS accounted for 44.2%. We estimate that A. koreana can maintain a stable population as its distribution type for each diameter class in the Saeseokpyeongjeon site showed a reverse-J shape. The average annual ring growth in all survey sites was 1.09 mm/year, with the most abundant growth observed in the Seseokpyeongjeon site, which was formed mainly by a subtree layer. The growth ring survey showed the estimated average age of A. koreana population in the Byeoksoryeong and Banyabong 1 sites to be 102 and 91 years, respectively, a general downward trend of vitality since 2013.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.565-577
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to understand the factors influencing the decline and the patterns of changes in Abies nephrolepis populations on Mt. Seorak. We installed permanent quadrats in the areas of the Gwittagicheongbong (peak), Gwanmoneungseon (ridge), and the Seorak Falls and have monitored the community structure, population dynamics, radial growth, and vitality in the quadrats since 2009. Excluding the Seorak Falls, the three research sites showed a three-layer structure in which the low-tree layer forms the canopy. Major tree species were Khingan fir, Korean arborvitae, Mongolian oak, Erman's birch, and Korean maple. The significance of Khingan fir in Seorak Falls decreased from 45.3% in 2009 to 36.8% in 2018. The number of shoots ($DBH{\geq}5cm$) was highest at 1,800 individuals/ha and 1,700 individuals/ha at the Gwittagicheongbong 2 and the Gwanmoneungseon, respectively. The mortality rates over the past 10 years were very high, at 38.3% and 35.3%, respectively, in the Gwittagicheongbong 1 and Seorak Falls. The most stable inverse J-shaped distribution in the Gwittagicheongbong 1 area was shown in the size-frequency distribution of the Khingan fir populations. The average annual ring growth of the Khingan fir was 0.96 ~ 1.73 mm/year, and the ring growth tended to decrease in the areas of Gwittagicheongbong 1, Gwanmoneungseon, and Seorak Falls, where the vitality was low. If the monitoring process continues, it will be possible to obtain basic data for the conservation and management of subalpine vegetation.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.18-26
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• 2020

Echinosophora koreensis (Nakai) Nakai an endemic plant with limited distribution in some parts of the Korean Peninsula, is designated as "Endangered" species on the IUCN Red List. The species is under the threat of deterioration in nature due to various environmental changes causing loss of natural habitats. We investigated the distribution pattern and population structure of E. koreensis to serve as a basic reference for identifying the dynamics and persistence of natural populations of this species in the future. To determine the characteristics of the E. koreensis population, we laid two to three large plots sized 20m×30m on the ridgeline as the reference in Yanggu, Chuncheon, and Hongcheon and laid four to seven small quadrats sized 1m×1m on the transect. A total of 530 plots were laid, 10 each at 2m interval, to measure the number of the stems, the number of fruiting, height, and other factors. The collected distribution information was compared with the existing IUCN assessed categories by applying IUCN Red List ver 3.1 Criteria B. The average population density of the three surveyed areas was 3.47 stem/㎡; the density of each area was 3.95 stems/㎡ in Yanggu, 3.37 stems/㎡ in Chuncheon, and 2.87 stems/㎡ in Hongcheon. The number of fruiting per stem was 0.0038, indicating only 7 fruits out of 1,837 stems and that vegetative reproduction is likely to be more dominant than sexual reproduction. The distribution tendency of population density in the small plots in three surveyed areas showed that the density of E. koreensis tended to decrease toward the center of the forest with low crown openness and around the mountain ridge with high crown openness. It indicated that the quantity of light could be a very important factor for the growth of individuals of this species. The analysis of the heights of individuals present in the surveyed plots showed a range of 2.3 ~ 68.5cm and an average of 20.1cm. An analysis on the stage-structure of the E. koreensis population based on the sieve height found that the appearance frequency decreased with increasing height above 15 ~ 20cm and that the percentage of individuals lower than 10cm, which were presumed to be seedlings, was severely low, indicating a necessity of study on the population sustainability based on the monitored data. The occupied area calculated with the collected species distribution information was 200㎢, indicating the EN category according to the IUCN Red List Reference B.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.48-60
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• 1997

The species composition and seasonal variations of fish community in the Zostera marina belt at the coastal water off Hamduck, northern part of Cheju Island, were analyzed based on day and night samples collected by a small beam trawl from May 1993 to May 1994. The dominant species among the 58 fish species in 35 family were tubesnout, Aulichthys japonicus, gobie, Pterogobius zonoleucus, filefish, Rudarius ercodes, pipefish, Syngnathus schlegeli and sea catfish, Plotosus lineatus. These species comprised 86.1% in the number of individuals and 62% in biomass. The number of individuals and biomass were high between October and December, and low between January and April. About 90% of fishes were noncommercial and small-sized fishes, less than 14cm in total length. The larvae and juvenile fishes were collected in the study area throughout the year. The recruitments of dominant species were related to the seasonal variations of Z. marina utilized as a shelter or feeding ground. A japonicus, P. zonoleucus, Zoarchias glaber and Hexagrammos agrammus recruited between January and June, and R. ercodes, S. schlegeli, P. lineatus and Petroscirtes breviceps between July and December.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.388-408
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• 2022

This study was conducted to select the indicator species (plant) according to the topographical characteristics in the Picea jezoensis forests, endangered subalpine coniferous trees. In South Korea and China (close to Baekdusan), the southern tree line limit of Picea jezoensis has meaningful geographical and latitudinal values for analyzing the ecological characteristics of P. jezoensis forests. Latitude greatly affects the geographical values of plant ecology, and the difference in latitude and habitat affects the change in species composition in forests. With prolonged environmental change, the habitat of subalpine plants will become smaller, and the plants may become extinct. As the P. jezoensis forests of South Korea and China, in particular, are in danger of disappearing without protection, it is important to monitor the population and develop a conservation strategy. Eighty-seven circular plots were established in P. jezoensis forests in South Korea and China. Through processes such as MRPP-test and NMS ordination, indicator species were selected based on this, and basic data for biodiversity assessment were presented. As a result of the Indicator Species Analysis (ISA), 5 taxa were selected from the upperstory vegetation and 18 taxa from the understory vegetation at the altitude(p<0.05). Indicator species by aspect were analyzed as 3 taxa for upperstory vegetation and 16 taxa for understory vegetation (p<0.05). In the case of indicator species according to the slope, 6 taxa for upper vegetation and 24 taxa for understory vegetation were selected(p<0.05). As for the indicator species according to their habitat, 8 taxa in upper vegetation and 65 taxa on understory vegetation were selected. As a result of MRPP-test, it was analyzed that the species composition was heterogeneous in the group of understory vegetation than that of upperstory vegetation. As a result of NMS ordination, the correlation with environmental factors of indicator species was analyzed by rock exposure for upperstory vegetation and latitude for understory vegetation (cut off level=0.3).

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.358-371
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• 2020

As climate change is expected to lead to a severe reduction of biodiversity, studies to investigate the reasons for habitat loss, growth decline, and death of Korean fir (Abies koreana Wilson), endangered alpine/subalpine species in Korea, have been conducted for years but found no clear answer yet. This study reviewed previous studies on Korean fir published in the journals in the past 40 years, 1980 through 2020, into 10-year units, examined the study trend by period, region, and subject with a focus on ecological studies, and analyzed the study results. The ecological studies were categorized into evolutionary ecology, physiological ecology, population ecology, and landscape ecology. Based on the results, we suggested the required research fields in the future. We found a total of 73 papers published in the past 40 years and 48 (65.8%) of them published in the past 10 years. In terms of region, Mt. Halla accounted for the most as 41 papers were on it. In terms of ecological subjects, the physiological ecology accounted for the most with 38, and the evolutionary ecology accounted for the least with 10. The review of the study results showed that many studies identified water stress caused by the water resource imbalance due to temperature increase and spring precipitation reduction following climate change as the main reason for the decline and habitat loss of Korean fir. However, recent studies suggested other factors, such as soil environment, disturbing organisms, and climatic events. The cause of the decline and death of the Korean fir not yet being clearly identified is that most of the studies dealt with the basic content, were carried out intermittently, and were concentrated in some regions. Therefore, we need long-term studies with advanced technology in each study subject at a local scale to find the cause of Korean fir decline and present sustainable management and conservation. Moreover, it is necessary to extend our study subjects to ecosystem ecology and systems ecology to integrate the results from various study subjects for a comprehensive understanding of the reason for Korean fir declines. The results of comprehensive studies could provide clearer answers for Korean fir's declines and the alternatives of conservation management and practices.