• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.566-574
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• 2022

Heavy metals are one of the dangerous pollutants that threaten urban biodiversity due to their accumulation over a long period without being decomposed in vivo. Accordingly, there is a need for biological monitoring to compare accumulation concentrations in living organisms according to the degree of heavy metal exposure to evaluate heavy metal contamination in the air in urban areas. This study aims to examine the possibility of using nesting materials as heavy metal monitoring samples and determine the effects of heavy metals on Paridae. We installed 54 artificial nest boxes in the research areas that included campus green spaces (14), urban forests (11), and urban parks (29) on a university campus in Cheonan City, Chungcheongnam Province. The birds' use rate of artificial nest boxes was 11/14 (78.57%) in campus green spaces, 8/11 (72.72%) in urban forests, and 6/29 (20.68%) in urban parks. Moss materials were collected from collected nests, and the heavy metal accumulation characteristics of each type of urban green space and the effects of heavy metals on the success of fledging of Paridae were compared through heavy metal analysis. The analysis showed that the average concentrations of zinc and lead were 228.08±209.62 ㎍/dry g and 17.67 ± 6.72 ㎍/dry g, respectively. There was no significant difference in zinc concentration for each type of urban green space (Kruskal-Wallis test, p-value=0.28), but lead concentration showed a significant difference (Kruskal-Wallis test, p<0.05^*). Of the 21 Paridae, nests analyzed for heavy metals, fledging of birds was observed in 11 nests (52.38%). Fledging of birds observed in each urban green space type was 7 campus green spaces (77.78%), 6 in urban forests (85.71%), and 1 in urban park (20%), mainly in urban forests and green spaces on campus. Heavy metal concentrations were compared to check the effect of heavy metal accumulation on the successful fledging of Paridae, but there was no statistically significant difference (Zn: W=44, p-value=0.74, Pb: t=0.64676, df =7.2422, p-value=0.54). This study is a basic study using the nesting materials of Paridae as heavy metal monitoring samples, and it is determined that it can be used as basic data for non-invasive biological monitoring.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.256-264
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• 2021

Rapid urbanization around the world has negatively affected wildlife habitats, including birds. Wild birds settled in the city are adapting to the changed surroundings, and are typically known to make nests using materials that are easy to find around the city. This study was conducted for the purpose of analyzing the nesting materials on the Paridae using artificial bird nests installed in cities. In this study, the researchers established a total of 33 artificial bird nests in urban parks (22) and forests (11) in Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do. Then we collected 4 artificial bird nests in urban parks (18.19%) and 5 in urban forests (45.46%) to compare the characteristics of bird nest materials by the nest, species, and urban green area types. Eight nests, excluding a nest abandoned by a pair of Paridae, were used for the material analysis. The collected nests were dried, and classified into natural materials (vegetable materials, animal materials, moss, and soil) and artificial materials (cotton, paper pieces, plastics, vinyl, and synthetic fibers), and then each nest was weighed. The classification result shows that the portion of moss (50.65%) was the highest in all nests, followed by soil (21.43%), artificial material (13.95%), vegetable material (5.78%), animal material (4.57%), and others (3.59%) in that order. Artificial materials were used in all nests in urban green areas. Moreover, although the Paridae used about 5.16% more vegetable material than the Parus varius, it was not significant (t=2.17, p=0.07). Plant materials and soil were most preferred in urban forests, and moss, animal, and artificial materials were widely used in that order in urban parks. There was a significant difference in the use of vegetable materials between urban parks and urban forests (t=3.07, p<0.05^*). In the habitats like urbanized and dry areas, where artificial materials are highly accessible, artificial materials replaced some roles of natural materials. This study is a basic study for the analysis of the types of materials used in artificial bird nests to understand the habitat system of urban ecosystems. It can be used as the basic data for ecological studies and conservation of the Paridae species.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.221-231
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• 2023

Great tit (Parus major) is a bioindicator species that can measure environmental changes in urban ecosystems and plays an important role in maintaining health as a representative insectivorous bird. Researchers have utilized artificial nest box surveys to understand the reproductive ecology of the Paridae family of birds, including the Great tits, but it is difficult to conduct a macroscopic study due to spatial and temporal limitations. This study designed and applied a citizen-participatory monitoring of artificial nest boxes project to transcend the limitations of expert-centered monitoring methods. The Suwon Front Yard Bird Monitoring Team installed artificial nest boxes in green spaces in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province and observed the reproductive ecology of the Paridae family through the participation of voluntary citizen surveyors. Participants were recruited through an online survey from February 9 to February 22, 2021, and they directly performed from installation to observation of artificial next boxes from February 23 to August 31, 2021. Online education was provided to the volunteers for the entire monitoring process to lower the entry barrier for non-expert citizen surveyors and collect consistent data, and observation records were collected through a mobile app. A total of 98 citizen surveyors participated in the citizen-participatory monitoring of artificial nest boxes project, and 175 (84.95%) of the 256 distributed artificial nest boxes were installed in green spaces in Suwon City. Among the installed artificial nest boxes, the results of the citizen science project were confirmed for 173 (83.98%), excluding two boxes with position coordinate generation errors. A total of 987 artificial nest box observation records were collected from citizen surveyors, with a minimum of one time, a maximum of 26 times, and an average of 5.71±4.37 times. The number of observations of artificial birdhouses per month was 70 times (7.09%) in February, 444 times (44.98%) in March, 284 times (28.77%) in April, 133 times (13.48%) in May, 46 times (4.66%) in June, 6 times (0.61%) in July, and 4 times (0.41%) in August. Birds using the artificial nest boxes were observed in 57 (32.95%) of the 173 installed artificial nest boxes, and they included Great tit (Parus major) using 12 boxes (21.05%), Varied Tit (Parus varius) using 7 boxes (12.28%), and unidentified birds using 38 boxes (66.67%). This study is the first to consider citizen participation in the monitoring of artificial nest boxes, a survey method for the reproductive ecology of the Paridae family, including Great tits, and it can be utilized as basic data for the design of ecological monitoring combined with citizen science in the future.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.760-766
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• 2011

This study was analyzed between actual vegetation type and 4 Paridaes of Korea (Great tit Parus major minor, Marsh tit P. palustris hellmayri, Coal tit P. ater amurensis, Varied tit P. varius varius) in the urban forests in Seoul. The population size of total Paridaes was highest in Robinia pseudoacacia community. When supposed the same area for revision of the difference of each type, the population size was highest in Alnus hirsuta community. The next orders of total observed population was Alnus hirsuta - Pinus desniflora - Quercus acutissima - Castanea crenata. In the urban forest, Paridaes are looks not affected by the naturality of vegetation but other key figure.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.17-28
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• 1990

Electrophoretic methods were used to examine the degree of genic variation and genetic relatedness in 11 populations representing 6 species and subspecies of the genus Parus in Korea. The average degree of genic variation of 3 subspecies of P. major was =1.2, =24.4% , D=0.042, and G=0.058, whereas the rest of the species showed slightly lower degree of genic variation than P. major. Genetic relatedness between subspecies and species in the genus Parus showed similar to those reported at comparable taxnonomic levels in other birds. But it appears to be considerably less than that of non avian taxa. Genetic relatedness between 3 subspecies of P.major and P. varius varius was closely related(=0.80), whereas between P.palustrius hellmayri and P.ater amurensis was relatively remote (=0.67). The presumed divergent times of P.palustrius hellmayri, P, ater amurensis , and P. varius varius were about 1.8, 1.6, and 1.0million years before present respectively, and 3 subspecies of P. major were recently differentiated about 100 thousands years before present.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.10-19
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• 2002

This study was conducted to investigate the avifauna of Gap stream in Daejeon metropolitan city from September in 2001 to August in 2002. For the monthly change of bird community, survey was carried at study area per each month, the obtained results could be summarized as follows. 1. The observed birds were 12 orders 31 families 83 species and 15900 individuals, 38 species are water bird as Herons, Dabbling ducks, Diving ducks, Rails, Sandpipers & Plovers and 45 species are land bird as Raptors, Woodpeckers, Wagtails, Thrushes, Warblers, Tits, Buntings, Crows. 2. These birds could be divided 29 residents, 29 summer visitors, 18 winter visitors, 7 passage migrants. 3. Among the birds, Chinese Sparrowhawk Accipiter soloensis, Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, Kestrel Falco tinnunculus are legally protected species as natural monuments in Korea. 4. The major dominant species were Common Teal Anas crecca, Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, Grey Heron Ardea cinerea, Magpie Pica pica, Little Egret Egretta garzetta in order, Gap stream should be appropriate habitats for dabbling ducks and herons. 5. Among the total number of 83 species, the highest number of species was 37 species in February and the lowest number of species was 27 species in June. 6. Among the total number of 15900 individuals, the highest number of individuals was 2899 individuals in December and the lowest number of individuals was 385 individuals in May. 7. Among the monthly species diversity index, the highest number of species diversity index was 2.6207 in September and the lowest number of species diversity index was 2.0716 in January.