• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.440-446
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• 2019

This study examined the growth and fruiting characteristics and the acorns biomass allometric equation of Quercus acuta to provide reference data related to the growth and seed supply during the restoration of evergreen forest in the warm temperate zone in Wando Island, Korea. For the growth survey, we selected and cut three sample trees having a mean diameter at breast height (DBH) to investigate the growth analysis through a stem analysis. We then developed the allometric equation (Y=aX+b) of DBH and tree height growth characteristic (Y) according to the average tree age (X) of sampled trees and estimated the DBH and tree height according to the age of Quercus acuta. For the fruiting survey, we selected and cut three sample trees with full fruit in August when, they are at the early mature fruiting stage, for the analysis. To develop the acorns/tree biomass allometric equation of Quercus acuta, we selected and cut ten sample trees of evenly divided diameters. The acorns biomass allometric equation ($Y=aX^b$) was derived by analyzing the biomass (Y) and the growth characteristics (X), such as the DBH, tree height, crown width, and crown height. The allometric equations of average tree age according to DBH and tree height were Y=0506X-2.064 ($R^2=0.999$) and Y=0.321X+0689 ($R^2=0.992$), respectively. The developed allometric equations estimated that the DBH were 3.0cm, 8.1cm, 13.1cm and 18.2cm while the tree heights were 3.9m, 7.1m, 10.3m, and 13.5m when the tree ages were 10, 20, 30, and 40 years, respectively. The analysis results of fruiting characteristics showed that the length, the diameter, the number of fruits, and the number of acorns per fruiting branch had the statistically significant difference and tended to decrease from the upper part to the lower part of crown downward. The total number of acorns was 1,312 acorns/tree in the upper part, 115 acorns/tree in the middle part, and 5 acorns/tree in the lower part of the crown. The allometric equation for the amount of acorns with DBH as an independent variable was $Y=0.003X^{4.260}$ with the coefficient of determination at 0.896. Although the coefficient of determination of the allometric equation using only DBH as the independent variable was lower than that using DBH and tree height ($D^2H$), it would be more practical to consider only DBH as the independent variable because of measurement errors.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.75-85
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to understand the vegetation characteristics of ridges (Gyeongsusan-Seonunsan-Gaeipalsan) in the Seonunsan Provincial Park and to establish reference information for the management of the park in the future. We designated 62 plots with the area of $100m^2$ were installed and analyzed them to investigate the vegetation characteristics. The results of community classification based on TWINSPAN showed seven categories of vegetation communities in the surveyed region: Quercus dentata-Deciduous broad-leaved Community, Quercus variabilis-Pinus thunbergii-Quercus serrata Community, Pinus densiflora Community, Deciduous broad-leaved Community-I, Carpinus tschonoskii-Castanea crenata-Quercus aliena Community, Deciduous broad-leaved Community-II, and Carpinus tschonoskii-Carpinus laxiflora Community. In the vegetation of Seonunsan Provincial Park, coniferous trees such as Pinus thunbergii and Pinus densiflora have been gradually losing their population as part of ecological succession to deciduous broad-leaved trees such as Quercus spp., Carpinus tschonoskii, and Carpinus laxiflora. Moreover, Carpinus turczaninowii, Mallotus japonicus, and others were identified as vegetation reflecting the geographical characteristics of the region neighboring the west coast. The estimated age is 30-60 years, and the oldest tree Pinus densiflora is 63-years old. The index of diversity ($100m^2$) was 0.7942 for Carpinus tschonoskii-Carpinus laxiflora Community, 0.8406 for Carpinus tschonoskii-Castanea crenata-Quercus aliena Community, 0.8543 for Quercus dentata-Deciduous broad-leaved Community, 0.9434 for Quercus variabilis-Pinus thunbergii-Quercus serrata Community, 0.9520 for Deciduous broad-leaved Community-I, 0.9633 for Pinus densiflora Community, and 1.0340 for Deciduous broad-leaved Community-II in the ascending order.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.558-572
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to classify the types of degraded areas of Mt. Jirisan section in Baekdudaegan and survey the actual condition of each damage type to use it as basic data for the direction of the restoration of damaged areas according to damage type based on the vegetation information of reference ecosystem. The analysis of the Mt. Jirisan section's actual degraded conditions showed that the total number of patches of degraded areas was 57, and the number of patches and size of degraded areas was higher at the low average altitude and gentle slope. Grasslands (deserted lands) and cultivated areas accounted for a high portion of the damage types, indicating that agricultural land use was a major damage factor. The survey on the conditions of 14 degraded areas showed that the types of damage were classified into the grassland, cultivated area, restoration area, logged-off land, and bare ground. The analysis of the degree of disturbance (the ratio of annual and biennial herb, urbanized index, and disturbance index) by each type showed that the simple single-layer vegetation structure mostly composed of the herbaceous and the degree of disturbance were high in the grassland and cultivated land. The double-layer vegetation structure appeared in the restoration area where the pine seedlings were planted, and the inflow of naturalized plants was especially high compared to other degraded areas due to disturbances caused by the restoration project and the nearby hiking trails. Although the inflow of naturalized plants was low because of high altitude in bare ground, the proportion of annual and biennial herb was high, indicating that all surveyed degraded areas were in early succession stages. The stand ordination by type of damage showed the restoration area on the I-axis, cultivated area, grassland, logged-off land, and bare ground in that order, indicating the arrangement by the damage type. Moreover, the stand ordination of the degraded areas and reference ecosystem based on floristic variation showed a clear difference in species composition. This study diagnosed the status of each damage type based on the reference ecosystem information according to the ecological restoration procedure and confirmed the difference in species composition between the diagnosis result and the reference ecosystem. These findings can be useful basic data for establishing the restoration goal and direction in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.1-10
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• 2021

This study aimed to evaluate preferences of Bukhansan dulegil using sentiment analysis, a natural language processing technique, to derive preferred and non-preferred factors. Therefore, we collected blog articles written in 2019 and produced sentimental scores by the derivation of positive and negative words in the texts for 21 dulegil courses. Then, content analysis was conducted to determine which factors led visitors to prefer or dislike each course. In blogs written about Bukhansan dulegil, positive words appeared in approximately 73% of the content, and the percentage of positive documents was significantly higher than that of negative documents for each course. Through this, it can be seen that visitors generally had positive sentiments toward Bukhansan dulegil. Nevertheless, according to the sentiment score analysis, all 21 dulegil courses belonged to both the preferred and non-preferred courses. Among courses, visitors preferred less difficult courses, in which they could walk without a burden, and in which various landscape elements (visual, auditory, olfactory, etc.) were harmonious yet distinct. Furthermore, they preferred courses with various landscapes and landscape sequences. Additionally, visitors appreciated the presence of viewpoints, such as observation decks, as a significant factor and preferred courses with excellent accessibility and information provisions, such as information boards. Conversely, the dissatisfaction with the dulegil courses was due to noise caused by adjacent roads, excessive urban areas, and the inequality or difficulty of the course which was primarily attributed to insufficient information on the landscape or section of the course. The results of this study can serve not only serve as a guide in national parks but also in the management of nearby forest green areas to formulate a plan to repair and improve dulegil. Further, the sentiment analysis used in this study is meaningful in that it can continuously monitor actual users' responses towards natural areas. However, since it was evaluated based on a predefined sentiment dictionary, continuous updates are needed. Additionally, since there is a tendency to share positive content rather than negative views due to the nature of social media, it is necessary to compare and review the results of analysis, such as with on-site surveys.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.49-63
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• 2021

The Forest Visitor Centers for Little Children who means preschoolers is an educational facility that achieves holistic growth by experiencing forests, and it should not be completed by installing specific facilities in the forest environment, but should be a space where preschoolers can play freely in the forest environment themselves. This study comprehensively evaluated the current status of Seoul Forest Visitor Centers for Little Children and suggested space improvement measures to enhance the effectiveness of forest experience. Through the theoretical review, seven spatial elements that enhance the effect of forest experience and six areas composing outdoor play areas were derived to prepare an analysis table for current status evaluation, and field survey studies were conducted on 24 centers in Seoul. Through expert interviews, the physical status was examined from the perspective of childhood education and the experiences of the users were summarized. As a result of the study, the Seoul Forest Visitor Center for Little Children is classified into six types according to the location characteristics and spatial structure, and has the characteristics of each type. The effectiveness of forest experience can be enhanced by identifying and revealing the environmental strengths of individual centers. In the case of outdoor experience learning zones, the proportion of exercise play areas was very large. By evenly organizing the forest experience space for each area, it will be possible to provide more diverse experiences to preschoolers. However, the status of uniform facility-oriented cannot be viewed as a fragmentary factor that lowers the effect of forest experience. The key to increasing the effect of forest experience by inducing creative activities is the spatial composition that considers the surrounding natural environment. Facilities should be a medium to help preschoolers' interest move into the forest. This study prepared data to understand the average physical status of the Seoul Forest Visitor Center for Little Children and suggested space improvement measures to increase the effectiveness of forest experience. This can be used as basic data for research to improve the quality level of the Seoul Forest Visitor Center for Little Children about 10 years after the project was implemented.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.669-678
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• 2021

This study surveyed three land cover types in Chungju City in Chungcheongbuk Province to check the distribution of cultured bacteria in bio-aerosols according to land cover type. It was possible to compare and analyze the distribution of bacteria according to microclimatic changes at each measurement point by examining meteorological factors and bio-aerosols according to land cover. The microclimate temperature in each measurement point was 8.7℃ for the urban forest, 10.8℃ for the waterside green area, and 10.2℃ for the urban area, indicating the urban forest had the lowest temperature among the measurement points. The relative humanity was 61.8% fin the urban forest, 59.3% in the waterside green area, and 55.7% in the urban area, indicating that the urban forest was the most humid among the measurement points. The identified bacteria were found to be 43 genera and 99 species. In terms of species diversity of cultured bacteria, 22 genera were found in the waterside green area, 21 genera in the urban forest, and 17 genera in the urban area, 37 species were found in the waterside green area, 31 species in the urban area, and 31 species in the urban forest. Bacillus toyonensis and Pseudarthrobacter oxydan were the species present in all three types of measurement sites, and Herbiconiux flava was confirmed to inhabit green areas such as urban forests and waterside green areas. The analysis result of the bacterial concentration according to the microclimatic environment in each measurement point was 333 CFU/m³ in the urban forest, 287 CFU/m³, in the waterside green area, and 173 CFU/m³ in the downtown area. The relative humidity and wind speed were analyzed to show a similar trend as the concentration. This study is expected to provide basic data for healthy urban management and green area creation by identifying the distribution of cultured bacteria in bio-aerosols according to land cover type and comparing and analyzing the traits of bio-aerosol in each measurement point.

• 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).

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.163-173
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• 2022

Climate change is a key factor that greatly influences changes in the biological seasons and geographical distribution of species. In the ecological field, the BioClimatic predictor (BioClim), which is most related to the physiological characteristics of organisms, is used for vulnerability assessment. However, BioClim values are not provided other than the future period climate average values for each GCM for the Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs) scenario. In this study, BioClim data suitable for domestic conditions was produced using 1 km resolution SSPs scenario detailed data produced by Rural Development Administration, and based on the data, a species distribution model was applied to mainly grow in southern, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gangwon-do and humid regions. Appropriate habitat distributions were predicted every 30 years for the base years (1981 - 2010) and future years (2011 - 2100) of the Acer pictum subsp. mono. Acer pictum subsp. mono appearance data were collected from a total of 819 points through the national natural environment survey data. In order to improve the performance of the MaxEnt model, the parameters of the model (LQH-1.5) were optimized, and 7 detailed biolicm indices and 5 topographical indices were applied to the MaxEnt model. Drainage, Annual Precipitation (Bio12), and Slope significantly contributed to the distribution of Acer pictum subsp. mono in Korea. As a result of reflecting the growth characteristics that favor moist and fertile soil, the influence of climatic factors was not significant. Accordingly, in the base year, the suitable habitat for a high level of Acer pictum subsp. mono is 3.41% of the area of Korea, and in the near future (2011 - 2040) and far future (2071 - 2100), SSP1-2.6 accounts for 0.01% and 0.02%, gradually decreasing. However, in SSP5-8.5, it was 0.01% and 0.72%, respectively, showing a tendency to decrease in the near future compared to the base year, but to gradually increase toward the far future. This study confirms the future distribution of vegetation that is more easily adapted to climate change, and has significance as a basic study that can be used for future forest restoration of climate change-adapted species.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.592-602
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• 2022

This study aimed to check habitat distribution and analyze influencing factors by analyzing the mating calls of Auritibicen intermedius inhabiting limited locations in South Korea by applying bioacoustic detection techniques. The study sites were 20 protection areas nationwide. The mating call analysis period was 4 years from 2017 to 2021, excluding 2020. The bioacoustic recording system installed at each study site collected recordings of mating calls every day for 1 minute per hour. Climate data received from the Meteorological Agency, such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, cloudiness, and sunshine, were analyzed. The results of this study identified A. intermedius habitat only in four national parks in the highlands of Gangwon Province (Mt. Seorak, Mt. Odae, Mt. Chiak, and Mt. Taebak) out of 20 study sites. During the four years of study, the mating call period of A. intermedius was between August 5 and September 28, and the duration of the mating call was 31 to 52 days. The temperature analysis during the appearance period of A. intermedius showed that A. intermedius mainly produced mating calls at temperatures between 13.1℃ and 35.3℃, and the average temperature during the circadian cycle of mating calls (09:00 to 16:00) was 24.4 to 24.9℃. The analysis of the circadian cycle of mating calls at four study sites where A. intermedius appeared in 2019 showed that A. intermedius produced mating calls from 06:00 to 16:00 and that they peaked around 11:00 to 12:00. During the appearance period of A. intermedius, four species appeared in common: Hyalessa maculaticollis, Meimuna opalifera, Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata, and Suisha coreana. A logistic regression analysis confirmed that sunlight was the environmental factor affecting the mating call of A. intermedius. Regarding interspecific influence, it was confirmed that A. intermedius exchanged interspecific influence with 4 other common species (H. maculaticollis, M. opalifera, G. nigrofuscata, and S. coreana). The above results confirmed that A. intermedius habitats were limited in the highlands of Gangwon Province highlands in Korea and produced mating calls at a lower temperature compared to other species. These results can be used as basic data for future research on A. intermedius in Korea.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.125-138
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• 2016

To assess the industrial possibility of mixed-extracts containing Hovenia dulcis Thunberg and 12 different botanical ingredients, a protective effect was confirmed in the chronic ethanol-induced the liver, brain, and blood injury in mouse. Blood glucose levels of the normal control group(NG) and ethanol administration group(EG) were respectively 119.43mg/dL and 305.25mg/dL, and the mixed-extracts administration group(100, 200mg/kg body weight + 25% ethanol 5g/kg body weight respectively; ME100 & ME200) were decreased to 272.76mg/dL and 234.60mg/dL. Blood ethanol contents were decreased in ME100 and ME200(3.85mg/dL, 3.08mg/dL) compared to EG(4.08mg/dL), and blood acetaldehyde contents were also decreased in ME(15.76mg/dL, 15.16mg/dL) compared to EG(18.72mg/dL). The contents of hepatotoxic indicators such as glutamine pyruvic transaminase(GPT) and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), nephrotoxic indicators such as blood urea nitrogen(BUN), and creatine(CRE), and total cholestero(TCHO), and triglyceride(TG) in mouse blood serum were significantly decreased in the ME compared to EG. The acetylcholinesterase(AChE) activity of ME(109.00% and 108.47%, respectively) in mouse brain tissues was decreased in ME compared to EG(116.10%). Finally, ME was remarkable in vivo antioxidant activities in the mouse liver and brain tissues by superoxide dismutase(SOD), oxidized glutathione(GSH)/total GSH ratio and the malondialdehyde (MDA) assay. Therefore, the mixed-extracts was considered to be effective a high value food with protective effect against chronic ethanol traetment-induced cytotoxicity in liver and brain tissues.