• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.21-31
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• 2007

Estuarine wetland, where freshwater meets saltwater, is a transitional ecosystem that is valuable ecologically for a variety of reasons, such as feeding and breeding sites for birds, fish, and wildlife. However, research on the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of estuarine wetlands in Korea is rare. As a fundamental basis for wetland conservation, this study quantified the wetlands in three major estuaries, and evaluated the temporal dynamics of the wetlands since the 1910s. In particular, this study classified the wetland types into mud flat, sand, and emergent-plant types, and estimated the change of each wetland type, using topographic maps produced in the 1910s, 1970s, and 2000s. The wetlands in both the Han and Youngsan River estuaries have declined since the 1910s, but the rate of wetland decline was relatively low before the 1970s, compared to that since the 1970s. The impact of human activities, such as the Youngsan Watershed Comprehensive Development Project and the construction of estuary barrages, has disrupted the estuary cycles and destroyed huge amounts of wetland in the Youngsan estuary. By contrast, estuarine wetlands have been preserved in the small Gahwa estuary, and provide a variety of habitats for plants and wildlife. A special management strategy for wetlands should be established as soon as possible.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.252-260
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• 2012

The wetlands have eco-sociological values because their functions have proven to be useful to human society. Many countries are working to conserve and protect the wetland ecosystems. However, many wetlands have disappeared or have been fragmented due to a natural and/or anthropogenic disturbance. These isolated wetlands appear to work best in the landscape, as a spatially distributed system. We have analyzed the spatial-social distribution patterns of wetlands in Gyeongsangnam-do Province (GNP). We examined the frequency distribution of wetland sizes, the distances to the nearest wetlands, the shapes of the wetlands, land-use patterns, land owners, and official land values were confirmed as social characteristics for each wetland. A total of 146 wetlands (3,598.85 ha), including 76 riverine wetlands (1,955.60 ha), 49 palustrine wetlands (1,282.28 ha) and 21 mountain wetlands (1,282.28 ha) were identified in GNP. Most wetlands left for use to drainage were small (<2 ha) and located in agricultural areas. However, small and isolated wetlands were clustered, according to the location, indicating that these wetlands can be connected to each other using the linear riverine wetlands and water channels in agricultural areas. This is extremely valuable in maintaining the biodiversity, such that any loss of small wetlands will cause a direct reduction in the connectedness among populations of the remaining species. Due to most wetlands belonging to the nation or businesses, being classified as reservoirs (water storage areas), and consequently, degradation of wetlands will progress due to grand-scale engineering works. Therefore, wetland policy and ecologically sensitive laws and policies should be developed in order to promote the wise-use for wetlands.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.601-606
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• 2015

Hutchinson (1961) proposed that the large number of species in most plankton communities is remarkable in review of the competitive exclusion principle, which suggests that in homogeneous, well-mixed environments species that compete for the same resources cannot coexist. The principle of competitive exclusion would lead us to conclude that only a few species could coexist in such circumstances. Nevertheless, numerous competing species in most natural habitats are able to coexist, while generally only few resources (niches) limit these communities. It is coined “the paradox of plankton” by Hutchinson. We reviewed some literature of the proposed solutions and give a brief overview of the mechanisms proposed so far. The proposed mechanisms that we discuss mainly include spatial and temporal heterogeneity in physical and biological environment, externally imposed or self-generated spatial segregation, horizontal mesoscale turbulence of ocean characterized by coherent vortices, oscillation and chaos generated by several internal and external causes, stable coexistence and compensatory dynamic under fluctuating temperature in resource competition, and finally the role of toxin-producing phytoplankton in maintaining the coexistence and biodiversity of the overall plankton populations. Especially we sited Roy and Chattopadhyay’s reviews and their toxin-producing hypothesis by phytoplankton. This review may be some information to study plankton communities and effect to put the solutions to the paradox that have been proposed over the years into perspective.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.359-369
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• 2015

Stream ecosystems are highly valued natural resources, however, stream environments are currently under threat in several respects. We evaluated vegetation and ecological characteristics according to different revetment types. The distribution of vegetation differed with revetment type, with a 42~45 taxa found in natural revetments, and 23~38 taxa in vertical revetments. Thus, natural revetments host more diverse vegetation than vertical revetments. We also found more plants belonging to the families Labiatae and Cyperaceae growing in natural revetments than in vertical revetments. We proposed that habitat space be apportioned to introduce annual plants as part of stream restoration projects. And, we identified 7 families and 18 taxa of naturalized plants, majority taxa were either biennial or perennial. Moreover, naturalized ratio was higher in vertical(14.3%) than natural(12.1%), we proposed a plan to promote and improve natural streams and revetments. Furthermore, we applied a waterfront evaluation method developed by the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the USDA-NRCS, which confirmed that stream health can be improved in most regions by controlling naturalized plants and ensuring shrub and tree growth. We adopted a new method to remove naturalized plants and establish natural revetments to ensure shrub and tree growth to aid in small-stream restoration and improvement. In future studies, we hope to develop methods for small-stream restoration projects in rural areas.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.32-41
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• 2008

An empirical study and environmental and ecological analysis were conducted on Otgol Village(a village of the Gyeongju Choi's clan in Daegu) where an enclosed pond and groves are still observed. In particular, the enclosed pond and groves and village water system were investigated from an ecological perspective. The enclosed landscape is described based on feng shui principles and the environmental and ecological significance were examined. In general, the environmental and ecological significance is very broad; however, they were analyzed in terms of the quality of life as an empirical study as follows: First, water quality was measured to investigate the improvement of continuous water system functions. In other words, water quality was measured at East Valley(resting space), West Valley(living space), the enclosed pond where the two valleys merge, and the stream that flows out of the pond. Second, the climate functions of the enclosed groves that border the village were examined. In other words, temperature was measured in two places(200m distance from the center of the groves). Third, whether or not a sound ecosystem can be sustained was investigated. In other words, landscape ecological indicators were chosen and measured. The results are as follows: First, the enclosed pond played the role of purifying water quality. While the East Valley has been popular with men for its rock walls and torrents, the West Valley has been popular with women as a living space(ex: doing the laundry). Therefore, the difference of water quality can be explained. Second, since enclosed groves are in a small village forest, they are very weak in terms of being wind proof and temperature reduction effects. Instead, they play the role of the village boundary. Third, the groves are ecologically sound considering the landscape ecological indicators and are similar to ordinary traditional rural villages. In terms of the connection of the green zone, the village groves are well connected to the village boundary wood. If the village groves are restored, in particular, they would offer a decent habitat for grove creatures. According to this study, the traditional village space was formed upon the influence of Feng Shui theories that are based on environmental and ecological principles that focus on the harmony between humans and nature. From the environmental and ecological perspective, the enclosed pond and groves are important factors in building a sustainable village. The diverse water space would help to improve water quality and increase water volume by promoting the water circulation system. In addition, the village woods would surround the village and decrease the temperature and humidity difference between winter and summer. If the groves are small and badly damaged, however, they are meaningful only in dividing the region. The overall improvement of a forestation system and botanical composition may increase the biological diversity and promote the migration of species. Otgol Village has developed an enclosed landscape to improve the village environment. In other words, a sound and refreshing living environment can be developed when the natural ecological system is well understood and properly preserved. Additionally, this traditional village planning will be the environmental and ecological method. From the perspective of environmental ecology, therefore, a traditional village is recommended.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.46-58
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• 2024

Pollinators are organisms that carry out the pollination process of plants and include Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera. Among them, bees not only pollinate plants but also improve urban green spaces damaged by land use changes, providing a habitat and food for birds and insects. Today, however, the number of pollinating plants is decreasing due to issues such as early flowering due to climate change, fragmentation of green spaces due to urbanization, and pesticide use, which in turn leads to a decline in bee populations. The decline of bee populations directly translates into problems, such as reduced biodiversity in cities and decreased food production. Urban beekeeping has been proposed as a strategy to address the decline of bee populations. However, there is a problem asurban beekeeping strategies are proposed without considering the complex structure of the socio-ecological system consisting of bees foraging and pollination activities and are therefore unsustainable. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the socio-ecological system of honeybees, which are pollinators, structurally using system thinking and propose a green space planning strategy to revitalize urban beekeeping. For this study, previous studies that centered on the social and ecological system of bees in cities were collected and reviewed to establish the system area and derive the main variables for creating a causal loop diagram. Second, the ecological structure of bees' foraging and pollination activities and the structure of bees' ecological system in the city were analyzed, as was the social-ecological system structure of urban beekeeping by creating an individual causal loop diagram. Finally, the socio-ecological system structure of honey bees was analyzed from a holistic perspective through the creation of an integrated causal loop diagram. Citizen participation programs, local government investment, and the creation of urban parks and green spaces in idle spaces were suggestedas green space planning strategies to revitalize urban beekeeping. The results of this study differ from previous studies in that the ecological structure of bees and the social structure of urban beekeeping were analyzed from a holistic perspective using systems thinking to propose strategies, policy recommendations, and implications for introducing sustainable urban beekeeping.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.241-258
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• 1998

The experimental demersal trawl surveys to provide the essential information for the assessment, management and utilization of commercially important fish stocks in the southern waters of Korea were carried out during five research cruises between October 1996 and October 1997 by the training ship “KAYA” of Pukyong National University. The biological sampling was conducted by using the trawl net with a cover net of 36 mm in mesh size at 64 planned trawl stations during daylight to identify the biological characteristics of fish. Each catch was standardized into catch per unit of time and the catches at each trawl station were sorted, weighed and counted by species. The changes in catches of each fish species and the shifts in dominant species by seasions and sampling regions in the research area were analyzed, and the abundance of fish was estimated from the relationship between the trawl catches and the volume of the water column sampled by demersal trawls. The results obtained can be summarized as follows : 1. During the 64 demersal trawls conducted in the southern waters of Korea, 129 species including 112 species of fishes, 8 species of Cephalopoda and 7 species of Crustacea, were identified Also, during the 1996 and 1997 trawl surveys in the reseach area, a large number of commercially important species with small differences in proportion was found. me proportion of Japanese horse mackerel which comprised 19.8% of the total catch by weight was highest, followed by chub mackerel(15.0%), swordtip squid(9.0%), redwing searobin(6.2%), konoshiro gizzard shad(6.1%), Japanese flying squid(5.8%), silver pomfet(5.1%), blackmouth goosefish(5.1%), etc. Swordtip squid, Japanese flying squid, blackmouth goosefish and blackthroat seaperch were among the dominant species in all seasons with a relatively high and stab1e proportion(3.6~9.0%), and were widely distributed in the entire southern water of Korea. 2. The catch rates by cover net varied at 0.7~91.9% by weight of the total trawl catch by codend and cover net at 64 planned trawl stations and the mean catch rate was 44.4%. Species comprising a major portion of the catches by cover net mainly were swordtip squid, konoshiro gizzard shad, the juveniles of Japanese horse mackerel, blackthroat seaperch and chub mackerel, etc. 3. The distribution density of fish in terms of biomass per unit volume which derived from the catch data by 63 bottom trawl hauls in the southern waters of Korea ranged from 17.9 $\times$ 10-6 to 1,440.9 $\times$ 10-6kg/m3 with the mean value of 153.8 $\times$ 10-6 kg/m3. These fish densities varied between seasons, location of sampling stations and sea conditions. From these results, it is worth noting that the catch composition of multispecies and the increased occurrence of small fish in the southern waters of Korea may also result in new problems in determining the total allowable catch(TAC) levels for economically important species.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.676-689
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• 2013

This study is to understand the current situation of Wonju Stream, which flows through Wonju, Kangwon-do, and Seom River, the national river located outside of Wonju, by investigating all river areas using biotope type. Also, this research looked into the relationship between biotope and appearance of wild birds by investigating the location of their appearance. Biotope groups are 'scale', 'shape', and 'landscape'. And, biotope types are 'moisture', 'physical environment', and 'existence of vegetation'. Biotope subtypes are 'river area', 'physical environment', 'vegetation type', and 'usage of land'. Seom River is classified as 21 different sections, and Wonju Stream is classified as 19 different sections. Wild birds are investigated on breeding season, which was January and May of 2008. By marking each bird's location of appearance, it figured out properties of biotope according to the location of bird's appearance. 31 species, 795 birds in spring were founded, and 49 species, 4,348 birds are founded in winter at Seom River area. Also, 34 species, 427 birds in spring, and 33 species, 3,442 birds are founded in winter at Wonju Stream area. In winter, 26 species, 547 birds, and in spring, 12 species, 72 birds at natural river with estuaries in confluence of Seom River area are founded. Also, 34 species, 1412 birds in winter, and 24 species, 341 birds in spring are founded at natural river with estuaries and wetland plants. This means that because agricultural rivers have wide river width, slow flow speed, and many different types of biotope, these rivers can be good habitats for wild birds. The precise investigations and classifications of biotope, which especially are hard for linear rivers, were done to understand the whole and current situation of rivers. Furthermore, the data that shows the locations of wild birds can basically be used for a recovery of biological habitats, a constructing of ecological streams, a river-maintenance, and an enhancement of biodiversity of Wonju. Also, because the types of biotope are altered by rain, a continuous monitoring for maintaining ecosystem of rivers are highly needed.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.229-237
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• 2015

This study aims to offer basic data to effectively preserve and manage pine forests using more precise pine forests' distribution status. In this regard, this study predicts the geographical distribution change of pine forests growing in South Korea, due to climate change, and evaluates the spatial distribution characteristics of pine forests by age. To this end, this study predicts the potential distribution change of pine forests by applying the MaxEnt model useful for species distribution change to the present and future climate change scenarios, and analyzes the effects of bioclimatic variables on the distribution area and change by age. Concerning the potential distribution regions of pine forests, the pine forests, aged 10 to 30 years in South Korea, relatively decreased more. As the area of the region suitable for pine forest by age was bigger, the decreased regions tend to become bigger, and the expanded regions tend to become smaller. Such phenomena is conjectured to be derived from changing of the interaction of pine forests by age from mutual promotional relations to competitive relations in the similar climate environment, while the regions suitable for pine forests' growth are mostly overlap regions. This study has found that precipitation affects more on the distribution of pine forests, compared to temperature change, and that pine trees' geographical distribution change is more affected by climate's extremities including precipitation of driest season and temperature of the coldest season than average climate characteristics. Especially, the effects of precipitation during the driest season on the distribution change of pine forests are irrelevant of pine forest's age class. Such results are expected to result in a reduction of the pine forest as the regions with the increase of moisture deficiency, where climate environment influencing growth and physiological responses related with drought is shaped, gradually increase according to future temperature rise. The findings in this study can be applied as a useful method for the prediction of geographical change according to climate change by using various biological resources information already accumulated. In addition, those findings are expected to be utilized as basic data for the establishment of climate change adaptation policies related to forest vegetation preservation in the natural ecosystem field.