• Spatial Information Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.135-146
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to ascertain and analyze environmental factors of subgenus Lycoctonum in Korea for conservation and management of rare high land plant species by GIS. We derived the habitat model of Lycoctonum from GPS coordination, habitat factors and digital topology maps. Suitable altitude fur the subgenus Lycoctonum is from 470m to 1320m, and northern slopes(between 15.5 and 36 degrees) are ideal for the Lycoctonum populations. In addition to altitude, slope and aspect, deciduous forest and approximation to water source were found as important factor. Using GIS and the Lycoctonum habitat model, we overlaid elevation, aspect, slope and land cover layers and analyzed buffer from the water source on two topology maps, Yang-Soo and Mock-Dong. After making prediction map for Lycoctonum habitat, we verified the existence of Lycoctonum populations on the predicted sites through field survey. Through this research, we're convinced that GIS software is powerful tool for plants conservation, such as finding unknown habitat or selecting alternative habitat.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.480-489
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• 2021

Climate change poses great threats to wildlife populations by decreasing their number and destroying their habitats, jeopardizing biodiversity conservation. Asiatic salamander (Hynobiidae) species are particularly vulnerable to climate change due to their small home range and limited dispersal ability. Thus, this study used one salamander species, the Korean clawed salamander (Onychodactylus koreanus), as a model species and examined their habitat characteristics and current distribution in South Korea to predict its spatial distribution under climate change. As a result, we found that altitude was the most important environmental factor for their spatial distribution and that they showed a dense distribution in high-altitude forest regions such as Gangwon and Gyeongsanbuk provinces. The spatial distribution range and habitat characteristics predicted in the species distribution models were sufficiently in accordance with previous studies on the species. By modeling their distribution changes under two different climate change scenarios, we predicted that the distribution range of the Korean clawed salamander population would decrease by 62.96% under the RCP4.5 scenario and by 98.52% under the RCP8.5 scenario, indicating a sharp reduction due to climate change. The model's AUC value was the highest in the present (0.837), followed by RCP4.5 (0.832) and RCP8.5 (0.807). Our study provides a basic reference for implementing conservation plans for amphibians under climate change. Additional research using various analysis techniques reflecting habitat characteristics and minute habitat factors for the whole life cycle of Korean-tailed salamanders help identify major environmental factors that affect species reduction.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.567-578
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• 2022

Various social and environmental problems have recently emerged due to global climate change. In South Korea, coniferous forests in the highlands are decreasing due to climate change whereas the distribution of subtropical species is gradually increasing. This study aims to respond to changes in the distribution of forest species in South Korea due to climate change. This study predicts changes in future suitable areas for Pinus koraiensis, Cryptomeria japonica, and Chamaecyparis obtusa cultivated as timber species based on climate, topography, and environment. Appearance coordinates were collected only for natural forests in consideration of climate suitability in the National Forest Inventory. Future climate data used the SSP scenario by KMA. Species distribution models were ensembled to predict future suitable habitat areas for the base year(2000-2019), near future(2041-2060), and distant future(2081-2100). In the baseline period, the highly suitable habitat for Pinus koraiensis accounted for approximately 13.87% of the country. However, in the distant future(2081-2100), it decreased to approximately 0.11% under SSP5-8.5. For Cryptomeria japonica, the habitat for the base year was approximately 7.08%. It increased to approximately 18.21% under SSP5-8.5 in the distant future. In the case of Chamaecyparis obtusa, the habitat for the base year was approximately 19.32%. It increased to approximately 90.93% under SSP5-8.5 in the distant future. Pinus koraiensis, which had been planted nationwide, gradually moved north due to climate change with suitable habitats in South Korea decreased significantly. After the near future, Pinus koraiensis was not suitable for the afforestation as timber species in South Korea. Chamaecyparis obtusa can be replaced in most areas. In the case of Cryptomeria japonica, it was assessed that it could replace part of the south and central region.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.497-506
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• 2020

This study surveyed the altitudinal diversity and distribution of butterflies inhabiting Mt. Jirisan. Field surveys were conducted thrice (May, June, and July) using a line transect method along four routes in 2015. During the survey, a total of five families, 58 species, and 769 individuals were collected. Of the species collected, the majority belonged to the family Nymphalidae (28 species), followed by Hesperiidae (nine species), Pieridae (eight species), Lycaenidae (seven species), and Papilionidae (six species). As for the individuals, Pieridae accounted for the largest number (333 individuals), followed by Nymphalidae (309 individuals), Lycaenidae (63 individuals), Hesperiidae (33 individuals), and Papilionidae (31 individuals). A cluster analysis performed on the butterfly species distinguished three altitude zones. The butterflies showed different ecological traits in each of the altitude zones. Analysis of the altitudes of the habitats of eight dominant species revealed that each species inhabited a particular altitude. This study confirmed the hypothesis that continuous monitoring will identify changes in the altitudinal distribution and diversity of butterflies on Mt. Jirisan in response to climate change.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.21-31
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• 2024

Macromia daimoji Okumura, 1949 was designated as an endangered species and also categorized as Class II Endangered wildlife on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List in Korea. The spatial distribution of this species ranged within a region delimited by northern latitude from Sacheon-si(35.1°) to Yeoncheon-gun(38.0°) and eastern longitude from Yeoncheon-gun(126.8°) to Yangsan-si(128.9°). They generally prefer microhabitats such as slowly flowing littoral zones of streams, alluvial stream islands and temporarily formed puddles in the sand-based lowland streams. The objectives of this study were to analyze the similarity of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in M. daimoji habitats, to predict the current potential distribution patterns as well as the changes of distribution ranges under global climate change circumstances. Data was collected both from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and by field surveys from April 2009 to September 2022. We adopted MaxEnt model to predict the current and future potential distribution for M. daimoji using downloaded 19 variables from the WorldClim database. The differences of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in the mainstream of Nakdonggang were smaller than those in its tributaries and the other streams, based on the surrounding environments and stream sizes. MaxEnt model presented that potential distribution displayed high inhabiting probability in Nakdonggang and its tributaries. Applying to the future scenarios by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), SSP1 scenario was predicted to expand in a wide area and SSP5 scenario in a narrow area, comparing with current potential distribution. M. daimoji is not only directly threatened by physical disturbances (e.g. river development activities) but also vulnerable to rapidly changing climate circumstances. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the habitat environments and establish conservation strategies for preserving population of M. daimoji.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.107-116
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• 2018

In this study, the distribution of sedimentary environment and benthic macro-fauna in habitats and non-habitats of Zostera marina were investigated. The purpose of this study was to obtain basic data about the sedimentary environment and benthic macro-fauna in the habitats and non-habitats of Z. marina. Sand was dominant within habitat environments, whereas the non-habitats were predominantly composed of silt. As a result, the habitats of Z. marina have a different grain size and organic matter content compared to the non-habitats. These differences in the sedimentary environment were expected to influence the species composition of benthic animals. Benthic communities in the habitats of Z. marina showed a higher density and a greater number of species than in the non-habitats. As a result of an ecological index evaluation, the species diversity index (H') was $3.44{\pm}0.10$ for the habitat; the non-habitat was analyzed as $2.34{\pm}0.35$. It was also found that the stability of community in the habitats was higher than that in the non-habitats. The cluster analysis also clearly showed that habitats and non-habitats of Z. marina have distinct characteristics.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.201-217
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• 2016

We accessed the climate change effects on the distributions of warm-evergreen broad-leaved trees (shorten to warm-evergreens below) in the Korean Peninsula (KP). For this, we first selected nine warm-evergreens with the northern distribution limits at mid-coastal areas of KP and climate variables, coldest month mean temperature and coldest quarter precipitation, known to be important for warm-evergreens growth and survival. Next, species distribution models (SDMs) were constructed with generalized additive model (GAM) algorithm for each warm-evergreen. SDMs projected the potential geographical distributions of warm evergreens under current and future climate conditions in associations with land uses. The nine species were categorized into three groups (mid-coastal, southwest-coastal, and southeast-inland) based on their current spatial patterns. The effects of climate change and land uses on the distributions depend on the current spatial patterns. As considering land uses, the potential current habitats of all warm-evergreens decrease over 60%, showing the highest reduction rate for the Kyungsang-inland group. SDMs forecasted the expansion of potential habitats for all warm-evergreens under climate changes projected for 2050 and 2070. However, the expansion patterns were different among three groups. The spatial patterns of projected coldest quarter precipitation in 2050 and 2070 could account for such differences.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.266-274
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• 2017

We surveyed the habitat use and food materials of the endangered Swan Goose (Anser cygnoides) during the wintering period at the Seocheon tidal flat. The bird wintered about six months from October 2014 to early April 2015 at the flat. They showed a remarkable change in choosing their feeding habitat and prey. They stayed entirely at sedge grass patches on Songrim tidal flat during the early wintering period (October), while after November they gradually moved to Janggu bay and used rice paddy fields as well as sedge patches on the tidal flats as their feeding site. The dietary analysis showed the sedge grass (Bolboschoenus sp., Cyperaceae) was the main dietary source during the entire wintering period. Interestingly, the proportion of Cyperaceae on feces decreased slightly over wintering time, while the proportion of Fabaceae increased relatively since November. These results suggest that the Swan Geese switched their habitat and food sources in response to the change of food availability. The Seocheon tidal flat area is the important wintering site for Swan Geese and sedge grass patches in the area need to be managed as the main feeding area for the wintering Swan Geese.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.303-317
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• 2022

Climate change caused by increased greenhouse gas emissions can alter the natural ecosystem, including the pollination ecosystem and agricultural ecology, which are ecological interactions between potted insects and plants. Many studies have reported that populations of wild bees, including bees and wasps (BW), which are the key pollinators, have gradually declined due to climate change, leading to adverse impacts on overall biodiversity, ultimately with agribusinesses and the life cycle of flowering plants. Therefore, we could infer that the rising temperature in Korean Peninsula (South Korea) due to global warming has led to climate change and influenced the wild bee's ecosystem. In this study, we surveyed the distributional pattern of BW (Superfamily: Apoidea, Vespoidea, and Chrysidoidea) at 51 sites from 2017 (37 sites) to 2018 (14 sites) to examine the effects of climatic factors on the nationwide distribution of BW in South Korea. Previous literature has confirmed that their distribution according to forest climate zones is significantly correlated with mean and accumulative temperatures. Based on the result, we predicted the effects of future climate changes on the BW distribution that appeared throughout South Korea and the species that appeared in specific climate zones using Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). The distributions of wild BW predicted by the SSP scenarios 2-4.5 and 5-8.5 according to the BIOMOD species distribution model revealed that common and endemic species will shift northward from the current habitat distribution by 2050 and 2100, respectively. Our study implies that climate change and its detrimental effect on the ecosystem is ongoing as the BW distribution in South Korea can change, causing the change in the ecosystem in the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, immediate efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions are warranted. We hope the findings of this study can inspire further research on the effects of climate change on pollination services and serve as the reference for making agricultural policy and BW conservation strategy

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2016

Cymbidium kanran Makino is being threatened in its own habitats due illegal collecting and habitat changes by vegetation growth along historical landuse change. In this study, we established habitat restoration model for conservation of C. kanran based on ecological diagnosis. Through exploration to Jeju Island in 2014 and 2015, we identified 27 unknown habitats of C. kanran and in there, abiotic variables and vegetation structure and composition were quantified. Altitudinal distribution of C. kanran was between 200 m~700 m a.s.l. and compared to distribution in 2004, Area of Occupation (AOO) decreased at 82%. Specific habitat affinity was not observed by evenly found in mountain slope and valley and summergreen and evergreen broadleaved forests, but likely more abundant in valley habitats with higher soil and ambient moisture. Total of 96 individual of C. kanran was observed with an average density of $942.6individuals\;ha^{-1}$. The plants showed relatively short leaf length (average=$10.7cm{\pm}1.1cm$) and small number of pseudo bulbs ($1.2{\pm}0.2$). Flowering and fruiting individuals were not observed in field. C. kanran was classified into endangered plant species as CR (Critically Endangered) category by IUCN criteria. Phenotypic plasticity of C. kanran was likely support to sustain in more shaded habitat environment and recent habatat changes to closed canopy and low light availability may exhibit negatively effects to C. kanran's life history. Restoring C. kanran habitat should create open environment as grassland and low woody species density.