• Korean Journal of Ornithology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.69-76
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• 2018

Sexual dimorphism in birds refers to male-female differences in body size, plumage, color and/or behavior. In general, many seabirds, including the family of Laridae, are monomorphic in plumage-color, which makes the determination of sex difficult in the field because both parents also tend to share a great portion of parental care. The development of an inexpensive sexing tool facilitates understanding the degree of sex-specific parental care in the evolution of the life history. Here, we developed a non-invasive method for the determination of sex using the bill-head morphometric of known captive pairs and applied this tool to wild pairs to document factors underlying male-female parental care during the incubation period of Saunders's gulls (Saundersilarus saundersi). Males exhibited relatively larger bill-head ratios than their mates within naturally formed pairs in captivity, resulting in the determination of sex in12 wild pairs at the nest during the incubation period. Males and females equally shared the incubation role during the daytime, attending the nest at a high rate of 95%. However, the male's proportion of nest attentiveness greatly increased with time towards sunset, presumably reflecting the male duty for nighttime incubation. The present study provides a non-invasive method for the determination of sex in a monomorphic seagull species and highlights how male-female incubation behavior is associated with time of the day, rather than other ecological conditions.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.169-176
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• 2016

Roads are widely accepted to be as a major cause of habitat fragmentation. The wildlife road-crossing structure is one of the most acceptable alternatives among the solutions to provide connectivity between patches isolated by roads. We investigated noise disturbance, vegetation structure and wildlife crossing and habitation at a wildlife road-crossing structure located at the Jingmaei-Pass in Incheon, Korea, to monitor and evaluate its conservation value and ecological performance and to propose measures for their adaptive management. From the result of noise measurement, the noise disturbance from the road traffic was not properly blocked out at the wildlife crossing structure. The survey results of vegetation structure showed that the early-successional plant species such as Ambrosia trifida, Erigeron annuus, Pueraria lobata, Rosa multiflora invaded widely on the crossing structure. An efficient management of the vegetation should be necessarily considered for the facilitation of vegetation succession and the improvement of animal habitat. The crossing structure was used by limited mammal species: Apodemus agrarius, Nyctereutes procyonoides, Mogera wogura and Sciurus vulgaris coreae as the results of the monitoring using footprints and closed-circuit television. In conclusion, The Jingmaei-Pass wildlife crossing structure is unable to function properly as a biological corridor because of the interference of noise and flourishing disturbed vegetation. Therefore, proper alternatives are required for improving animal habitats and mobile environments to enhance the ecological function of a wildlife corridor.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.373-383
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• 2019

The objectives of this study were to compare the protein expression patterns and degrees and identify the protein function of disomic addition lines (DAs) in Leymus racemosus, in order to improve the quality of wheat. Upon SDS-PAGE, L. racemosus showed two major protein bands whereas Chinese Spring (CS) had four major protein bands of high molecular weight. The DA(s) generally showed a similar protein expression pattern to that of CS, because 42 chromosomes were from CS and two chromosomes were from L. racemosus. However, only the L.r[J] line showed two protein bands of between 15 and 20 kDa, like L. racemosus. Image analysis based on 2-DE revealed that L.r[F] had the most upregulated protein spots, whereas L.r[N] had the least upregulated protein spots. For L.r[I], the frequency of the downregulated protein spots was higher than that of the upregulated ones. Using MALDI-TOF MS, the protein function was identified for each protein spot on the 2-DE polyacrylamide gel. The protein spots were classified into 11 groups according to protein function. Among the 11 groups, most protein spots of the DA(s) were identified as proteins related to metabolism. Additionally, unique protein spots of the DA(s) were related to abiotic stressors such as cold and heat. Those proteins are useful for improving wheat quality with resistance against abiotic stressors.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.79-95
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to find the changes in the habitat of wild birds caused by climate change in urban rivers and protected areas that greatly require ecological functions. In the future, this study can be used as a management index to protect the urban river ecosystem and maintain the health of sustainable urban rivers, thereby ensuring biodiversity. The Tancheon Ecological and Landscape Conservation Area, selected as a target site, has been affected by climate change. The four seasons of Korea have a distinct temperate climate, but the average annual temperature in Seoul has risen by 2.4-2.8℃ over the last 40 years. Winter temperatures tended to gradually increase. Precipitation, which was concentrated from June to August, is now changing into localized torrential rain and a uniform precipitation pattern of several months. Climate change causes irregular and unforeseen features. Climate change has been shown to have various effects on urban river ecosystems. The decrease in the area of water surface and sedimentary land impacted river shape change and has led to large-scale terrestrialization. Plants showed disturbance, and the vegetation was simplified. The emergence of national climate change indicator species, the development of foreign herbaceous plants, the change of dry land native herbaceous species, and wet intelligence vegetation were developed. Wild birds appeared in the territory of winter-summer migratory. In addition, species change and the populations of migratory birds also occurred. It was judged that fluctuations in temperature and precipitation and non-predictive characteristics affect the hydrological environment, plant ecology, and wild birds connecting with the river ecosystem. The results of this study were to analyze how climate change affects the habitat of wild birds and to develop a management index for river ecological and landscape conservation areas where environmental and ecological functions in cities operate. This study can serve as a basic study at the level of ecosystem services to improve the health of urban rivers and create a foundation for biodiversity.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.109 no.4
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• pp.371-381
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• 2020

The Ministry of Environment (ME) is planning to adopt in 2020 the IUCN regional Red List for "Guidelines for listing and delisting rare & endangered species and management of endangered Species System". The ME designated 377 species of vascular plants on the regional Red List. In a previous study it had been suggested that 103 species from this list are candidates for the regional Red List. With respect to a possible Red List, we assessed 59 species (after excluding 34 additional NA species and ten endemic species). These assessments indicated that 16 species are at the "threatened" level. Of those, one species is Critically Endangered, ten are Endangered, and five are Vulnerable. A further four species are classified as Near Threatened, 30 as Of Least Concern, and nine as Data Deficient. We found that most of the assessments proposed by the Ministry of Environment were not supported by scientific data, including quantitative geographic data (over 70%) in Criteria B. In order to determine the endangered species belonging to the orchid family, it is necessary to obtain records of illegal activities or data on overcollection. The current problem with the Ministry of Environment Red List has been the lack of management of scientific data on species showing a trend in decreasing population in the mid- to long-term; thus, there is a lack of critical resources for policy-makers. The ME legally designated categories and assessment, and the lack of expertise in failing to comply with the legal law by itself. The key to presenting an accurate overview of the state of Korean flora is to fill the information gaps with respect to significant geographical and taxonomical biases in the quality and quantity of data. By regularly updating the qualified data, we will be able to track the changes in the conservation status of the flora and inform the necessary conservation policies.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.654-663
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• 2019

Pollinators, which are important organisms in pollination ecology, have been highly valued for their economic contributions to crop production in the agricultural and biotechnology industries. As the production of over 70% of farm products, such as fruits, are mediated by pollinators, bees are important and useful insects to humans. However, pollinators are now seriously threatened with their numbers decreasing annually and their biodiversity being negatively affected by ongoing climate change, misuse of land, change of geographical features, and use of pesticides to increase agricultural production. Thus, surveys and analyses of the emergence and distribution of wild bees are important for conservation and management practices designed to help them continue to play their ecological and agricultural roles despite negative pressures, such as climate and topography changes. We surveyed pollinators, especially wild bees, at 51 research sites in South Korea every two to four weeks for two years from 2017 to 2018 using ez-Malaise traps and analyzed the temporal and spatial distribution of wild bees. The bees showed a normal temporal distribution that peaked between July and August. The bees' working period lasted until November. The spatial distribution of wild bees showed a significant correlation with latitude, and different bees were identified depending on the local habitat. No significant correlation was found for longitudinal distribution with regression analysis (p > 0.05), but this study identified locally specific wild bees. Although we could not predict significant distribution according to longitude, Further studies should be able to analyze the difference in the distribution of wild bees according to the climate, topography, and land-use patterns by humans. The results of this study provide basic information on pollinator distribution, which can be useful in agriculture and for the conservation and management of biodiversity in South Korean pollination ecology.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.439-455
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• 2018

Hanon made in the largest maar crater in Korea, is the only paddy field ecosystem in Jeju Island that has been conducting rice farming, for the past 500 years. Flora surveys were conducted eight times, 2015-2018, to understand floristic characteristics and a restoration plan of the study area. As a result, vascular plants of Hanon paddy fields were listed 225 taxa that consist of 55 families, 151 genera, 194 species, 1 subspecies, 25 varieties, and 4 forms. The taxonomic group including the most species, was Gramineae (36 taxa). The next families were Compositae (29 taxa), Cyperaceae (20), Leguminosae (13), and Polygonaceae (11). Biological type of the Hanon was $Th-R_5-D_4-t$ type. The rare plants revealed 3 taxa; Ottelia alismoides(L.) Pers., Acorus calamus L., Pseudoraphis ukishiba Ohwi. Endemic plant revealed 1 taxon; Saururus chinensis(Lour.) Baill. Forty three taxa were naturalized plants composed of 15 families, 24 genera, 41 species, and 2 varieties. The urbanization index and naturalized index were 13.3% and 16.9%, respectively. The Hanon has high plant diversity, including endemic plant and rare plants, and is the only rice paddy in Jeju Island. So, the Hanon has sufficient values in ecological and socio-cultural aspects, so it should be maintained continuously in the future.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.150-164
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• 2022

The objective of this study is to analyze the biodiversity changes and characteristics of the benthic macroinvertebrate community in the Nakdong River with eight weirs, which was constructed as one of the Four Major River Restoration Projects from May to October 2020. The study also includes the analysis of changes in the major groups of benthic macroinvertebrates for about ten years, from 2010 to 2020. The surveys collected 97 species of benthic macroinvertebrates belonging to 83 genera, 52 families, 18 orders, five classes, three phyla, and 128.1 individuals/m². Chironomidae sp. and Tubificidae spp., which are pollutant indicators, dominated throughout the sections. The community analysis result shows the average dominant index and the diversity index of 0.62±0.20 and 1.87±0.63, respectively, and indicated the most stability of the freshwater ecosystem in the upper stream of the Nakdong River. The survey showed dominance by Chironomidae sp. at the center of the Nakdong River weir and the most unstable community in Chilgok and Gangjeong Goryeong weirs. The results of the community stability analysis showed a high distribution of the characteristic group I with high resilience and resistance and small distribution of characteristic group III with low resistance and resilience, indicating a very unstable condition of communities in the Nakdong River weir section. Predators were relatively abundant among the functional feeding groups (FFGs), whereas shredders, gathering-collectors, and filtering-collectors were relatively lower. Among the habitat orientation groups (HOGs), burrowers and climbers were dominant, indicating a wide distribution of groups in ecosystems with low dissolved oxygen. An endangered species level II of Macromia daimoji was found in Sangju and Nakdan weirs. The analysis results for 10 years from 2010 showed that the number of species and populations increased immediately after the dam construction but plummeted in 2016 and are now stabilizing. Chironomidae spp. has been dominant in all sections over the past 10 years, and they are currently maintained at a rate of about 50%. The EPT groups have decreased significantly since 2011, and the Plecoptera and Trichoptera of the group have not yet been restored. The population of Tubificidae spp. showed an increase after construction was completed in 2012 and drastically increased in 2015 and 2020. The species of Cristaria plicata, designated as endangered species level I, has not been observed since 2011 in Hapcheon Changnyeong weir. Moreover, Macromia daimoji was rarely observed in seven weirs until 2015, and it has been confirmed that the current distribution habitat has decreased rapidly.

• 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

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2022.09a
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• pp.72-72
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• 2022

자두나무(Prunus salicina Lindl.)는 세계에서 5번째로 많이 생산되는 과실로, 한국에서 재배하는 자두나무의 기본종은 중국 양쯔강 유역에서 기원했다. 2016년 과수용 자두나무와는 다른 자두나무가 양구에서 발견되었다. 양구군, 인제군, 고성군 일대의 자두나무 개체군의 유전다양성 및 집단 구조 분석을 통해 본 자두나무 개체군의 유전다양성 및 개체군 구조를 확인하고자 했다. 과수용 재배종을 포함한 시료를 채취하여 GBS 분석을 진행했고 주성분 분석과 STRUCTURE 분석을 통해 개체군간 유전적 구조를 확인했다. 재배종의 유전형이 다른 개체군에서도 나타나는 것으로 보아 유의한 유전적 분화가 일어났다고 보기 힘들었다. 하지만 고성군 고진동계곡 등 DMZ에 인접한 집단이 분계도에서 재배종 개체군과 가장 유전적 거리가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 하지만 본 분석으로는 야생집단으로 발견도니 자두나무의 실체와 기원을 단정짓기에는 부족한 것으로 보이며 외군 추가 및 더 많은 시료를 확보하는 등 추가 조사와 분석이 필요하다.