• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.819-824
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• 2010

Genus Phyllostachys is a long-lived woody species primarily distributed throughout South East Asia. Many species of this genus has been regarded as medically and ecologically important in the world. We evaluated representative samples of the four taxa with RAPD to estimate genetic relationships within the genus Phyllostachys. The percentages of polymorphic loci were 8.9-33.3% at the species level. P. bambusoides was found to show lower genetic diversity (H=0.018) than other species. Total genetic diversity ($H_T$) was 0.315, genetic diversity within populations ($H_S$) was 0.043, the proportion of total genetic diversity partitioned among populations ($G_{ST}$) was 0.659 and the gene flow (Nm) was 0.0263. As some Korean populations were isolated and patchily distributed, they exhibited low levels of genetic diversity. The four taxa of the genus Phyllostachys analyzed were distinctly related to a monophyletic. P. nigra var. henonis. Stapf was found to be more closely related to P. pubescens than to P. nigra. P. bambusoides was quite distinct from the remaining species.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.741-757
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• 2012

This study had targeted the Seunghwanglim of Wonju in order to understand the forest vegetation's present condition. And then we compared the change in vegetation of Seunghwanglim for 24years. It was intended to provide basic data for conservation and management. Actual vegetation as a result of investigation, a total area of $56,231m^2$ Quercus serrata forest(7.02%), Acer triflorum forest(5.71%), and Deciduous Broad-Leaved Forest and Pinus densiflora forest(6.4%) were distributed variously. Present condition of the plains forest has 34 kinds of canopy species, 65 kinds of understory species, 70 species of shrubs species, 88 species of total species. And the plains forest has 500 individuals of canopy layer, 1,102 individuals of understory layer. Mean importance percentage of the major species showed Ulmus davidiana var. japonica(15.6%), Acer triflorum(15.2%), Pinus densiflora(11.1%), Quercus serrata(9.8%). Acer triflorum diameter at Ulmus davidiana var. japonica were a relatively wide range. Results of change for 24 years, vegetation of Seunghwanglim was changed from Quercus serrata-Acer triflorum to Ulmus davidiana var. japonica-Acer triflorum. Big trees over than DBH 30cm were surveyed total 18 species, 166 individuals. Increased over than the past 63 individuals. Seunghwanglim was destroyed by reckless past. Since 1990, the outer perimeter fence was installed to control human access. After that, understory layer and shrub layer were developed. And big tree was increased. Which is considered to restore damaged ecosystems. In order to conservation and protection of Seunghwanglim, people have to management and monitor about exotic species such as Robinia pseudo-acacia, Populus tomentiglandulosa, Castanea crenata, Pueraria lobata, etc.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.106-116
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• 2020

To examine distribution of the Zostera species growing naturally in Ulleungdo, scuba diving surveys using ships were conducted along the coast and inside the harbors of the island at the end of September 2019. In areas of seagrass occurrence, environmental factors such as nutrient concentrations in water column and sediment pore water, salinity, and sediment organic content were also analyzed. Zostera caulescens meadows appeared in the relatively deep waters (14-24 m MSL) of Cheonbu-ri, Jeodong-ri, Sadong-ri, and Namyang-ri in Ulleungdo, and the total seagrass coverage was approximately 4.9 ha. Approximately 0.9 ha of Zostera marina meadow was found at the depths of 3-5 m MSL within Hyeonpo-hang in Hyeonpo-ri. The average shoot density and biomass of Z. caulescens were 121.9±9.7 shoot m^-2 and 99.0±13.2 gDW m^-2, respectively, with no significant differences by location. The average shoot density and biomass of Z. marina were 193.8±18.8 shoot m^-2 and 102.6±6.8 gDW m^-2, respectively. The nutrient concentrations in the sediment pore water and sediment organic content in the seagrass meadows in Ulleungdo were lower than those in eelgrass meadows on the southern and eastern coasts of Korea. These results will provide useful basic information for the marine protected species, Z. caulescens and Z. marina, and for the conservation of the waters of Ulleungdo, which has been designated as a marine protected area.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.111 no.4
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• pp.538-547
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• 2022

In this study, the population and community structure of Berchemia berchemiaefolia stands located at Mt. Naeyon (Gyeongbuk, Korea) were quantified, and multivariate analysis was done to determine the correlations between vegetation group types and environmental factors and to have reference data for the conservation and restoration of this species. In total, there were 164 B. berchemiaefolia trees in Mt. Naeyon. The average DBH of the trees was 24.5 cm, forming a normal distribution. It rarely appeared in an understory vegetation height of 3 m. About37.1% of the trees were branched. B. berchemiaefolia stands were classified into two groups: B. berchemiaefolia-Quercus serrata community and B. berchemiaefolia-Carpinus laxiflora community. Canopy gap, organic matter, exchangeable Ca, and cation exchange capacity were the major site characteristics affecting the distribution pattern of the stands. Currently, B. berchemiaefolia trees dominate in Mt. Naeyon, but depending on different habitat positions, the species was in a natural successional stage to C. laxiflora or C. cordata, which is a shade-tolerant species.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.341-348
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• 2002

Correlations among the island area, distance to mainland, latitude, longitude, human impacts, diversity and composition of vascular plants were investigated by analyzing data on 261 islands(10.3% of total number of islands in Korea) selected from the annual reports for 'the natural evironment survey of the uninhabited islands in Korea' published by 'Ministry of Environment' during three years from 1999. The area of surveyed 261 islands ranged 1,100 to 961,000㎡(average of 75,000㎡), and the distance to mainland ranged 0.15 to 51.5km (average of 14.9km). Total number of plant species recorded in those islands was 1,109 species throughout 30 families, and mean mumber of plant species of each island was 98.7 species. Native species were 1,003 species (90.4%), and exotic species were 106 species(9.6%). The families with the largest number of species was the Compositae with 114 species, and followed in the order of Gramineae(90), Leguminosae(54), and Rosaceae(53). The result of multi-dimensional scaling analysis based on the plant species composition showed that 261 islands were distinctly divided into two groups, western sea group(131 islands) and southern sea group(130 islands). The islands of western sea group(average area of 93,000㎡) had greatly larger area than them of southern sea group(average area of 57,000㎡), but the average number of species (average species of 192) per island were less than in southern sea group (average species of 233). And, the partitioning into two groups was responsible for the species restricted to southern than to western sea group. Therefore, this results suggest that the distribution pattern and the composition of plant species could be also affected by the latitude of the island. When the species-area model was applied to total island and plant species, these results indicate that the island area was the most significant predictor of plant species diversity, and the distance to mainland and the human impacts were also shown to be significant predictors of plant species richness. But when applied to both groups of islands by the stepwise selection method, the result showed that islands of southern sea group were greatly affected by the factors such as human impacts, distance to mainland and longitude than western sea group. For the purpose of conservation of natural ecosystem on the uninhabited islands in Korea, we will also examine how the human impacts and the invasion of exotic plant species will disturb the native species diversity.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.351-361
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• 2010

Among common estuarine submerged plants, seagrasses are the most extensively studied due to their ecological importance in estuarine ecosystems. Seagrass meadows are important biological habitats for a wide variety of marine animals and plants. They are a source of organic carbon for commercially important animals. Furthermore, seagrasses act as nutrient filters in estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems. As such, mapping the distribution of seagrass beds is important for management and conservation strategies. In order to survey the seagrass distribution within the Seomjin Estuary, We directly observed seagrass beds in Kwangyang and Hadong using SCUBA. The distribution area, species composition, morphology, density, biomass and productivity of seagrass meadows were examined. Seagrass meadows were distributed in the intertidal and subtidal zones of the Galsa tidal flats, and in the subtidal zone of the neighboring POSCO area. Patches of Zostera japonica was found at patches at the Galsa tidal flats intermediate point. The total estimated seagrass distribution area of the Seomjin Estuary was $1.84\;km^2$. Of the total, $1.83\;km^2$ was Zostera marina (eelgrass) and $0.01\;km^2$ was Zostera japonica (dwarf eelgrass). Zostera japonica was found in intertidal zones. Zostera marina was found from the intertidal to subtidal zones at a 2 m mean sea level (MSL) depth. The leaf productivity of Zostera marina was $4.47g\;DW\;m^{-2}\;day^{-1}$. The annual production of eelgrass was $1,632\;g\;DW\;m^{-2}\;yr^{-1}$, which corresponds to $731g\;C\;m^{-2}\;yr^{-1}$. The total production of eelgrass was $3,002\;tons\;DW\;yr^{-1}$, which corresponds to $1,343\;tons\;C\;yr^{-1}$.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.242-247
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• 2022

Richardia brasiliensis Gomes was found in agricultural land in Susan-ri, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do. Richardia L. is closely related to Diodia L. in Korea, those are confirmed to features of calyx, collora and fruit. This species is similar to R. scabra L., but it differs morphologically from the letter in surface structure of mericarp. The mericarp of R. brasiliensis has line like kneel at the adaxial, whereas R. scabra has groove at the adaxial. R. brasiliensis is recorded for the first time in this study and a morphological description, distribution map, and photographs are presented.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.119-135
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• 2021

Korea has stepped up efforts to investigate and catalog its flora and fauna to conserve the biodiversity of the Korean Peninsula and secure biological resources since the ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992 and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits (ABS) in 2010. Thus, after its establishment in 2007, the National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR) of the Ministry of Environment of Korea initiated a project called the Korean Indigenous Species Investigation Project to investigate indigenous species on the Korean Peninsula. For 15 years since its beginning in 2006, this project has been carried out in five phases, Phase 1 from 2006-2008, Phase 2 from 2009-2011, Phase 3 from 2012-2014, Phase 4 from 2015-2017, and Phase 5 from 2018-2020. Before this project, in 2006, the number of indigenous species surveyed was 29,916. The figure was cumulatively aggregated at the end of each phase as 33,253 species for Phase 1 (2008), 38,011 species for Phase 2 (2011), 42,756 species for Phase 3 (2014), 49,027 species for Phase 4 (2017), and 54,428 species for Phase 5(2020). The number of indigenous species surveyed grew rapidly, showing an approximately 1.8-fold increase as the project progressed. These statistics showed an annual average of 2,320 newly recorded species during the project period. Among the recorded species, a total of 5,242 new species were reported in scientific publications, a great scientific achievement. During this project period, newly recorded species on the Korean Peninsula were identified using the recent taxonomic classifications as follows: 4,440 insect species (including 988 new species), 4,333 invertebrate species except for insects (including 1,492 new species), 98 vertebrate species (fish) (including nine new species), 309 plant species (including 176 vascular plant species, 133 bryophyte species, and 39 new species), 1,916 algae species (including 178 new species), 1,716 fungi and lichen species(including 309 new species), and 4,812 prokaryotic species (including 2,226 new species). The number of collected biological specimens in each phase was aggregated as follows: 247,226 for Phase 1 (2008), 207,827 for Phase 2 (2011), 287,133 for Phase 3 (2014), 244,920 for Phase 4(2017), and 144,333 for Phase 5(2020). A total of 1,131,439 specimens were obtained with an annual average of 75,429. More specifically, 281,054 insect specimens, 194,667 invertebrate specimens (except for insects), 40,100 fish specimens, 378,251 plant specimens, 140,490 algae specimens, 61,695 fungi specimens, and 35,182 prokaryotic specimens were collected. The cumulative number of researchers, which were nearly all professional taxonomists and graduate students majoring in taxonomy across the country, involved in this project was around 5,000, with an annual average of 395. The number of researchers/assistant researchers or mainly graduate students participating in Phase 1 was 597/268; 522/191 in Phase 2; 939/292 in Phase 3; 575/852 in Phase 4; and 601/1,097 in Phase 5. During this project period, 3,488 papers were published in major scientific journals. Of these, 2,320 papers were published in domestic journals and 1,168 papers were published in Science Citation Index(SCI) journals. During the project period, a total of 83.3 billion won (annual average of 5.5 billion won) or approximately US $75 million (annual average of US $5 million) was invested in investigating indigenous species and collecting specimens. This project was a large-scale research study led by the Korean government. It is considered to be a successful example of Korea's compressed development as it attracted almost all of the taxonomists in Korea and made remarkable achievements with a massive budget in a short time. The results from this project led to the National List of Species of Korea, where all species were organized by taxonomic classification. Information regarding the National List of Species of Korea is available to experts, students, and the general public (https://species.nibr.go.kr/index.do). The information, including descriptions, DNA sequences, habitats, distributions, ecological aspects, images, and multimedia, has been digitized, making contributions to scientific advancement in research fields such as phylogenetics and evolution. The species information also serves as a basis for projects aimed at species distribution and biological monitoring such as climate-sensitive biological indicator species. Moreover, the species information helps bio-industries search for useful biological resources. The most meaningful achievement of this project can be in providing support for nurturing young taxonomists like graduate students. This project has continued for the past 15 years and is still ongoing. Efforts to address issues, including species misidentification and invalid synonyms, still have to be made to enhance taxonomic research. Research needs to be conducted to investigate another 50,000 species out of the estimated 100,000 indigenous species on the Korean Peninsula.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.506-515
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• 2009

This study was carried out to investigate the distribution status and UI(urbanization index) of the naturalized plants and exotic plants. For this purpose 7 cities and counties in the northern South Jeolla Province were selected and investigations were conducted on a total of 14 sites, two sites from each city or county, during the period of March to November 2006. The exotic plants were identified as 111 taxa; 26 families, 79 genera, 105 species, and 6 varieties. As for urbanization index, Hampyeong County had the highest level of urbanization(21.95%) and Gokseong County the lowest level of urbanization(16.38%). Naturalized plants classified as family were as follows: Compositae was 36 kinds(32.43%) Graminae 17 kinds(15.31%) and Leguminosae 7 kinds(6.31%). Major communities of naturalized plants consisted of 21 communities including Robinia pseudoacacia-Amorpha fruticosa community, Erigeron annuus community, Erigeron canadensis community etc. Invasive naturalized plants consisted of 7 taxa: Paspalum disticum var. indutum, Paspalum distichum, Rumex acetocella, Solanum carolinense, Aster pilosus, Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior and Ambrosia trifida. The study shows that the integrated management of exotic plants on a national scale is needed. It also recommend that a systematic and integrated management of exotic plants in the northern South Jeolla Province is crucial to preserve and protect natural species.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.49-99
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• 2021

Gwangdeoksan Mountain (699.3 m) is the highest border mountain between the two cities of Chungcheongnamdo Province, Cheonan and Asan, Korea. In this study, we investigated the flora of Gwangdeoksan Mt. from April of 2015 to October of 2017. Through 20 independent field investigations, we identified and tallied a total of 428 species, 9 subspecies, 30 varieties, and a forma in 287 genera and 97 families. Of a total of 468 taxa, 128 taxa in 112 genera and 58 families were found to be Korean endemic species (7 taxa), floristic regional indicator species (45 taxa), rare or endangered species (3 taxa), species subject to the approval of outbound transfer (73 taxa), and alien or ecosystem disturbing species (32 taxa). The flora of Gwangdeoksan Mt. can be divided into four distinct floristic subregions, with higher diversity in the north-facing subregion. The complex flora of Gwangdeoksan Mt., emerging at the edge of two floristic regions of the Korean peninsula, may represent a significant conservation priority and a topic for future ecological and geographical studies.