• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2019

Pintail (Anas acuta) is the major wintering bird in South Korea and known as a major mediator of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Pintail migrates long distances between Russian Siberia and Korea. This species prefers a rice paddy area as their winter habitat. The purpose of this study is to provide the data necessary for the conservation and management of bird habitats in Korea by understanding the wintering home-range and habitat of pintail in Korea. We captured six pintails using a cannon-net in the winter of 2015 and attached the GPS-mobile phone based telemetry (WT-300) on them to study the wintering home-range and wintering habitat. We analyzed the tracking location data using ArcGIS 9.0 Animal Movement Extension and calculated Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) and Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP). The average home-range in the wintering ground analyzed by MCP was $677.3km^2$ (SD=130.2, n=6) while the maximum and minimum were $847.7km^2$ and $467.5km^2$, respectively. Extents of home-range analyzed by KDE were $194.7km^2$ (KDE 90%), $77.4km^2$ (KDE 70%), and $35.3km^2$ (KDE 50%). The pintails mostly used both sea and paddy field as habitat in the winter season and utilized paddy fields more during the nighttime and than the daytime. We concluded that the home-range and habitat of pintails in the winter could be used as the reference data for the preservation of species, management of habitats, and coping with a breakout of HPAI.

• 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.35 no.3
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• pp.256-264
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• 2021

Rapid urbanization around the world has negatively affected wildlife habitats, including birds. Wild birds settled in the city are adapting to the changed surroundings, and are typically known to make nests using materials that are easy to find around the city. This study was conducted for the purpose of analyzing the nesting materials on the Paridae using artificial bird nests installed in cities. In this study, the researchers established a total of 33 artificial bird nests in urban parks (22) and forests (11) in Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do. Then we collected 4 artificial bird nests in urban parks (18.19%) and 5 in urban forests (45.46%) to compare the characteristics of bird nest materials by the nest, species, and urban green area types. Eight nests, excluding a nest abandoned by a pair of Paridae, were used for the material analysis. The collected nests were dried, and classified into natural materials (vegetable materials, animal materials, moss, and soil) and artificial materials (cotton, paper pieces, plastics, vinyl, and synthetic fibers), and then each nest was weighed. The classification result shows that the portion of moss (50.65%) was the highest in all nests, followed by soil (21.43%), artificial material (13.95%), vegetable material (5.78%), animal material (4.57%), and others (3.59%) in that order. Artificial materials were used in all nests in urban green areas. Moreover, although the Paridae used about 5.16% more vegetable material than the Parus varius, it was not significant (t=2.17, p=0.07). Plant materials and soil were most preferred in urban forests, and moss, animal, and artificial materials were widely used in that order in urban parks. There was a significant difference in the use of vegetable materials between urban parks and urban forests (t=3.07, p<0.05^*). In the habitats like urbanized and dry areas, where artificial materials are highly accessible, artificial materials replaced some roles of natural materials. This study is a basic study for the analysis of the types of materials used in artificial bird nests to understand the habitat system of urban ecosystems. It can be used as the basic data for ecological studies and conservation of the Paridae species.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.609-620
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• 2021

This study surveyed six national parks that included a wide range of afforestation among national parks in Korea to analyze the vegetation structure of Larix kaempferi, which occupies the highest ratio among planted areas. Plots were established considering the dominant ratio, diameter at breast height and afforestation area of Larix kaempferi. The purpose of the study was to provide basic data for ecological management to promote diversity. A total of 51 plots were selected based on 400 m² quadrates. TWINSPAN was used for community classification, and each classified community was analyzed of importance percentage, species diversity, number of species, and populations. The community classification identified7 communities, all dominated by Larix kaempferi in the tree layer and classified by the appearance species of the subtree layer and shrub layer. In communities I, II, and VII that are located in the valley, Zelkova serrata, Morus bombycis, and Fraxinus rhynchophylla appeared, while dominated by Larix kaempferi were in the tree layer. Wetland deciduous broad-leaved species such as Fraxinus rhynchophylla and Morus bombycis frequently appeared in the subtree layer. In community III through VI is located on the slope, Quercus spp., such as Quercus mongolica and Quercus acutissima, mainly appeared while dominated by Larix kaempferi in the tree layer, and Quercus and wetland broad-leaved species frequently appeared in the subtree layer and shrub layer. The average species diversity of Larix kaempferi in the surveyed six national parks was 1.2090, with community III the highest at 1.5413 and community VI the lowest at 0.7042. The average number of species was 9.35±2.90, and the average population was 226.05±89.98.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.361-367
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• 2022

This study was conducted to identify annual variation of observation and activity pattern of Korean chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus) using camera traps in the Seoraksan and Jirisan National Parks, South Korea from May 2019 to May 2021. The annual variation was identified based on the observed frequency through weekly observations. Daily activity patterns of the species were also analyzed by season. The daily activity pattern of chipmunk appeared to be constantly diurnal across the years regardless of habitat or season. The Korean chipmunks living in the two different regions were observed in different time periods throughout the year. While the chipmunks inhabiting the Seoraksan were observed from 18^th to 45^th week, the chipmunks inhabiting the Jirisan National Park were observed from 7^th to 48^th week. This may be influenced by the hibernation period of chipmunks in the two different regions. In both regions, chipmunks were most frequently observed in autumn. It is considered that seasonal variation on population dynamic and activity patterns of chipmunks were reflected in the observation frequency. Although the observation frequency of camera trap is an indirect indicator and thus having a limitation that it cannot distinguish the population density and amount of activity for the target species, camera trapping is still an effective survey technique for monitoring mammals due to its high accessibility and easy use.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2023

We analyzed the distribution area of debris slopes in Mudeungsan (Mt. Mudeung) National Park by comparing aerial photos of the past (1966) and the present (2017) and identified the vegetation characteristics that affect the change in the area of the debris slopes by investigating the vegetation status of the debris slopes and the surrounding areas. The area of debris slopes in Mt. Mudeung appears to have been reduced to a quarter of what it used to be. Debris slopes here have decreased at an average rate of 2.3 ha/yr over 51 years by vegetation covers. Notably, most of the small-area debris slopes in the low-inclination slopes disappeared due to active vegetation coverage. However, there are still west-facing, south-west-facing, south-facing, and large-area debris slopes remaining because the sun's radiant heat rapidly raises the surface temperature of rock blocks and dries moisture, making tree growth unfavorable. Because of these locational characteristics, the small-scale vegetation in the middle of Deoksan Stony Slope, which is the broadest area, showed distinct characteristics from the adjacent forest areas. Sunny places and tree species with excellent drying resistance were observed frequently in Deoksan Stony Slope. However, tree species with high hygropreference that grow well in valleys with good soil conditions also prevailed. In some of these places, the soil layer has been well developed due to the accumulation of fine materials and organic matter between the crevices of the rock blocks, which is likely to have provided favorable conditions for such tree species to settle and grow. At the top of Mt. Mudeung, on the other hand, the forest covered the debris slopes, where Mongolian oaks (Quercus mongolica) and royal azaleas (Rhododendron schlippenbachii), which typically grow in the highlands, prevailed. This area was considered favorable for the development of vegetation for the highlands because the density of rock blocks was lower than in Deoksan Stony Slope, and the soil was exposed. Moreover, ash trees (Fraxinus rhynchophylla) and Korean maple trees (Acer pseudosieboldianum) that commonly appear in the valley areas were dominant here. It is probably due to the increased moisture content in the soil, which resulted from creating a depressive landform with a concave shape that is easy to collect rainwater as rock blocks in some areas fell and piled up in the lower region. In conclusion, the area, density of the rock blocks, and distribution pattern of rock block slopes would have affected the vegetation development and species composition in the debris slope landform.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.86-93
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• 2023

This study investigated the ecological characteristics of Odontobutis interrupta at the Geumdang Stream from January to December 2021. The riverbed structure of the species habitat was rich in sand and mud. The water was deep, ranging from 21 to 124 cm, with an average of 48 cm. The stream velocity was slow at 0.24 (0.08-0.36) m/sec. The ratio of females to males was 1:0.98, and the total length of collected individuals ranged from 23 mm to 162 mm. The age according to the total length-frequency distribution as of May indicated that the group with a total length of 23-59 mm was one year old, the group with 60-99 mm was two years old, the group with 100-139 mm was three years old, and the group with 140-162 mm was four years old. As a secondary gender characteristic, the females genital papilla had a cylindrical shape, a hollow inside of the tip, and a longer diameter than males. The males had a cone shape with a pointed end. Sexually mature males had the nuptial color, with a black abdomen and whole body. Some females with a length ranging from 60 to 69 mm and all females 70 mm longer were sexually mature. Some males with a length ranging from 70 to 79 mm and all males 80 mm longer were sexually mature. The spawning season was from May to July, and the water temperature was between 19.6℃ to 29℃ during that period. The prosperous spawning season was June (26℃). The average number of eggs in the ovaries was 2,473 (883-4,955) per matured female, and the matured eggs were yellowish and spherical with a mean diameter of 1.42 (1.20-0.54) mm. The correlation between total length and weight was BW=0.0000006TL^3.21 with the constant a as 0.0000006 and parameter b as 3.21. The condition factor (K) was 1.67 (1.18-2.43) on average, and the slope was 0.116.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.582-591
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• 2022

This study was conducted to eliminate Myocastor coypusMolina, 1782 (Nutria) from Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, South Korea. Habitat identification and eradication were carried out from September to November 2013, and a survey was carried out until June 2022 to check whether the eradication was successful. The habitat was identified with unmanned cameras, interviews, and literature surveys, and the capture was performed using the trapping method with food to attract nutria to the habitat area. The study area for the follow-up survey, which was set relatively wide considering nutria's home range, included wetlands and rivers within 4.0 km² of the habitat area (eradication area). As a result, nutria's habitat was confirmed only at Songdang Ranch, Songdang-ri, of Jeju Island, with traces of habitat (footprints, excrement, and burrows) confirmed in waterways and ponds within the pasture. Eight individuals were captured, including four females, three males, and one individual in too advanced a state of decay to identify the sex. The follow-up survey thoroughly investigated the habitat and its surroundings, focusing on three areas with permanent water, Seongeup Reservoir, Cheonmi Creek, and Molsuni Pond, but no signs of habitat were identified. Therefore, it is determined that nutria inhabiting Jeju Island has been completely eradicated. It is believed that the successful eradication of nutria in the Jeju Special Autonomous Region was possible due to a synergy between 1) the eradication of nutria at the beginning of the settlement phase through rapid capture after confirming the nutria habitat and 2) the delayed expansion period because of rare presence of wetlands, where water is constantly stagnant, on Jeju Island. These results imply that quickly identifying the ecological characteristics of the species and preventing disturbances before they or at the beginning of the ecological disturbance through control and eradication at the initial stage of settlement before the expansion stage is an effective measure to cope with the influx of alien species.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.221-231
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• 2023

Great tit (Parus major) is a bioindicator species that can measure environmental changes in urban ecosystems and plays an important role in maintaining health as a representative insectivorous bird. Researchers have utilized artificial nest box surveys to understand the reproductive ecology of the Paridae family of birds, including the Great tits, but it is difficult to conduct a macroscopic study due to spatial and temporal limitations. This study designed and applied a citizen-participatory monitoring of artificial nest boxes project to transcend the limitations of expert-centered monitoring methods. The Suwon Front Yard Bird Monitoring Team installed artificial nest boxes in green spaces in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province and observed the reproductive ecology of the Paridae family through the participation of voluntary citizen surveyors. Participants were recruited through an online survey from February 9 to February 22, 2021, and they directly performed from installation to observation of artificial next boxes from February 23 to August 31, 2021. Online education was provided to the volunteers for the entire monitoring process to lower the entry barrier for non-expert citizen surveyors and collect consistent data, and observation records were collected through a mobile app. A total of 98 citizen surveyors participated in the citizen-participatory monitoring of artificial nest boxes project, and 175 (84.95%) of the 256 distributed artificial nest boxes were installed in green spaces in Suwon City. Among the installed artificial nest boxes, the results of the citizen science project were confirmed for 173 (83.98%), excluding two boxes with position coordinate generation errors. A total of 987 artificial nest box observation records were collected from citizen surveyors, with a minimum of one time, a maximum of 26 times, and an average of 5.71±4.37 times. The number of observations of artificial birdhouses per month was 70 times (7.09%) in February, 444 times (44.98%) in March, 284 times (28.77%) in April, 133 times (13.48%) in May, 46 times (4.66%) in June, 6 times (0.61%) in July, and 4 times (0.41%) in August. Birds using the artificial nest boxes were observed in 57 (32.95%) of the 173 installed artificial nest boxes, and they included Great tit (Parus major) using 12 boxes (21.05%), Varied Tit (Parus varius) using 7 boxes (12.28%), and unidentified birds using 38 boxes (66.67%). This study is the first to consider citizen participation in the monitoring of artificial nest boxes, a survey method for the reproductive ecology of the Paridae family, including Great tits, and it can be utilized as basic data for the design of ecological monitoring combined with citizen science in the future.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.163-178
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• 2023

This study was conducted to understand the vegetation characteristics of Cheongwansan Provincial Park through the analysis of the plant community structure and to build data necessary for the continuous management and protection of Cheongwansan Provincial Park. The TWINSPAN and DCS analyses of the plant community structure of 63 survey districts in Cheongwansan Provincial Park identified eight colonies, including Cryptomeria japonica Community (I), Chamaecyparis obtusa-Pinus densiflora Commuity (II), P. rigida-P. densiflora Community (III), mixed coniferous and broad-leaved Community (IV), P. densiflora Community (V), deciduous broad-leaved such as Quercus spp. Community (VI), Q. mongolica-P. densiflora Community (VII) and P. thunbergii Community (VIII). The colonies can be grouped into afforestation communities (I, II, and III) dominated by C. obtusa, C. japonica, and P. rigida and natural forest communities (IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII) dominated by native species. Although Cheongwansan Provincial Park is a provincial park area that can represent natural ecosystems and landscapes, the rate of artificial forests is higher than that of other provincial parks. Most of the artificial forest communities are expected to maintain their current state, but since native species such as Machilus thunbergii, Neolitsea sericea, and deciduous broad-leaved, which are warm-temperate trees introduced through surrounding natural forests, appear in the lower layer, it is determined that it is possible to induce succession to natural forests suitable for climatic characteristics through management, and monitoring for continuous management is also necessary. Deciduous broad-leaved such as Quercus spp. Copete with P. densiflora in most natural forest communities. The vegetation series in the warm-temperate region of Korea appears to be in the early stages, and it is believed that the succession to Q. serrata or Q. mongolica, which appears next to coniferous in the series, is in progress. However, M. thunbergii and N. sericea, which appear in the middle stage of the succession in the warm-temperate region, have started to appear, and since Jangheung-gun belongs to the warm-temperate region considering the climate characteristics, the eventual succession to the warm-temperate forests dominated by evergreen broad-leaved is also expected. In this study, we built vegetation data from Cheongwansan Provincial Park, which lacks research on vegetation. However, since vegetation research in Cheongwansan Provincial Park is still insufficient, it is believed that further research should be continuously conducted to establish forest vegetation data and observe vegetation changes.