• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2001

Life form, flower color, flowering and seed-ripening seasons of 59 alpine plants in Paeknokdam, the crater of Mt. Halla, were investigated in order to obtain the information about ornamental potentials of alpine plants. Life form spectrum of alpine plants are characterized by a high percentage of hemicryptophytes (67.8%). This result was similar to those of other alpine plant communities. Flowering season of alpine plants was July to August and seed-ripening season was August to September. Flower color of these alpine plants was dominated by white (27%), blue (22%) and yellow (20.3%).

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.383-387
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• 1998

the geoecology of the alpine and subalpine belts of the Korean Peninsula, its component plant group, its environmental history, and climatic amplitudes of the arctic-alpine and alpine plants has reviewed and discussed. The present-day alpine and subalpine landscapes are likely to have been formed during the post-glacial warming phase. The disjunctive distribution of many alpine and subalpine plants, however, suggests a former continuous distribution of these both locally and on a broader, and the subsequent breakdown of a former continuous range into fragments as the climate ameliorated during the post-glacial warming phase. The presences of numerous arctic-alpine and alpine plants on the alpine and subalpine belts of the Korean Peninsula, are mainly their relative degree of sensitivity to high summer temperatures. The continued survivals of alpine species and landscape in Korea is in danger if global warming associated the greenhouse effect takes place.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.40-43
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• 2005

The island alpine biogeography of Mt. Halla (Hallasan), Jeju Island (Jejudo), Korea is discussed. The presence of numerous species of alpine flora on Mt. Halla, the southernmost distributional limit for certain species, may primarily be attributed to palaeo-environmental factors, since it can not be wholly explained by reference to current environmental conditions. The alpine flora on the peak of Mt. Halla, mainly above 1,500m a.s.l, is evidently descended from immigrants from NE Asia via the Korean Peninsula during the epochs of the Ice Age. These plants, which are very intolerant of competition with temperate vegetation, have been able to persist in alpine belts thanks to their harsh climatic conditions, sterile soil, rugged topography and cryoturbation. The alpine plants on Hallasan are in a stage or process of retreat toward the mountaintop, most likely due to recent climatic amelioration. The lower limit of some species seems to coincide with maximum summer isotherms. The continued survival of arctic-alpine and alpine plants on the summit of Hallasan, Jejudo, the Korean Peninsula, however, is in danger, if global warming associated with the greenhouse effect continues.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.367-382
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• 2024

Alpine and subalpine plants are isolated and distributed in mountaintop areas at high altitudes and, are among the species most vulnerable to global warming. If the rate of warming continues at its current rate, it is highly likely that this species will be unable to find new refugia and will be the last to go extinct in their current habitats. Therefore, research on the distribution and diversity of alpine and subalpine plants is urgently needed and is important from the perspective of biodiversity conservation. Therefore, this study focused on the distribution of alpine and subalpine plants native to national parks. Alpine and subalpine plants distributed across the 12 national parks accounted for approximately half (47.78%) of all alpine plants in Korea. The average relative frequency of occurrence was 0.23, plant similarity between national parks was 37.19%, and beta diversity was 0.63. The number of species was positively correlated with the latitude, elevation, and area of the national park. Thus the geographical distributions of alpine and subalpine plants haves distinct spatial specificities and physical environmental differences.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.363-369
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• 1999

Reconstruction of the past vegetational changes of Korea in connection with climate changes enables to understand the impacts of past and future global warming on alpine vegetation. Despite the early appearance of the cold-tolerant vegetation since the Mesozoic Era. the occurrence of warmth-tolerant vegetation during the Oligocene and Miocene implies that most of alpine and subalpine vegetations have been confined to the alpine and subalpine belts of northern Korean Peninsula. The presence of cold-episodes during the Pleistocene. however. might have caused a general southward and downslope expansions of cold-tolerant alpine and subalpine vegetation. But the climatic warming trend during the Holocene or post-glacial period eventually has isolated cold-tolerant alpine and subalpine vegetation mainly in the northern Korea. but also on scattered high mountains in the southern Korea. The presence of numerous arctic-alpine and alpine plants on the alpine and subalpine belts is mainly due to their relative degree of sensitivity to high summer temperatures. Global warming would cause important changes in species composition and altitudinal distributional pattern. The altitudinal migration of temperate vegetation upward caused by climatic warming would eventually devastate alpine plants.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.129-136
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• 2001

The alpine grassland vegetation at the northwest slope of Mt. Paektu were investigated by Penound- Howard's cover-degree method. The floristic composition of the alpine grassland from 2,100m altitude to the top of mountain were 35 species, 1 subspecies, and 6 varieties, and most of the plants were short p e r e ~ i a l herbs and shrubs. The dominant species of the vegetation distributed along to altitude were Rhododendron aureum (2,100-2,20Om), Dryas octopetala var. asiatica(2,200-2,30Om), Dryas octopetala var. asiatica(2,300-2,40Om), Rhododendron aureum- Rhododendron redowskianum(2,400-2,50Om), and Rhododendron redowskianum(2,500- 2,58Om), respectively. Characteristics of the shrub plants which settled in alpine grassland showed uniform low height(3-15cm), creeping stem and evergreen leaf. Life form of the plants were 29 species of Hemicryptophyte, 8 species of Chamaephyte, 1 species of Geophyte, and 5 species of Phanerophyte. (Key words : Alpine grassland, Mt. Paektu, Altitude, Dominant, Life form)

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 1991

The distribution of cryophilous arctic-alpine and alpine plants in Korea is reviewed in connection with palaeoenvironment, along with a discussion to their origins, patterns of migration, and their refugia. At present, the estimated number of Korean arctic-alpine and alpine species is 419, and this includes 75 arctic-alpine species, 239 alpine species and 105 Korean endemic alpine species. The disjunctive distribution of cryophilous arctic-alpine and alpine plants is likely to be due to first, the downslope and southward expansion of those species towards the Korean peninsula as a primary refugia from the arctic region as the Pleistocene glacial phases approached, and then their subsequent isolation upslope in mountain areas toward a secondary refugia as the interglacial and post-glacial climatic ameliorations followed; secondly, the expansion of forest tree communities on lowland and montane areas subsequent to the end of the Pleistocene has had the effect of dividing formerly high mountains as a result of the increased competition; and thirdly, the general disapperance or restriction of available habitats for arctic-alpine and alpine species because of post-glacial climatic amelioration. The existence of 139 alpine species exclusively in the north of Korea may be due to the following reasons; first, frequent exchanges of alpine floras with other neighbouring East Asian regions would have been facilitated; secondly, there are numerous high mountains available for the alpine plants to survive and prosper during the post-glacial period; thirdly, the existence of easy accesses between mountains within the north, which has enabled alpine floras to migrate when necessary; and finally, the availability of diverse environments and habitats for the alpine flora of the north. However, the continued survival of those species in Korea at the world's or East Asia's southernmost limits of their distribution for many species is in danger if global warming associated with the greenhouse effect takes place.

• 한국약용작물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.04a
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• pp.288-289
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• 2011

• Mycobiology
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.317-325
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• 2022

Endophytic fungi occupy various ecological niches, which reinforces their diversity. As few studies have investigated the endophytic fungi of alpine conifers, we focused on four species of alpine conifers in this study-Abies nephrolepis, Pinus pumila, Taxus cuspidata var. nana, and Thuja koraiensis-and examined them for endophytic fungi. A total of 108 endophytic fungi were isolated. There were four taxa in A. nephrolepis, 12 in P. pumila, 18 in T. cuspidata var. nana, and 17 in T. koraiensis; these were divided into five classes: Agaricomycetes (3.2%), Dothideomycetes (29.0%), Leotiomycetes (15.0%), Sordariomycetes (41.9%), and Orbiliomycetes (1.6%). The most prevalent fungi were Sydowia polyspora (22.7%) and Xylariaceae sp. (22.7%) in P. pumila, Phomopsis juglandina (16.1%) in T. cuspidate var. nana, and Thuja-endophytes sp. 1 (70.0%) in T. koraiensis. However, there was no dominant species growing in A. nephrolepis. Some host plants were analyzed using next-generation sequencing. We obtained 4618 reads for A. nephrolepis and 2268 reads for T. koraiensis. At the genus level, the top three endophytic fungi were Ophiostomataceae_uc (64.6%), Nectriaceae_uc (15.5%), and unclassified organism (18.0%) in A. nephrolepis and Nectriaceae_uc (41.9%), Ophiostomataceae_uc (41.8%), and Magnaporthaceae_uc (9.2%) in T. koraiensis. Our results show that there are different communities of endophytic fungi among different host plants, even if the host plants are in the same region. Such ecological niches are important in terms of the ecological restoration of alpine conifers.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.77-84
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• 2002

The alpine grassland vegetation at the west slope of Cheungseuk-bong on Mt. Paektu was investigated by Penound-Howard's cover-degree method. The floristic composition of the alpine grassland from 1,800m altitude to the top of mountain were 30 species, 2 subspecies, and 3 varieties, and most of the plants were short(height 2∼13㎝) perennial herbs and shrubs. The highest cover degree of the species in the alpine grassland zone were Ligularia jamesii, Veratrum patulum and Thalictrum aquilegifolium (1,800∼2,l00m), Vaccnium uliginosum and Rhododendron aureum (2,100∼2,l00m), and Rhododendron aureum (2,300∼2,600m). Life form of the plants were 7 species of Chamaephyte, 27 species of Hernicryptophyte, and 1 species of Geophyte. Among the presented plants, 19 species were at flowering stage. Trollius hondoemsis, Trollius japonicus, Liguiaria jamesii and Lloydia serotina were peak at flowering.