• Title/Summary/Keyword: AMPHIBIANS

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Effects of Deforestation Practice on the Distribution and Abundance of Herpetofauna in Mt. Gariwang, South Korea

  • Choi, Woo-Jin;Park, Il-Kook;Kim, Jong-Sun;Koo, Kyo-Soung;Lee, Jung-Hyun;Park, Chan-Woo;Yang, Hee-Moon;Park, Dae-Sik
    • Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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    • v.34 no.2
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    • pp.188-191
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    • 2018
  • To know if deforestation practice affects the distribution and abundance of herpetofauna in Mt. Gariwang, South Korea, we conducted field surveys over 12 times both at deforested (n=9 sites) and un-touched (control, n=12 sites) forest areas from March to October, 2017. Each survey site was approximately $100m\;long{\times}20m$ wide area, which in the middle of the site, mountain road presented. During each survey, we recorded the species and the number of amphibians and reptiles which identified. To compare environments between the two areas, we analyzed eight environmental variables, extracted from digital sources. Overall, we found one amphibian and four reptile species at deforested area, while each five amphibian and reptile species at un-touched area. The number of amphibian species significantly tended to be smaller at deforested area. The number of the survey sites where amphibians found and the number of amphibian individuals showed the same trend. For reptiles, although the number of reptile individuals showed some increases, all variables investigated were not significantly changed by deforestation practice. Our results imply that deforestation practice negatively affects amphibians, but effects of that on reptiles are not evident.

Fatty acid analysis as a tool to infer the diet in Illinois river otters (Lontra canadensis)

  • Satterthwaite-Phillips, Damian;Novakofski, Jan;Mateus-Pinilla, Nohra
    • Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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    • v.56 no.5
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    • pp.16.1-16.9
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    • 2014
  • Fatty acids (FA) have recently been used in several studies to infer the diet in a number of species. While these studies have been largely successful, most have dealt with predators that have a fairly specialized diet. In this paper, we used FA analysis as a tool to infer the diet of the nearctic river otter (Lontra canadensis). The river otter is an opportunistic predator known to subsist on a wide variety of prey including, fishes, crayfish, molluscs, reptiles and amphibians, among others. We analyzed the principle components of 60 FA from otters and 25 potential prey species in Illinois, USA. Prey species came from 4 major taxonomic divisions: fishes, crayfish, molluscs and amphibians. Within each division, most, but not all, species had significantly different profiles. Using quantitative FA signature analysis, our results suggest that, by mass, fish species are the most significant component of Illinois River otters' diet ($37.7{\pm}1.0%$). Molluscs ranked second ($32.0{\pm}0.8%$), followed by amphibians ($27.3{\pm}4.3%$), and finally, crayfish ($3.0{\pm}0.6%$). Our analysis indicates that molluscs make up a larger portion of the otter diet than previously reported. Throughout much of the Midwest there have been numerous otter reintroduction efforts, many of which appear to be successful. In regions where mollusc species are endangered, these data are essential for management agencies to better understand the potential impact of otters on these species. Our analysis further suggests that quantitative FA signature analysis can be used to infer diet even when prey species are diverse, to the extent that their FA profiles differ. Better understanding of the otter's metabolism of FA would improve inferences of diet from FA analysis.

Effects of Azole Fungicide on Amphibian: Review (Azole계열 항곰팡이 물질의 양서류 독성: 총설)

  • Park, Chan Jin;Park, Yong Ah;Ok, Seung Seok;Gye, Myung Chan
    • Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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    • v.32 no.1
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    • pp.1-15
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    • 2014
  • Amphibians play a pivotal role in the ecosystem as a mediator between aquatic and terrestrial environment. Currently they are directly exposed to a variety of chemicals in the aquatic environment throughout their life cycle. Azole fungicides have been widely used in medical applications and agricultural activities. The direct exposure of azole fungicides causes an alarming situation for various ecosystem. Recently, teratogenesis and endocrine disruption by azole fungicides have been reported in amphibians. In an effort to provide the current information for amphibian toxicity of azole fungicides and to make the guidelines for safe usage of azole-based materials, the effects of azole fungicides including imidazole, triazole, thiazole, oxazole, and pyrazoleon on early development, differentiation and reproduction of amphibians were reviewed.

Development of Artificial Intelligence Education based Convergence Education Program for Classifying of Reptiles and Amphibians (파충류와 양서류 분류를 위한 인공지능 교육 기반의 융합 교육 프로그램 개발)

  • Yi, Soyul;Lee, YoungJun
    • Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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    • v.11 no.12
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    • pp.168-175
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    • 2021
  • In this study, a transdisciplinary convergence education program was developed to enhance the understanding for classification of reptiles and amphibians in biology education and also to increase AI (Artificial Intelligence) capability by using artificial intelligence education. The main content is to solve the classification of reptiles and amphibians that has been dealt with for a long time in biology education, using a decision tree and ML4K (Machine Learnig for Kids), it was designed for a total of 3 lessons. Experts review was conducted on the developed education program, as a result, the I-CVI(Item Content Validity Index) value was .88~1.00 so that can secure content validity. This education program has the advantage of being able to simultaneously learn about the learning contents of artificial intelligence in informatics and the classification of vertebrates in the biological education. In addition, since it is configured to minimize the cognitive load in the AI using part, it is characterized by the fact that all of any teachers can apply it their lesson easily.

Biodiversity in Egypt contributing to world biodiversity

  • Kamal Hussein Shaltout;Mohamed Mahmoud El-Khalafy
    • Journal of Ecology and Environment
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    • v.48 no.1
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    • pp.1-7
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    • 2024
  • Background: Available publications (e.g., theses, scientific reports, books and papers) about the elements of the Egyptian biodiversity during 2000-2018 were collected in a progress scientific report. The publications reported in this bibliography were collected from various sources including: site of the Egyptian Universities Libraries Consortium Portal, accounts of the biodiversity specialists on Research gate, direct contact with the national experts of the Egyptian biodiversity, libraries of some universities and research centers and others. The elements of the Egyptian biodiversity are classified into different categories. Results: Up till now, a total of 20,521 species were recorded in Egypt, of which insects have the highest contribution (48.7%), followed by fungi (12.1%) and vascular plants (11.5%). In a descending order, each of amphibians, viruses, reptiles, mammals, cyanobacteria, bryophytes, and bacteria have a minor contribution (< 1%). Based on the available data, Egyptian biodiversity contributes 1.3% of the world biota, although its area contributes only 0.7% of the world area. At a global scale, the most represented groups are algae (12.22% of the world figure), followed by cyanobacteria (6.08%) and birds (4.70%). On the other hand, the less represented are amphibians (0.14% of the world figure), flora (0.84%) and insects (1.00%). Conclusions: Some suggestions are recommended for preparing a phytoplankton checklist based on the rich available publications; further studies should be carried out on the lichen biodiversity in order to prepare acceptable verified checklist for this important group. In addition, paleo-biologists should work together to publish a book dealing with the Egyptian paleo-biology, such studies will lead to high ranking the Egyptian biodiversity.