• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.235-242
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• 2012

Mikania micrantha, a neo-tropical vine, is spreading rapidly in the tropical part of Nepal and is now threatening the rural ecosystem including biodiversity and rural livelihoods. However, no attempt has been made to control the spread of M. micrantha. As a result, the vines are spreading freely and rapidly. After a thorough literature review and assessment of forest management practices, we proposed a manual cutting method, as it suits the Nepalese situation for several reasons: required labor is readily available, as local communities are managing forest patches, and the method does not have any potential adverse effects on non-target native species. Experimental plots were laid out in August 2011 to examine the effectiveness of manual cutting. Two different site types based on canopy coverage were selected and divided into three blocks based on cutting strategy. Four treatments were assigned across the experimental plots following a complete block design. We harvested above-ground biomass according to the assigned treatment. The results suggested that there should be at least two consecutive cuttings within a 3-week interval before flowering, and that three consecutive cuttings resulted in 91% mortality of the vines. In addition, cutting promoted regeneration of native plant species. Employing regular cutting operations can modify understory shade enhancing regeneration of native species, which is a desirable condition to constrain proliferation of M. micrantha. Periodic cuttings reduced the competitiveness of M. micrantha regardless of canopy openness, but native ground cover should be retained.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.78-87
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• 2021

Background: To understand shade and wind effects on seedling traits of common reed (Phragmites australis), we conducted a mesocosm experiment manipulating day length (10 h daytime a day as open canopy conditions or 6 h daytime a day as partially closed canopy conditions) and wind speed (0 m/s as windless conditions or 4 m/s as windy conditions). Results: Most values of functional traits of leaf blades, culms, and biomass production of P. australis were higher under long day length. In particular, we found sole positive effects of long day length in several functional traits such as internode and leaf blade lengths and the values of above-ground dry weight (DW), rhizome DW, and total DW. Wind-induced effects on functional traits were different depending on functional traits. Wind contributed to relatively low values of chlorophyll contents, angles between leaf blades, mean culm height, and maximum culm height. In contrast, wind contributed to relatively high values of culm density and below-ground DW. Conclusions: Although wind appeared to inhibit the vertical growth of P. australis through physiological and morphological changes in leaf blades, it seemed that P. australis might compensate the inhibited vertical growth with increased horizontal growth such as more numerous culms, indicating a highly adaptive characteristic of P. australis in terms of phenotypic plasticity under windy environments.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 1990

Effects of mycorrhizal infection on the growth of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) and corn (Zea mays) seedlings have been studied by comparing plants grown in sterilized soil/sand mixtures to plants grown in sterilized soil/sand mixtures with topping the original non-sterile field soil. The original nonsterile field soil, which were taken from the bell pepper field, contained a high level of endmycorrhizal spores. After seven weeks, the shoot height of inoculated plants was increased by 110% in bell pepper, and 90% in corn compared with the control plants. The average above-ground biomass of inoculated plant was increased by 88% in bell pepper and 71% in corn compared with the control plants. The shoot-root ratios in bell pepper and corn were 2.7 and 1.8 for the control plants, and 4.3 and 2.7 for the treatment plants, respectively. Phosphorus level in inoculated plant was higher than that of the control plant. However, nitrogen contents were similar between the control and the treatment plants. The control plants didi not form vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae during the experimental period.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.85 no.3
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• pp.416-425
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• 1996

Aboveground biomass, distribution of N and P in tree components, forest floor and the top 20cm of mineral soil, and litterfall were determined in adjacent 37-year-old plantations of Pinus rigida Mill. and Larix leptolepis Gord. on a sandy clay loam soil in Yangpyeong, Kyonggi Province. Total above-ground tree biomass for P. rigida and L. leptolepis were 138.2 and 127.2 t/ha, respectively, and did not differ between the two species. Nitrogen concentrations in stembark and foliage were all greater in L. leptolepis. Understory biomass contributed less than 2.0% of the total aboveground biomass but contributed up to 12.0% of the aboveground nutrient contents. Soil below L. leptolepis had higher concentrations of N and P. Total ecosystem N content (kg/ha) was greater for L. leptolepis (5,579) than P. rigida (4,147). Litterfall dry mass (kg/ha/yr) was greater for P. rigida (6,020) than L. leptolepis (4,191) whereas N contents in leaf litterfall (kg/ha/yr) was almost twice as large in L. leptolepis (28) than P. rigida (16). This common garden experiment suggests a strong influence of tree species on nutrient distribution and cycling in a forest ecosystem.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.73-81
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• 2013

Various remediation methods have been applied to clean soils contaminated with pollutants. They remove contaminants from the soils by utilizing physicochemical, biological, and thermal processes and can satisfy soil remediation standards within a limited time; however, they also have an effect on the biological functions of soils by changing soil properties. In this study, changes of the biological properties of soils before and after treatment with three frequently used remediation methods-soil washing, land farming, and thermal desorption-were monitored to investigate the effects of remediation methods on soil biological functions. Total microbial number and soil enzyme activities, germination rate and growth of Brassica juncea, biomass change of Eisenia andrei were examined the effects on soil microorganisms, plant, and soil organisms, respectively. After soil washing, the germination rate of Brassica juncea increased but the above-ground growth and total microbial number decreased. Dehydrogenase activity, germination rate and above-ground growth increased in both land farming and thermal desorption treated soil. Although the growth of Eisenia andrei in thermal desorption treated soil was higher than any other treatment, it was still lower than that in non-contaminated soil. These results show that the remediation processes used to clean contaminated soil also affect soil biological functions. To utilize the cleaned soil for healthy and more value-added purposes, soil improvement and process development are needed.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.276-288
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• 2013

The present study investigates the effects of elevated soil nitrogen on growth and decomposition of Oryza sativa shoots. The plants were cultivated in greenhouse until leaf senescence and the total biomass of the plant increased 1.9 times at nitrogen addition plot. Total C and N content in shoot increased; however, lignin, C/N, and lignin/N levels decreased in the N-treated soil. The shoot litters collected from the control and N-treated soil were tested for decay and microbial biomass, $CO_2$ evolution, and enzyme activities during decomposition on the control and N-treated soil at $25^{\circ}C$ microcosm. The remaining mass of the shoot litter was approximately 6% higher in the litter collected from the control soil (53.0%) than the litter collected from high N-treated soil (47.1%). However, the high N-containing litter exhibited faster decay in the control soil than in the N-treated soil. The litter containing high N, low C/N, and low lignin/N showed a higher decomposition rate than that of low quality litter. The N-addition showed decreased microbial biomass C and dehydrogenase activity in soil; however, it exhibited high microbial biomass N and urease activity in soil. When the high N-containing litter decays on the N-treated soil, the microbial biomass C increased rapidly at the initial phase of decomposition and decreased thereafter, and dehydrogenase activity was less that of other treatment; however, there was no effect on the microbial biomass N. The urease in the decomposing litter was highest during the early decomposition stage and dramatically decreased thereafter. The present findings suggested that the N-addition increased N content in litter, but inhibited the decomposition process of above-ground biomass in terrestrial ecosystems.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.627-633
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• 2014

Annual biomass production and amount of organic carbon in Abies koreana forest at Mt. Halla were conducted as a part of Korea National Long-Term Ecological Research (KNLTER). We measured standing biomass change of litter, soil production and organic carbon amounts of the forest floor and soil layer of A. koreana forest in Mt. Halla from 2009 to 2013 in permanent plots. Standing biomass, which was determined by allometric method, was converted into $CO_2$. The standing biomass in A. koreana forest was 98.88, 106.42, 107.67, 108.31, $91.48ton\;ha^{-1}$ in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 year, respectively. The amount of annual carbon allocated to above ground was 35.95, 38.69, 38.96, 39.46, $33.2ton\;C\;ha^{-1}$ and below ground biomass was 8.54, 9.2, 9.49, 9.28, $7.97ton\;C\;ha^{-1}$ in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 year, respectively. Amount of organic carbon returned to the forest via litterfall was 1.09, 1.80, 1.32, 2.46 and $1.20ton\;C\;ha^{-1}$ in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Amount of organic carbon in annual litter layer on forest floor was 2.74, 2.43, 2.00 and $1.16ton\;C\;ha^{-1}$ in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 year, respectively. Amount of organic carbon within 20cm soil depth was 55.77, 54.9, 50.69, 44.42 and $41.87ton\;C\;ha^{-1}20cm^{-1}$ in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 year, respectively. Then standing biomass and organic carbon distribution increased steadily until 2012. But there declined in 2013 because of the typhoon Bolaven. Thus, standing biomass and organic carbon distribution of this subalpine forest were largely affected by natural disturbance factor.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.51-65
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• 1982

The growth characteristics and appropriate fertilizer-managements in the rejuvenating bamboo grove were studied with Phyllostachys reticulata. The bamboo soil was the sandy loam with rich humus. In the fertilized plots, the N-fertilizer was significantly absorbed, and it was necessary to fertilize the K-fertilizer continuously. According to the development of rejuvenating after flowering, the temperature and relative illumination became lower. while the moisture became higher. The relationship between the diameter at eye height (D) and the culm length (H) of each bamboo can be expressed as follow; $H=2.5538D^{0.5031}$ The leaf area is the major factor for the production of the bamboo grove. Therefore in the rejuvenating grove, we should refrain form pruning or felling of not -flowering bamboo. The theoretical distribution of the internodal length was obtained by the distribution curve line of the internodal length derived from the regular distribution curve line. Relatively long and even internodal length was found in the fertilized plots 2 and 4. The relation between $D^2H$ and dry weight of culm or dry weight of the above ground part were given by linear regression in both relations respectively on the logarithmic coordinates, but the propertional relation was not established in these relations. The biomass of the above ground part obtained by the allometry method showed high values in the fertilized plots 2.5 and 6. The appropriate amounts of the three elements, N, P and K for the maximum dry matter were 24.19, 15.51, 8.63 kg/10a, respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.87 no.2
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• pp.276-285
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• 1998

The aboveground biomass and nutrient content (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) of Pinus koraiensis S. et Z., aged 9, 22, 34, 46, 66 years, were measured in the Experiment Forest of Kangwon National University of Kangwondo province. The site index of the stands ranged from 13.5 to 14.2. Allometric equations (logY=alogX+b, where Y, X is ovendry mass and DBH, respectively) relating dry weights of stem, branches and needles to diameter at breast height (DBH) were developed to estimate aboveground tree biomass. Total above ground tree biomass increased with stand age from $21.8t\;ha^{-1}$ in the 9-year-old stand to $130t\;ha^{-1}$ in the 66-Year-old stand. Aboveground biomass was allocated as follows : stem> branch > foliage, except for the 9-year-old stand which had a greater proportion of foliage biomass than branch biomass. As stand age increased, an increasing proportion of annual biomass increment was allocated to stems. The aboveground biomass of shrubs and herbs ranged from 0.4 to $3.9t\;ha^{-1}$ and from 0.05 to $0.6t\;ha^{-1}$, respectively. No relationship was found between aboveground understory biomass and stand age. The mass of woody debris and forest floor varied between 0.59 to $1.54t\;ha^{-1}$ and 6.0 to $21.63t\;ha^{-1}$, respectively. Nutrient accumulation in aboveground tree biomass increased with stand age and was in the order of N > Ca > K > P > Mg. Average rates of nutrients accumulation in biomass were greatest in the early stages of stand development, and less marked as stand aged. The nutrient concentrations in different tree components decreased in the order of needle > branch > stem. There were no detectable trends in nutrient content of the forest floor and mineral soils with stand age. Understory vegetation contributed little to the nutrient pool of these Korean pine ecosystems. Mineral soil contained the Breast proportion of nutrient capital of the various ecosystem compartments.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.36 no.2_2
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• pp.325-335
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• 2020

Forest canopy height can be used for estimate of above-ground forest biomass (AGB) by means of the allometric equation. The remote locations and harsh conditions of mangrove forests limit the number of field inventory data stations needed for large-scale modeling of carbon and biomass dynamics. Although active and passive spaceborne sensors have proven successful in mapping mangroves globally, the sensors generally have coarse spatial resolution and overlook small-scale features. Here we generate a 12 m spatial resolution mangrove canopy height map from TanDEM-X data acquired over the world largest intact mangrove forest located in the Sundarbans. With single-pol. TanDEM-X data from 2011 to 2013, the proposed technique makes use of the fact that the double-bounce scattering that occurs between the water and mangrove trees yields water surface level elevation over mangrove forest areas, thus allowing us to estimate forest height with the assumption of an underlying flat topography. Our observations have led to a large-scale mangrove canopy height map over the entire Sundarbans region at a 12 m spatial resolution. Our canopy height estimates were validated with ground measurements acquired in 2015, a correlation coefficient of 0.83 and a RMSE of 0.84 m. With globally available TanDEM-X data, the technique described here will potentially provide accurate global maps of mangrove canopy height at 12 m spatial resolution and provide crucial information for understanding biomass and carbon dynamics in the mangrove ecosystems.