• 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 Ecology
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• v.21 no.5_2
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• pp.541-547
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• 1998

The flora and vegetation of the alpine grassland at Dalmoon on Mt. Paektu were investigated on July 24, 1997 by 1 m ${\times}$ 1 m quadrat method. The flora of the vascular plants investigated on this alpine grassland was 36 taxa belonging to 17 families, 35 genera, 29 species, 3 subspecies, 4 varieties. Te leading families were Compositae (7 taxa) and Gramineae (4 species), and the forb was more than the grass. Four dwarf shrubs which were Salix metaformosa, Dryas octopetala var. asiatica, Rhododendron aureum and Vaccinium vitis-idaea were found at the studied sites. This alpine grassland was composed of 17 communities, Astragalus uliginosus, Sanguisorba sitchensis, Deschampsia caespitosa were dominated over 18, 5 and 4 quadrats, respectively.

• 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.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.298-309
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• 2018

This study examined the multi-functionality of an eco-pastoral system in alpine grassland and measured its economic value. The multi-functionality can be divided into three categories: direct-use value, indirect-use value, and heritage value. Direct-use value includes both extractive (forage and livestock production) and non-extractive (recreation and tourism) functions. Indirect-use value includes the functions of water conservation, soil erosion control, atmospheric control, landscape, livestock-manure management, and forest firebreaks. The heritage value includes the function of species diversity. The results showed that the annual value for 1 hectare of the eco-pastoral system in alpine grassland's direct use was estimated to be 21,090,874 Korean won; the indirect-use value was 15,562,203 won when the landscape in grassland system, and 16,018,224 won when the landscape comprised in silvopastoral system. The value of the species diversity in heritage terms ranged from 767,273 to 1,578,845 won, depending on whether it included any endangered species. The total value of multi-functionality of the eco-pastoral system in alpine grassland was estimated to be a minimum of 37,420,350 won/ha and a maximum of 38,687,942 won/ha. The results of this study can provide useful insights for the eco-pastoral system in alpine grassland policies in Republic of Korea.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.349-356
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• 2018

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of goat grazing on the surface water quality of the alpine grasslands. Seven sites were selected across the goat farm for water sample collection and analysis. Samples were analyzed for BOD (Biological oxygen demand), total nitrogen, total phosphorous, electrical conductivity and water turbidity. All the above-mentioned parameters remained below the standard limit of Korean government at the end site. Puddles showed higher values, but below standard, as stagnant water has lower physico-chemical properties as of flowing water. The present study clearly showed that goat grazing doesn't affect water quality in grasslands if grazing is according to carrying capacity of grassland and fertilizer application is judicious.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.401-414
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• 2017

Vegetation and landscape characteristics at the three highest summits of Republic of Korea, i.e. Seoraksan, Jirisan and Hallasan, are analyzed on the basis of species composition, physiognomy, vegetation distribution and structure of alpine plants, along with landform, geology, soil and habitat conditions. Dominant high mountain plants at three alpine and subalpine belts contain deciduous broadleaved shrub, Rhododendron mucronulatum var. ciliatum (31.6%), and evergreen coniferous small tree, Pinus pumila (26.3%) at Seoraksan, deciduous broadleaved tree, Betula ermanii (35.3%), evergreen coniferous tree, Picea jezoensis (23.5%) at Jirisan, and evergreen coniferous tree, Abies koreana (22.6%), deciduous broadleaved shrub, Rhododendron mucronulatum var. ciliatum, and Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii (19.4%) at Hallasan, respectively. Presence of diverse landscapes at the peak of Seoraksan, such as shrubland, grassland, dry land along with rocky areas, and open land may be the result of hostile local climate and geology. High proportion of grassland and wetland at the top of Jirisan may related to gneiss-based gentle topography and well developed soil deposits, which are beneficial to keep the moisture content high. Occurrence of grassland, shrubland, dry land, conifer vegetation, and rocky area at the summit of Hallasan may due to higher elevation, unique local climate, as well as volcanic origin geology and soil substrates. Presences of diverse boreal plant species with various physiognomy at alpine and subalpine belts, and wide range of landscapes, including rocky, grassland, shrubland, wetland, and conifer woodland, provide decisive clues to understand the natural history of Korea, and can be employed as an relevant environmental indicator of biodiversity and ecosystem stability.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.62 no.4
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• pp.504-520
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• 2020

Proliferation of shrubs at the expense of native forage in pastures has been associated with large changes in dry-matter intake and dietary components for grazing ruminants. These changes can also affect the animals' physiology and metabolism. However, little information is available concerning the effect of pastoral-shrub grazing on the rumen bacterial community. To explore rumen bacteria composition in grazing yaks and the response of rumen bacteria to increasing shrub coverage in alpine meadows, 48 yak steers were randomly assigned to four pastures with shrub coverage of 0%, 5.4%, 11.3%, and 20.1% (referred as control, low, middle, and high, respectively), and ruminal fluid was collected from four yaks from each pasture group after 85 days. Rumen fermentation products were measured and microbiota composition determined using Ion S5™ XL sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) and similarity analysis indicated that the degree of shrub coverage correlated with altered rumen bacterial composition of yaks grazing in alpine shrub meadows. At the phyla level, the relative abundance of Firmicutes in rumen increased with increasing shrub coverage, whereas the proportions of Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria and Verrucomicrobia decreased. Yaks grazing in the high shrub-coverage pasture had decreased species of the genus Prevotellaceae UCG-001, Lachnospiraceae XPB1014 group, Lachnospiraceae AC2044 group, Lachnospiraceae FCS020 group and Fretibacterium, but increased species of Christensenellaceae R-7 group, Ruminococcaceae NK4A214 group, Ruminococcus 1, Ruminococcaceae UCG-002, Ruminococcaceae UCG-005 and Lachnospiraceae UCG-008. These variations can enhance the animals' utilization efficiencies of cellulose and hemicellulose from native forage. Meanwhile, yaks grazed in the high shrub-coverage pasture had increased concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) and branched-chain volatile fatty acids (isobutyrate and isovalerate) in rumen compared with yaks grazing in the pasture without shrubs. These results indicate that yaks grazing in a high shrub-coverage pasture may have improved dietary energy utilization and enhanced resistance to cold stress during the winter. Our findings provide evidence for the influence of shrub coverage on the rumen bacterial community of yaks grazing in alpine meadows as well as insights into the sustainable production of grazing yaks on lands with increasing shrub coverage on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 1994

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of legume reseeding on legume establishment, dry matter yield, quality and botanical composition of grasses in timothy(Ph1eum prarense L.) dominated pasture at alpine area. Establishment number and percentage of legume in timothy dominated pasture were increased with spring, red clover(Tr$olium pratense L.) and gramoxone $treatment Dry matter yield of pasture was increased with fall and grazing after overseeding, but, there waq no difference in legume species. Crude protein content(%) of grasses at the first cutting was increased with red clover and paraquat (gramoxone) treatment. Based on the results, it is suggested that spring in seeding time, red clover in legume species and oveneeding after gramoxone treatment are good for effective renovation of timothy dominated pasture at alpine area.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.1218-1230
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• 2021

Cold-adapted plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) with multiple functions are an important resource for microbial fertilizers with low-temperature application. In this study, culturable cold-adapted PGPB strains with nitrogen fixation and phosphorus solubilization abilities were isolated. They were screened from root and rhizosphere of four dominant grass species in nondegraded alpine grasslands of the Qilian Mountains, China. Their other growth-promoting characteristics, including secretion of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), production of siderophores and ACC deaminase, and antifungal activity, were further studied by qualitative and quantitative methods. In addition, whether the PGPB strains could still exert plant growth-promoting activity at 4℃ was verified. The results showed that 67 isolates could maintain one or more growth-promoting traits at 4℃, and these isolates were defined as cold-adapted PGPB. They were divided into 8 genera by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, of which Pseudomonas (64.2%) and Serratia (13.4%) were the common dominant genera, and a few specific genera varied among the plant species. A test-tube culture showed that inoculation of Elymus nutans seedlings with cold-adapted PGPB possessing different functional characteristics had a significant growth-promoting effect under controlled low-temperature conditions, including the development of the roots and aboveground parts. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that different growth-promoting characteristics made different contributions to the development of the roots and aboveground parts. These cold-adapted PGPB can be used as excellent strain resources suitable for the near-natural restoration of degraded alpine grasslands or agriculture stock production in cold areas.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.248-256
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• 2023

As a means to activate eco pastoral system in alpine grassland, the government can consider public pastures, which are currently unused, to scale them up into public ranches. Depending on ownership and operation, four management models proposed as follows: 1) Government-Owned and Operated with Balanced Profit and Loss 2) Government-Owned and Operated with Revenue Generation 3) Government-Owned but Privately Operated by Outsourced to Professional Manager 4) Full Privatization (Ownership and Operation by Private Individuals). The study outlined above proposes four management models for the activation of eco pastoral system in alpine grassland. It also suggests methods for the selection and performance evaluation of manager to establish a profitable structure. Additionally, the research provides management methods for the conservation of grazing ecology in pastoral ecosystems. Particularly, the adaptation of tools commonly used in South Korean business sector for the selection and performance evaluation of manager within the system of the proposed management models. This aspect is deemed valuable as it aligns these tools with the specific characteristics of eco pastoral system in alpine grassland, contributing not only to the effective implementation of the models but also to the enhancement of the revenue structure.