• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.55-61
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• 2002

Eelgrass, Zostera marina L. widely spreads throughout all the coastal areas of the Korean Peninsula. However, some previously reported eelgrass populations disappeared. The disappearance was probably caused by anthropogenic disturbance such as reclamation and pollutant or exceeded nutrient release. Eelgrass beds occurred from the intertidal to the subtidal zone, mainly in lagoon, estuaries, ports, barrier reef and bays. Eelgrass beds were also found at the intertidal mud and sand flats, subtidal mud and sandbank in more exposed areas. Habitat characteristics of eelgrass beds distributed on the coasts of the Korean Peninsula varied among coast areas. Eelgrass distributed constantly throughout the southern coast of Korea, while the distribution was limited at lagoon, bay, port, or barrier reef on the eastern coast, because of steep water depth and high wave energy in that coast. On the western coast, eelgrass mainly appeared at the intertidal and subtidal zones in islands. Sediment characteristics of the Z. marina beds varied with locality, tidal current and water motion. Sediments of Z. marina beds were composed of sand, muddy sand, sandy mud and mud. Mean grain size ranged from 1.5 to 4.1 phi.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2016

Declines in amphibian populations are occurring worldwide, and have been attributed to many factors, including anthropogenic environmental changes. One of the ramifications of such declines is abnormalities in many amphibian species. A strong association has been detected between human activities and abnormalities in amphibian populations, but studies on this association are largely focused on lentic species. In this study, it was analyzed whether the degree of local human activity was associated with the rate of abnormalities in Bombina orientalis which inhabited lotic environments. We found that the proportions of abnormalities in wild populations of B. orientalis increased, when i) the closest human land use was located within 100 m from the frogs' habitat, and ii) the proportion of human land use within a 300-m radius was high. Our findings suggest that human activity has a negative impact on the fitness of nearby amphibian populations, and that wild populations very close to human-induced disturbance are affected.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.79-89
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• 2012

This study was conducted with the intention of clarifying the effects of land-use types on a species of ground beetle's richness, abundance, and composition; the study focused on urban landscapes. We also selected the potential bioindicators classifying land-use types; eleven sites were selected from an urban landscape in Korea. Overall, land-use types in urban landscapes did not appear to cause significant decrease in species richness or the abundance of total ground beetle assemblage. According to habitat preferences, several land-use types and distances from the forest significantly affected the species richness and abundance, while the open-habitat species were not affected by these variables. Land-use types were classified into two major groups, forest and non-forest areas, based on ground beetle assemblage; several indicators, such as $Dolichus$ $halensis$ $halensis$ and subfamily Carabinae species, were of particular consideration. In conclusion, environmental change by anthropogenic disturbance can cause different effects on ground beetle assemblages, and forest specialists can be negatively affected.

• ALGAE
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.141-146
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• 2007

Seagrass bed is an important component in coastal and estuarine ecosystems, providing food and habitats to a wide variety of marine organisms. Recently, seagrass coverage has declined significantly due to anthropogenic impacts such as cultural eutrophication and reclamation, and thus efforts are under way to prevent further losses and restore disturbed seagrass habitats worldwide. Seagrass transplantation techniques for habitat restoration include vegetative and seed-based methods. Seagrass seeds can be collected easily, and sowing seeds is an economically effective method for large-scale restoration. However, large numbers of seed can be lost by seed predation and physical disturbance in the planting areas. In the present study, Zostera marina seeds were coated with loess to reduce seed loss by predation and sweeping away by the water currents, and germination rates of coated seeds and seedling growth were examined to assess the feasibility of the seed-coating method for large-scale restoration. Germination rate of the coated seeds with loess was significantly higher than that of the uncoated seeds. Additionally, seedling growths were not significantly different between the coated and the uncoated seeds. These results suggest that coating of eelgrass seeds with loess enhances success of seed germintion with no harmful effects on seedling growth. Therefore, the seed coating method using loess may be an effective and applicable seedbased transplanting technique for large-scale restoration.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.176-182
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• 2009

We surveyed the total 30 sites in Gilgol, Nae Sorak for the patterns of the natural regeneration of the korean fir in connection with the characteristic of the stand. The natural regeneration in a forestrical meaning is not found in natural forest but mainly in the anthropogenically already disturbed area. It may be inferred from this fact that the anthropogenic disturbance can give more better condition for a natural regeneration. The regeneration phase in the natural forest is not so distinctive as the artificial forest, and shows itself transiently. And it may be also said that a shift in generation is only a part of the change of the stand phase. The concept of the natural regeneration will lose its meaning, in so far as the patch dynamic determines the phase of the stand, and the main tree species are shade-tolerant abies.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2022

The objective of this study is to find out phytosociological characteristics of Quercus acutissima dominant forest in Anseong city. A total of 39 phytosociological relevés were sampled. 4 syntaxa were classified to use the Z.-M. School's methodology. Species compositions in which this study adopted were Oplismenus undulatifolius-Quercus acutissima community(typicum subcommunity, phytolacca americana subcommunity), Quercus acutissima community, Pinus densiflora-Quercus acutissima community. All syntaxa were distributed in a high proportion of synanthropophyte where lower-slopes with low elevations and inclinations. Oplismenus undulatifolius-Quercus acutissima community was mainly distributed in the west side of Anseong city where high intensity and frequency of human impacts was experienced. While in the east where most of the areas are covered mountains, Quercus acutissima community and Pinus densiflora-Quercus acutissima community were distributed. As a results, phytolacca americana subcommunity belong to Oplismenus undulatifolius-Quercus acutissima community is sytaxon that reflects change in species composition of Quercus acutissma dominant forest due to the continuous landuse changes in Anseong city.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.87-97
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• 2017

Paulownia species has long been recognized in Korean traditional culture and the values of the species have been researched in various focuses. However, studies on distribution and ecological characteristics of the species are still needed. This study aimed to identify distribution trends and ecological characteristics of two Paulownia species in Busan metropolitan city using the MaxEnt model. The MaxEnt model was established based on the environmental factors such as positioning information of the Paulownia species, topography, climate and degree of anthropogenic disturbance potentiality (ADP), which was collected in the on-site research. The study verified that the accuracy of the model was appropriate as the AUC value of Paulownia coreana and P. tomentosa was 0.809, respectively. In terms of the distribution trends of the two Paulownia species in the research area depending on the distribution model, they were both mainly distributed in downtown where built-up area and bare ground were densely concentrated. The potential distribution area of the two species was identified as $137.4km^2$ for P. coreana and $135.0km^2$ for P. tomentosa. The distribution probability was high in Jung-gu, Dongrae-gu, Busanjin-gu and Yeonje-gu. As a result of the analysis on contribution of the environmental factors, it was turned out that the degree of anthropogenic disturbance potentiality (ADP) contributed to distribution of P. coreana and P. tomentosa by about 50%, and the contribution of the environmental factors had a positive correlation with the degree of ADP. The elevation had a negative correlation with both the two species, which was considered because the species must compete more with native species in natural habitats as the altitude above sea level rises. The research findings demonstrated numerically that the distribution of P.coreana and P. tomentosa depended on artificial activities, and indicated the relevance with the Korean traditional landscape. These findings are expected to provide meaningful information in using, preserving and restoring Paulownia species.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.80-92
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• 2015

Some of alien plants, which were introduced from foreign countries, have caused problems in Korea. Invasion of these alien plants in the ecosystem threatens the habitat of endemic species, reducing biodiversity, and causing a disturbance in the ecological system. In urbanized areas of campus universities, a diverse range of organisms were found and a comparison between the sites, near roads or housing sites were made because the campuses provided a large biotope. Although the campus had been exposed to interferences like gardening, it was also a place for most organisms to live in an active floating population due to free access. This research investigated the flora of alien plants that appeared in Beakseok University, Sangmyung University, Hoseo University and Dankook University, and relationship between the distribution of alien plants and the campus and green areas and distance from the highway. The total number of plant species and naturalized species found in the four universities was 189 and 43 species. Those of Dankook University were 136 and 35 species, Hoseo 108 and 25 species, Sangmyung 103 and 31 species, and Baekseok 97 and 26 species, respectively. The abundance of natural plants for each respective university tended to be higher as it became closer to the highway. Also, the closer the walking distance to the university, the greater the tendency for the degree of similarity to be higher. As a result, we may conclude that the distribution of alien plants and anthropogenic activities may be closely related.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.196-206
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• 2020

Background: The Himalayan forests are of great importance to sustain the nature and community resource demands. These forests are facing pressures both from anthropogenic activities and ongoing global climatic changes. Poor natural regeneration has been considered a major problem in mountainous forests. To understand the population structure and regeneration status of Larix (Larix griffithiana and Larix himalaica), we conducted systematic vegetation surveys in three high-altitude valleys namely Ghunsa (Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, KCA), Langtang (Langtang National Park, LNP), and Tsum (Manaslu Conservation Area, MCA) in Nepal Himalaya. The average values of diameter at breast height (DBH), height, and sapling height were compared for three sites and two species using Kruskal-Wallis test. Population structure was assessed in terms of proportion of seedlings, saplings, and trees. Regeneration was analyzed using graphical representation of frequencies of seedlings, saplings, and trees in histograms. Results: The results showed that the population structure of Larix in terms of the proportion of seedling, sapling, and tree varied greatly in the three study areas. KCA had the highest record of seedling, sapling, and tree compared to other two sites. Seedlings were the least among three forms and many plots were without seedlings. We found no seedling in MCA study plots. The plot level average DBH variation among sites was significant (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 7.813, df = 2, p = 0.02) as was between species (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 5.9829, df = 1, p = 0.014). Similarly, the variation in average tree height was significant (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 134.23, df = 2, p < 0.001) among sites as well as between species (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 128.01, df = 1, p < 0.001). All the sites showed reverse J-shaped curve but more pronounced for KCA and MCA. In comparing the two species, Larix griffithiana has clear reverse J-shaped diameter distribution but not Larix himalaica. Conclusion: The varied responses of Larix manifested through regeneration status from spatially distinct areas show that regeneration limitations might be more pronounced in the future. In all the three studied valleys, regeneration of Larix is found to be problematic and specifically for Larix griffithiana in MCA and Larix himalaica in LNP. To address the issues of disturbances, especially serious in LNP, management interventions are recommended to sustain the unique Himalayan endemic conifer.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.277-286
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• 2021

Background: As trade increases, the influx of various alien species and their spread to new regions are prevalent and no longer a special problem. Anthropogenic activities and climate changes have made the distribution of alien species out of their native range common. As a result, alien species can be easily found anywhere, and they have nothing but only a few differences in intensity. The prevalent distribution of alien species adversely affects the ecosystem, and a strategic management plan must be established to control them effectively. To this end, hot spots and cold spots were analyzed according to the degree of distribution of invasive alien plants, and major environmental factors related to hot spots were found. We analyzed the 10,287 distribution points of 126 species of alien plants collected through the national survey of alien species by the hierarchical model of species communities (HMSC) framework. Results: The explanatory and fourfold cross-validation predictive power of the model were 0.91 and 0.75 as AUC values, respectively. The hot spots of invasive plants were found in the Seoul metropolitan area, Daegu metropolitan city, Chungcheongbuk-do Province, southwest shore, and Jeju island. Generally, the hot spots were found where the higher maximum temperature of summer, precipitation of winter, and road density are observed, but temperature seasonality, annual temperature range, precipitation of the summer, and distance to river and sea were negatively related to the hot spots. According to the model, the functional traits accounted for 55% of the variance explained by the environmental factors. The species with higher specific leaf areas were more found where temperature seasonality was low. Taller species preferred the bigger annual temperature range. The heavier seed mass was only preferred when the max temperature of summer exceeded 29 ℃. Conclusions: In this study, hot spots were places where 2.1 times more alien plants were distributed on average than non-hot spots (33.5 vs 15.7 species). The hot spots of invasive plants were expected to appear in less stressful climate conditions, such as low fluctuation of temperature and precipitation. Also, the disturbance by anthropogenic factors or water flow had positive influences on the hot spots. These results were consistent with the previous reports about the ruderal or competitive strategies of invasive plants instead of the stress-tolerant strategy. The functional traits are closely related to the ecological strategies of plants by shaping the response of species to various environmental filters, and our result confirmed this. Therefore, in order to effectively control alien plants, it is judged that the occurrence of disturbed sites in which alien plants can grow in large quantities is minimized, and the river management of waterfronts is required.