• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.39.1-39.15
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• 2023

DNA barcoding without assessing reliability and validity causes taxonomic errors of species identification, which is responsible for disruptions of their conservation and aquaculture industry. Although DNA barcoding facilitates molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of species, its availability in clariid catfish lineage remains uncertain. In this study, DNA barcoding was developed and validated for clariid catfish. 2,970 barcode sequences from mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cytb) genes and D-loop sequences were analyzed for 37 clariid catfish species. The highest intraspecific nearest neighbor distances were 85.47%, 98.03%, and 89.10% for COI, Cytb, and D-loop sequences, respectively. This suggests that the Cytb gene is the most appropriate for identifying clariid catfish and can serve as a standard region for DNA barcoding. A positive barcoding gap between interspecific and intraspecific sequence divergence was observed in the Cytb dataset but not in the COI and D-loop datasets. Intraspecific variation was typically less than 4.4%, whereas interspecific variation was generally more than 66.9%. However, a species complex was detected in walking catfish and significant intraspecific sequence divergence was observed in North African catfish. These findings suggest the need to focus on developing a DNA barcoding system for classifying clariid catfish properly and to validate its efficacy for a wider range of clariid catfish. With an enriched database of multiple sequences from a target species and its genus, species identification can be more accurate and biodiversity assessment of the species can be facilitated.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.40-48
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• 2023

This study is part of a foundational research effort aimed at developing a suitability index for breeding grounds related to avian activities along the domestic South and West coasts, including islands. Focus Group Interviews (FGI) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) analyses were conducted. The results are as follows. First, as a result of determining the value of the suitability of coastal bird breeding sites, the 'Natural Value(0.763)' was higher than the 'Artificial Value(0.237)'. Other artificial values were identified as sub-ranked except for 'Protected Areas' to ensure continuous integrity of breeding spaces. Second, as a result of re-establishing the 25 evaluation items classified in the two-time FGI as higher concepts, nine natural values and five artificial values were finally selected as a total of 14. Third, the results of the mid-classification evaluation of the importance of the suitability of coastal bird breeding sites were identified in the order of 'Ecological Value(0.392)', 'Topographic Value(0.251)', 'Passive Interference(0.124)', 'Geological Value(0.120)', and 'Active Interference(0.113)'. Fourth, the results of the priority of evaluation items of coastal bird breeding sites were in the order of 'Vegetation Distribution (0.187)', 'Area of Mudflats(0.118)', 'Presence or Absence of Mudflats(0.092)', 'Appearance of Natural Enemies(0.087)', 'Protected Areas(0.08)', 'Island Area (0.069)', 'Over-Breeding devastation(0.064)', 'Soil Composition Ratio(0.056)', 'Distance from Land(0.054)', 'Ocean farm area (0.045)', 'Cultivated land area(0.041)', 'Cultivation behavior(0.038)', 'Angle of the Surface(0.036)', and 'Land Use(0.033)'. It is judged that the weighting result value of the evaluation items derived in this study can be used for priority evaluation focusing on the coastal bird breeding area space. However, it seems that the correlation with the unique habitat suitability of bird individuals needs to be supplemented, and spatial analysis research incorporating species-specific characteristics will be left as a future task.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2024

Most wetlands worldwide have suffered from extensive human exploitation. Unfortunately they have been less explored compared to river and lake ecosystems despite their ecological importance and economic values. This is the same case in Korea. This study was aimed to estimate the assemblage attributes and distribution characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrates for fifty wetlands distributed throughout subtropical Jeju Island in 2021. A total of 133 taxa were identified during survey periods belonging to 53 families, 19 orders, 5 classes and 3 phyla. Taxa richness ranged from 4 to 31 taxa per wetland with an average of 17.5 taxa. Taxa richness and abundance of predatory insect groups such as Odonata, Hemiptera and Coleoptera respectively accounted for 67.7% and 68.2% of the total. Among them Coleoptera were the most diverse and abundant. Taxa richness and abundance did not significantly differ from each wetland type classified in accordance with the National Wetland Classification System. There were three endangered species (Clithon retropictum, Lethocerus deyrolli and Cybister (Cybister) chinensis) and several restrictively distributed species only in Jeju Island. Cluster analysis based on the similarity in the benthic macroinvertebrate composition largely classified 50 wetlands into two major clusters: small wetlands located in lowland areas and medium-sized wetlands in middle mountainous regions. All cluster groups displayed significant differences in wetland area, long axis, percentage of fine particles and macrophyte composition ratio. Indicator Species Analysis selected 19 important indicators with the highest indicator value of Ceriagrion melanurum at 63%, followed by Noterus japonicus (59%) and Polypylis hemisphaerula (58%). Our results are expected to provide fundamental information on the biodiversity and habitat environments for benthic macroinvertebrates in wetland ecosystems, consequently helping to establish conservation and restoration plans for small wetlands relatively vulnerable to human disturbance.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.120-128
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• 2024

In this study, the characteristics of the early life history were investigated for the Hypomesus nipponensis in the west coast Daeho Bay. Egg's were adhesive eggs that had the property of sinking in water in a circular shape. The size of mature eggs was 0.52~0.66 (average of 0.59±0.03, n=30) mm. The hatching time took 140 hours at a water temperature of 22~23℃. Immediately after hatching, the yolk sac larvae was 4.78~5.60 (average of 5.25±0.26, n=30) mm in total length, and the mouth and anus were not completely opened. On the 7 days after hatching, the preflexion larvae was 5.91~6.64 (6.32±0.21) mm in total length, and the mouth and anus were opened, and feeding activities were started. On the 25 days after hatching, the flexion larvae was 9.70~12.3 (10.2±0.63) mm in total length, and the end of the spine at the tail end began to bend upward. On the 42 days after hatching, the postflexion larvae was 14.1~18.8 (16.9±1.44) mm in total length, and the end of the spine at the tail was completely bent at 45°. On the 56 days after hatching, it reached the integer with 10 dorsal fins, 16 anal fins, 7 ventral fins, and 19 caudal fins. According to the study, there were spot-shaped melanophore vesicles under the pectoral fins during the incubation period, the different positions of the egg yolk compared to the battlefield, the deposition of melanophore vesicles on the back and under the body of the caudal part during the postflexion larvae period, and the absence of melanophore vesicles on the torso between the head and the starting point of the dorsal fin. It was distinguished from related species in that melanophore vesicles were deposited in one row from the back of the body to the caudal part during the juvenile period.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.429-438
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• 2023

The forest in the lower Tumen River serves as an important ecosystem spanning the territories of North Korea, Russia, and China, and it provides habitat and movement corridors for diverse mammals, including the endangered Amur tiger (Panthera tigris) and Amur leopard (Panthera pardus). This study focuses on the Mijiang area, situated as a potential ecological corridor connecting North Korea and China in the lower Tumen River, playing a crucial role in conserving and restoring the biodiversity of the Korean Peninsula. This study aimed to identify mammal species and estimate their relative abundance, occupancy, and distribution based on the 48 camera traps installed in the Mijiang area from May 2019 to May 2021. The results confirmed the presence of 18 mammal species in the Mijiang area, including large carnivores like tigers and leopards. Among the dominant mammals, four species of ungulates showed high occupancy and detection rates, particularly the Roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) and Wild boar (Sus scrofa). The roe deer was distributed across all areas with a predicted high occupancy rate of 0.97, influenced by altitude, urban residential areas, and patch density. Wild boars showed a predicted occupancy rate of 0.73 and were distributed throughout the entire area, with factors such as wetland ratio, grazing intensity, and spatial heterogeneity in aspects of the landscape influencing their occupancy and detection rates. Sika deer (Cervus nippon) exhibited a predicted occupancy rate of 0.48, confined to specific areas, influenced by slope, habitat fragmentation diversity affecting detection rates, and the ratio of open forests impacting occupancy. Water deer (Hydropotes inermis) displayed a very low occupancy rate of 0.06 along the Tumen River Basin, with higher occupancy in lower altitude areas and increased detection in locations with high spatial heterogeneity in aspects. This study confirmed that the Mijiang area serves as a habitat supporting diverse mammals in the lower Tumen River while also playing a crucial role in facilitating animal movement and habitat connectivity. Additionally, the occupancy prediction model developed in this study is expected to contribute to predicting mammal distribution within the disrupted Tumen River basin due to human interference and identifying and protecting potential ecological corridors in this transboundary region.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.21-31
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• 2024

Macromia daimoji Okumura, 1949 was designated as an endangered species and also categorized as Class II Endangered wildlife on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List in Korea. The spatial distribution of this species ranged within a region delimited by northern latitude from Sacheon-si(35.1°) to Yeoncheon-gun(38.0°) and eastern longitude from Yeoncheon-gun(126.8°) to Yangsan-si(128.9°). They generally prefer microhabitats such as slowly flowing littoral zones of streams, alluvial stream islands and temporarily formed puddles in the sand-based lowland streams. The objectives of this study were to analyze the similarity of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in M. daimoji habitats, to predict the current potential distribution patterns as well as the changes of distribution ranges under global climate change circumstances. Data was collected both from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and by field surveys from April 2009 to September 2022. We adopted MaxEnt model to predict the current and future potential distribution for M. daimoji using downloaded 19 variables from the WorldClim database. The differences of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in the mainstream of Nakdonggang were smaller than those in its tributaries and the other streams, based on the surrounding environments and stream sizes. MaxEnt model presented that potential distribution displayed high inhabiting probability in Nakdonggang and its tributaries. Applying to the future scenarios by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), SSP1 scenario was predicted to expand in a wide area and SSP5 scenario in a narrow area, comparing with current potential distribution. M. daimoji is not only directly threatened by physical disturbances (e.g. river development activities) but also vulnerable to rapidly changing climate circumstances. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the habitat environments and establish conservation strategies for preserving population of M. daimoji.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.738-751
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• 2023

The Sembilan Archipelago is famous for its great biodiversity, in which the humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) (locally named Napoleon fish) is the primary commodity (economically important), and currently, the environmental degradation occurs due to anthropogenic activities. This study aimed to examine the eco-environmental parameters and assess their influence on the abundance of humphead wrasse and other coral reef fish compositions in the Sembilan Archipelago. Direct field monitoring was performed using a visual census throughout an approximately one km transect. Coral cover data collection and assessment were also carried out. A coastal water quality index (CWQI) was used to assess the water quality status. Furthermore, statistical-based analyses [hierarchical clustering, Pearson's correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA)] were performed to examine the correlation between eco-environmental parameters. The Napoleon fish was only found at stations 1 and 2, with a density of about 3.8 Ind/ha, aligning with the dominant composition of the family Serranidae (covering more than 15% of the total community) and coinciding with the higher coral mortality and lower reef fish abundance. The coral reef conditions were generally ideal for supporting marine life, with a living coral percentage of about > 50% in all stations. Based on CWQI, the study area is categorized as good and excellent water quality. Of the 60 parameter values examined, the phytoplankton abundance, Napoleon fish, and temperature are highly correlated, with a correlation coefficient value greater than 0.7, and statistically significant (F < 0.05). Although the adaptation of reef fish to water quality parameters varies greatly, the most influential parameters in shaping their composition in the study area are living corals, nitrites, ammonia, larval abundance, and temperature.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.68 no.4
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• pp.431-437
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• 2023

This study evaluated the ecological characteristics related to spike heading time of three Korean foxtail millet cultivars, i.e., one early and two late maturities, and a finger millet cultivar in the north-central region of the Korean Peninsula, Kangwon Province. The changes in heading time occurred due to the changes in planting time from mid-May to late June. The heading time of the early-maturity cultivars was early August, with 80 days required for heading (DH) for the mid-May planting; late August, with 65 DHs for the late June planting; and mid-late August, with 100 DHs and mid-October, with 65 DHs, respectively, for the late-maturity cultivars. The accumulated temperature at heading time ranged from 1,700℃ of mid-May planting to 1,500℃ of late June planting in the early-maturity cultivars. In contrast, it ranged from 2,100℃ to 1,900℃ in the late-maturity cultivars. The photoperiod at heading time ranged from 14.0 h to 13.2 h in the early-maturity cultivars, whereas it was from 13.2 h to 12.5 h in the late-maturity cultivars. Considering that the limiting heading time of Korean foxtail millet and finger millet in the northern region of Kangwon Povince is late August, the limiting accumulated temperature at the heading time was evaluated to be approximately 1,500℃ and 2,000℃ for early and late-maturity cultivars, respectively. The mean daily temperature from planting to heading time showed a negative correlation with the DH, which was shortened with the increase in mean daily temperature. This suggests that delaying the planting time from May to June in the north-central region of the Korean Peninsula increases the mean daily temperature during vegetative growth periods, resulting in the decrease of the DH and the accumulated temperature.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.46-58
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• 2024

Pollinators are organisms that carry out the pollination process of plants and include Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera. Among them, bees not only pollinate plants but also improve urban green spaces damaged by land use changes, providing a habitat and food for birds and insects. Today, however, the number of pollinating plants is decreasing due to issues such as early flowering due to climate change, fragmentation of green spaces due to urbanization, and pesticide use, which in turn leads to a decline in bee populations. The decline of bee populations directly translates into problems, such as reduced biodiversity in cities and decreased food production. Urban beekeeping has been proposed as a strategy to address the decline of bee populations. However, there is a problem asurban beekeeping strategies are proposed without considering the complex structure of the socio-ecological system consisting of bees foraging and pollination activities and are therefore unsustainable. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the socio-ecological system of honeybees, which are pollinators, structurally using system thinking and propose a green space planning strategy to revitalize urban beekeeping. For this study, previous studies that centered on the social and ecological system of bees in cities were collected and reviewed to establish the system area and derive the main variables for creating a causal loop diagram. Second, the ecological structure of bees' foraging and pollination activities and the structure of bees' ecological system in the city were analyzed, as was the social-ecological system structure of urban beekeeping by creating an individual causal loop diagram. Finally, the socio-ecological system structure of honey bees was analyzed from a holistic perspective through the creation of an integrated causal loop diagram. Citizen participation programs, local government investment, and the creation of urban parks and green spaces in idle spaces were suggestedas green space planning strategies to revitalize urban beekeeping. The results of this study differ from previous studies in that the ecological structure of bees and the social structure of urban beekeeping were analyzed from a holistic perspective using systems thinking to propose strategies, policy recommendations, and implications for introducing sustainable urban beekeeping.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.71-86
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• 2024

Despite the increasing importance of urban parks' ecological functions in dealing with the climate crisis, ecological parks are not clearly defined in Korea's legal system. Numerous ecological parks created nationwide cannot be systematically designated and managed due to various legal bases and varying management authorities. It is important to clarify the legal status of ecological parks in order to lead the ecological paradigm shift of urban parks and to improve the natural park system for a comprehensive and integrated approach to protect the national ecosystem. To this end, related laws were analyzed to identify problems and to draw directions for legislative improvement. Through the literature review of relevant laws, acts, and ordinances, six major directions for improvement were suggested based on the analysis of problems. First, the legal status of ecological parks in the administrative dichotomy of the current park system is ambiguous, and ecological parks should be clarified through the revision of park-related laws. Second, an ecological park can be defined as a sustainable park created and managed in an ecological manner, promoting the protection and restoration of the ecosystem, conservation, and promotion of biodiversity, and balancing nature observation, ecological learning, and leisure activities. Third, the role of the state and local governments should be systematically revised to lead to a new park planning and management model through new governance. Fourth, since the characteristics of ecological parks are affected by individual laws, the possibility of overlapping ecological parks for other uses should be allowed. Fifth, detailed guidelines and standard ordinances need to be enacted to meet the goals, principles, and facilities of ecological parks. Lastly, along with the revision of the laws, ordinances by local governments also need to be more concrete. This study, which tracks various legal realities related to ecological parks, can contribute to policymaking that can systematize the foundation for the creation of ecological parks to preserve nationwide ecosystems and provide citizens with opportunities to experience and learn about nature.