• Animal cells and systems
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.31-35
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• 2001

Temperate-resident bats exhibit a circadian cycle of torpor and arousal In summer. The physiological role and selective advantage of torpor as an energy saving mechanism have been received much attention by hibernation biologists. However, despite the significance of the recovering euthermic function, the arousal process and mechanism in these animals have been poorly addressed. In this study, we investigated thermogenic and motor activities of a local bat species Murina leucogaster during arousal by simultaneously examining oxygen consumption rate, body temperature ($T_b$) and pectoral electromyography (EMG). We found that Tb of the torpid bats (12-14$^{\circ}C$) was augmented slowly by nonshivering mechanism during the initial awakening phase. The pectoral shivering, gauged by EMG activity, occurred between 17$^{\circ}C$ and 38$^{\circ}C$. Over this Tb range of shivering, heat was produced at a rate of 0.145 kcal $kg^{-1}\;min^{-1}$ to raise 1$^{\circ}C$ $T_b$ per min. Shivering was most intensive at 30-35$^{\circ}C$ where both EMG amplitude and spike frequency were the highest. Activation of the pectoral myofibers seemed to be controlled in a manner that motor units were recruited from smaller to larger sizes, with greater synchronization, as muscle shivering became intensive with increasing $T_b$.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제47권4호
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• pp.168-176
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• 2023

Background: Many insectivorous bats have flexible diets, and the difference in prey item consumption among species is one of the key mechanisms that allows for the avoidance of interspecies competition and promotes coexistence within a microhabitat. In Korea, of the 24 bat species that are known to be distributed, eight insectivorous bats use forest areas as both roosting and foraging sites. Here, we aimed to understand the resource partitioning and coexistence strategies between two bat species, Myotis ikonnikovi and Plecotus ognevi, cohabiting the Mt. Jumbong forests, by comparing the differences in dietary consumption based on habitat utilization. Results: Upon examining their dietary composition using the DNA meta-barcoding approach, we identified 403 prey items (amplicon sequence variants). A greater prey diversity including Lepidoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, and Ephemeroptera, was detected from M. ikonnikovi, whereas most prey items identified from P. ognevi belonged to Lepidoptera. The diversity index of prey items was higher for M. ikonnikovi (H': 5.67, D: 0.995) than that for P. ognevi (H': 4.31, D: 0.985). Pianka's index value was 0.207, indicating little overlap in the dietary composition of these bat species. Our results suggest that M. ikonnikovi has a wider diet composition than P. ognevi. Conclusions: Based on the dietary analysis results, our results suggests the possibility of differences in foraging site preferences or microhabitat utilization between two bat species cohabiting the Mt. Jumbong. In addition, these differences may represent one of the important mechanism in reducing interspecific competition and enabling coexistence between the two bat species. We expected that our results will be valuable for understanding resource partitioning and the coexistence of bats inhabiting the Korean forests.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제25권12호
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• pp.1354-1361
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• 2015

본 연구는 제주도 서식이 명확히 확인되지 않았던 대륙쇠큰수염박쥐(M. aurascens)의 분포 현황과 계통 유연관계를 조사하기 위하여 수행되었다. 제주도 남서부의 진지동굴 3개 지역에서 대륙쇠큰수염박쥐 무리가 관찰되었다. 형태형질에 대한 비교결과에서 제주도 대륙쇠큰수염박쥐는 한반도 집단에 비해 HBL과 Hfu는 짧고, TL, EL, FAL, Tra는 더 길었다. 제주도 집단의 FAL, Hfcu는 유럽 집단보다 더 넓은 크기 변이를 나타내었다. 서식장소에 대한 주기적인 방문조사 결과, 같은 장소에서 대륙쇠큰수염박쥐들이 재확인이 되지 않았고, 이는 해안과 내륙의 진지동굴을 활동기 동안에 일간 휴식처로 이용하는 것으로 추정되었다. 본 연구에서 이용된 모든 제주도 박쥐들에서 두 가지 유전자(CYTB, COI)의 염기서열들이 모두 동일하게 나타나, 이들이 모두 동일한 모계의 후손들로 추정되었다. 분자 유전학적 연구결과는 제주도 대륙쇠큰수염박쥐의 서열들이 계통수 상에서 기존에 유럽과 아시아의 M. aurascens 서열들과 동일한 분지에 있었다. 뿐만 아니라, 제주도 집단에서 얻은 염기서열들은 한반도에서 보고된 대륙쇠큰수염박쥐의 서열과 가장 근연인 것으로 확인되었다. 결과적으로 본 연구를 통해 제주도에서 자연서식이 확인된 대륙쇠큰수염박쥐들은 모두 동일한 모계선조에서 기원하였고, 한반도나 다른 지역 집단들과는 형태적, 유전적으로 다른 배경을 보유하고 있어, 한반도를 경유하여 제주도로 이주해 온 집단으로 판단된다. 이상의 결과는 향후 제주도 포유동물의 유입경로와 생물지리학적 상관관계를 이해하는 데 있어 중요한 기초자료가 될 것이다.

• 생태와환경
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• 제50권4호
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• pp.411-421
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• 2017

온대지역에서 동면박쥐에 대한 분포와 생태정보는 대상 종의 보전 및 서식지 보호 관리의 효율성을 높인다. 본 연구에서 멸종위기종인 붉은박쥐 개체군 경향 분석과 생태적 요구 조건을 파악하여 보호 관리 방안을 제시하고자 하였다. 2007년부터 2016년까지 조사를 수행한 결과, 전국 58개의 동면처에서 붉은박쥐 570개체가 확인되었다. 붉은박쥐가 이용한 동면처의 유형은 자연동굴에 비해 폐광산이 많았으며, 폐광산에서 보다 더 많은 붉은박쥐 개체가 동면하는 것이 확인되었다. 붉은박쥐의 동면처는 평균 $12.13{\sim}15.07^{\circ}C$의 온도와 92% 이상의 습도가 동면기간 동안 안정되게 유지되었다. 장기적인 모니터링 자료를 바탕으로 멸종위기종인 붉은박쥐의 개체군의 변화를 평가하기 위하여 TRIM을 이용하여 분석한 결과, 붉은박쥐 개체군의 변화는 안정적인 것으로 평가되었다. 그럼에도 불구하고 일부 동면처 사례를 통하여 동면처의 구조 및 환경 변화로 인한 붉은박쥐 개체수가 급감되는 사실을 확인하였다. 본 연구는 장기 모니터링 결과에 근거한 개체군 경향분석 결과와 현장 사례를 분석을 통하여 멸종위기종인 붉은박쥐의 보전 및 서식지 보호 관리 방향을 제시한다. 따라서 멸종위기종인 붉은박쥐의 서식지 보호 관리 방안은 방향은 종의 온도 선호도 및 서식지 환경이 변화되지 않도록 유지하는 것과 서식지 내 인위적인 간섭요인을 차단하는 것은 중요 사항이 될 것이다.

• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.521-525
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• 2014

The Ussurian tube-nosed bat (Murina ussuriensis) is a registered endangered species that has not been observed in South Korea since 1960. We were able to capture three individuals of M. ussuriensis between 2011 and 2013 at Sobaeksan National Park. The discovery of this species was the first time within 50 years. To collect basic data on the M. ussuriensis, we analyzed the external morphology and ultrasound characteristics of the captured bats. The results indicated that M. ussuriensis weigh approximately 5.2 g, which is less than that of a typical small bat such as Pipistrellus abramus. The bat's wing-type ratio was determined to be 1.22 and classified as a broad and short wingspan type. The bat uses FM signals for ultrasound with a peak frequency of 92 kHz. The M. ussuriensis seems to be a forest-dwelling bat that preys on insects by maneuvering expertly within the complex mazelike structure of forests. In the future, further research on the hibernation and foraging sites of the bats is necessary to protect and monitor the species.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.160-175
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• 2015

The echolocation calls of bats can provide useful information about species that are generally difficult to observe in the field. In many cases characteristics of call structure can be used to identify species and also to obtain information about aspects of the bat's ecology. We describe and compare the echolocation call structure of 14 of the 21 bat species found in Korea, for most of which the ecology and behavior are poorly understood. In total, 1,129 pulses were analyzed from 93 echolocation call sequences of 14 species. Analyzed pulses could be classified into three types according to the pulse shape: FM/CF/FM type, FM type and FM/QCF type. Pulse structures of all species were consistent with previous studies, although geographic variation may be indicated in some species. Overall classification rate provided by the canonical discriminant analysis was relatively low. Especially in the genera Myotis and Murina, there are large overlaps in spectral and temporal parameters between species. On the other hand, classification rates for the FM/QCF type species were relatively high. The results show that acoustic monitoring could be a powerful tool for assessing bat activity and distribution in Korea, at least for FM/QCF and FM/CF/FM species.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제48권3호
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• pp.252-266
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• 2020

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious pneumonia that has spread throughout the world. It is caused by a novel, single stranded RNA virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Genetic analysis revealed that, phylogenetically, the SARS-CoV-2 is related to severe acute respiratory syndrome-like viruses seen in bats. Because of this, bats are considered as a possible primary reservoir. The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. As of May 27, 2020, more than 5,406,282 confirmed cases, and 343,562 confirmed deaths have been reported worldwide. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or antiviral drugs available against COVID-19. Newly developed vaccines are in the first stage of clinical trials, and it may take a few months to a few years for their commercialization. At present, remdesivir and chloroquine are the promising drugs for treating COVID-19 patients. In this review, we summarize the diversity, genetic variations, primary reservoirs, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment strategies, and future prospects with respect to controlling the spread of COVID-19.

• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.353-358
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• 2015

In this study, we analyzed two types of echolocation calls used by the parti-coloured bat, Vespertilio sinensis. Bats were captured in the Naejangsan National Park in October 2013. Call sounds of hand-released bats were recorded at the location of capture within the National Park. We analyzed pulse duration (PD), pulse interval (PI), peak frequency (PF), maximum frequency ($F_{MAX}$), minimum frequency ($F_{MIN}$), and bandwidth (BW). V. sinensis emitted the different types of the echolocation calls depending on the surrounding environment. Frequency modulated-constant frequency (FM-CF) signal of audible range was emitted when they flew in the uncluttered space over the canopy. However, when flying in the cluttered space below the canopy, they only emitted FM signal. FM-CF signal is in the audible range (e.g., low frequency), and FM signal has a harmonic broadband frequency range of two. There were significant differences in PD, PI, PF, FMAX, FMIN, and BW between the calls emitted over and below the canopy. Considering the functional characteristics of FM and CF signals, we conclude that the foraging activity of V. sinensis was observed below the canopy, and recommend the use of FM signal and broadband as echolocation signals.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.119-125
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• 2009

Mammalian hibernation is a type of natural adaptation that allows organisms to avoid harsh environment and to increase the possibility of survival. To investigate the molecular link between circadian and hibernating rhythms in the greater tube-nosed bats, Murina leucogaster, we set out to identify circadian genes that are expressed in bats, with specific focus on the PAS domain by using PCR-based screens. We could isolate a eDNA clone, designated as LPAS1, that encodes a protein of 521 amino acid residues. LPAS1 is closely related with CLOCK family with the highest homology to human CLOCK. Based on RT-PCR analyses, LPAS1 transcripts are ubiquitously present in tissues from both summer active and winter dormant periods. Given that LPAS1 is a member of the bHLH-PAS protein superfamily but lacks polyglutamine transactivation domains, it is likely to function as a repressor for endogenous CLOCK to hinder its roles in promoting transcription. Our result will open a new avenue to further examine the functional interconnection between the circadian clock and the circannual clock such as mammalian hibernation.

• 한국생활과학회지
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.405-416
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• 2006

We, in this thesis, examined the similarities and differences of bat patterns in China and Korea, along with a consideration of how two peoples understood bats and how their understanding of bats developed and also influenced the bat patterns. As for research period, the Ming(明) dynasty and the Qing(淸) dynasty in China and the Chosun dynasty in Korea were considered. The subjects of this study included clothes, personal ornaments, and embroidery. This research was done by comparing and analyzing the similarities and differences of two countries' bat patterns. The results of comparing and analyzing Chinese and Korean bat patterns were as follows: In terms of similarity, people of two countries understood bat patterns as the symbol of happiness. Therefore, they were used in clothes, personal ornaments, and daily necessities. In terms of difference, bat patterns of two countries had different shapes. In China, colorful and realistic single bat patterns were shown as intensive composition, whereas in Korea plain and simple bat patterns were used. These differences resulted from different way of understanding of bat patterns. It can be concluded that the bat patterns can be a great cultural commodity with high commercial values, if the traditional pattern is used as a unique element of the Oriental designs and altered and developed to attract consumers' attention.