• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.19-29
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• 2012

Numerous studies suggested that fish assemblage structure reflects the status of stream ecosystems. The status of streams integrity, including various trophic levels, water quality and habitat degradation, can be assessed by fish assemblages. In this study, we investigated the relationships between fish assemblages and streamline geometry of streams. Previous studies suggested that geomorphologic parameter can be a critical factor of permeability between adjacent two systems. From a landscape ecological perspective, edges may partially control the flow rate of energy between two adjacent systems. Thus, the Streamline geometry can be a geomorphologic parameter that exhibits the integrity of stream. We selected the Nakdong river for study areas, which is one of major rivers and the longest (525 km) River in South Korea. We used the revised IBI representing overall ecological characteristics of Korean fish assemblages and eight sub-assessment criteria of IBI, collected from 82 sampling sites in the Nakdong River. For calculating the Streamline geometry, we measured fractal dimension index that generally used in biology, ecology and landscape ecology. We used the digital land-use/land-cover map and generated a 1-km buffer for each sampling site and refined the shape of the Streamlines. Pearson correlation analyses were performed between Streamline geometry and IBI and sub-assessment criteria of IBI. The results show that IBI and eight sub-assessments of fish are significantly correlated with geometry of Streamline. The fractal dimension of Streamline geometry were related with IBI (r = 0.48) and six sub-assessments of IBI, including total number of native fish and native species, the number of riffle benthic species, sensitive species, tolerant species and native insectivore. Especially, the number of tolerant species(r = -0.52) and native insectivore(r = 0.52) show strong correlation with geometry of Streamline. These results indicate that lower Streamline geometry can result in poor fish assemblages, while higher geometry of Streamline can enhance fish assemblages by potentially supplying insects and better habitat conditions. We expect the results of our study to be useful for stream restoration and management. However, we see the necessity of study investigating the mechanisms how Streamline geometry affect fish assemblages.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.279-290
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• 2000

To alleviate the harmful effects from contamination, the Sihwa Lake waters have been regularly fluxed out into the ocean to mix and circulate with the oceanic waters, and then allowed to flow back into the lake. In the present study, eco-environmental impacts by the outflowing contaminated lake waters to the benthic communities of the coastal zones along Kyonggi Bay were examined at three separate areas. A total of 22 groups of meiobenthic animals were commonly found in the subtidal zones of the Bay. All groups of the meiobenthic animals on the 1st and 7th days after the outflow were remarkably reduced in numbers from the selected areas examined, as compared to those observed one day before the outflow. It was also found that the community structure of meiobenthos was changed drastically: At the station near the water gate, for example, where the immediate outflow of the lake water was encountered, the benthic harpacticoids, the group observed to be one of the predominant groups before the outflow, were found to have disappeared completely. For an area that was relatively far away from the water gate, the reduction rate of meiobenthos after the outflow events was slower and more gradual than the nearer sites. An area that is the farthest from the water gate, no reduction in any of the meiobenthos group was observed. The ratio between nematodes/copepods (N/C) was remarkably changed by the outflows at the station near the water gate: One day before the outflow, the ratio was 0.7 while the ratio was 19.0 at the station near the water gate. In contrast, at the stations relatively far from the water gate, the ratio decreased one day after the outflow event, but increasing trends were observed one week later. In the tidal flats, Station 1 exhibited the common observed regional values of the ratio whereas Station 2 showed a very high ratio of 191.3. The results suggested that the contaminated lake water outflows directly effect meiobenthos in a relatively short time period and thus the meiobenthos may be a good indicator animal group for examining the effect of pollution. [Lake Sihwa, contaminat water outflow, meiobenthic animals living]

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2005

Tidal flats have been regarded to carry out transformation and removal of land-derived organic matter, and this purifying capability of organic matter by tidal flats is one of very important reasons for their conservation. However, integral biogeochemical studies on production and decomposition of organic matter by benthic microbes in tidal flats have been absent in Korea, although the information is indispensable to quantification of the purifying capability. Our major goals in this multidisciplinary research were to understand major biogeochemical processes and rates mediated by diverse groups of microbes dominating material cycles in the tidal flats, and to assess the contribution of benthic microbes to removal of organic matter and nutrients in the tidal flats. Our study sites were Ganghwa and Incheon north-port tidal flats that had been regarded as naturally well reserved and organically polluted, respectively. Our research group measured over 3 years primary production, biomass and community structure of primary producers, abundance and production of bacteria, enzyme activities, distribution of protozoa and protozoan grazing rates, rates of denitrification and sulfate reduction, early sediment diagenesis, primary production and respiration based on oxygen microelectrode. We analyzed major features of each biogeochemical process and their interactions. The results are compiled in the following articles in this special issue: An (2005), Hwang and Cho (2005), Mok et at. (2005), Na and Lee (2005), Yang et at. (2005), and Yoo and Choi (2005).

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.138-152
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• 2014

The objective of the study survey was to determine the effect of marine sand extraction on community composition and rate of recolonization of the meiobenthos following cessation of mining activities. Because of meiobenthic distribution in nature, high abundance, intimate association with sediments, fast reproduction, benthic larva period, sensitivity to pollution and rapid life histories, meiobenthos are widely regarded as ideal organisms to study the potential ecological indicator of natural and anthropogenic stresses. The community structure of meiobenthos was studied at seven stations within sandy tidal and sub tidal zones in Jangbongdo in the Yellow Sea, Korea from Aug. 2006 to Dec. 2007. Meiobenthic samples were collected by three core samples, with a 3.6 cm in diameter, from each sediment sample taken with a Smith-McIntyre Grab. It was found that sand mining often causes complete removal of the sediment and the damage to the habitats of meiobenthos. This study in the effect showed that sand mining resulted in a reduction in total abundance and biomass of meiobenthos in mining area. The finding of this study further showed that initial restoration of abundance and biomass within one year of the cessation of sand mining.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.125-137
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• 2022

To assess the characteristics of meiofaunal community fluctuations related to environmental factors, seasonal surveys were conducted in the subtidal zone of Hallyeohaesang National Park. The average depth of the study area was about 20 m, and the average water temperature at the bottom was low in winter(11.33℃) and high in summer(17.95℃). The sedimentary particles mainly comprised silt and clay at most stations. The abundance of meiofauna ranged from 81.7 to 1,296.5 Inds. 10 cm^-2, and the average abundance was 589.3 Inds. 10 cm^-2. The average abundance of meiofauna in each season was the lowest at 416.5 Inds. 10cm^-2 in winter and the highest at 704.5Inds.10 cm^-2 in spring. The dominant taxa were nematodes (about 92%) and harpacticoids (about 5%). In the cluster analysis of meiofaunal communities, they were divided into four significant groups. The largest group mainly contained spring and summer samples, and contained stations with a high nematode density of over 500 Inds. 10 cm^-2 and harpacticoids below 50 Inds. 10 cm^-2 with a high composition ratio of nematodes. In the cluster analysis, no regional division was found between the stations, and it was thought to be divided by the seasons with high abundance according to seasonal variation and the composition ratio of nematodes and harpacticoids. In the Spearman rank correlation analysis, the density of total meiofauna and the most dominant taxa, nematodes, was not significantly related to environmental factors. However, the density of harpacticoids had a significant positive correlation with water depth and a negative correlation with sediment particle size.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.263-276
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• 2024

Fish community characteristics and the influence of sampling gear were investigated in Lake Singal, South Korea, from August 2020 to October 2021. The employed sampling gears included a kick net, cast net, gill net, and fyke net, which are commonly utilized within the lake. Across three survey stations, a total of 18 fish species from seven families, comprising 3,501 individuals and contributing to a total biomass of 117,670 grams, were identified. Dominance among species was assessed based on individual count and biomass. Pseudorasbora parva was the most abundant, constituting 29.9% of the total catch, followed by Zacco platypus (25.1%) and Micropterus salmoides (19.3%). In terms of biomass, Carassius auratus was predominant, accounting for 45.1%, followed by Cyprinus carpio (17.4%) and M. salmoides (14.3%). Among the sampled species, three were identified as endemic to Korea: Squalidus japonicus coreanus, Cobitis nalbanti, and Odontobutis interrupta. Additionally, four exotic species were recorded, including M. salmoides and Lepomis macrochirus, both classified as invasive alien species, along with C. cuvieri and a variant of Cyprinus carpio (nudus type). Analysis of the average standard length (SL) and body weight (BW) revealed significant size variations among species. P. parva, the dominant species, measured 60 ± 24.1 mm (SL) and weighed 4.4 ± 3.42 g (BW). The subdominant species, Z. platypus, exhibited an SL of 82 ± 17.6 mm and a BW of 10.4 ± 7.27 g. M. salmoides, another dominant species, registered 96 ± 25.1 mm (SL) and 24.9 ± 96.02 g (BW), while C. auratus measured 125 ± 77.3 mm (SL) and weighed 168 ± 336.5 g (BW). In terms of gear-specific performance, the kick net captured eight species from three families, totaling 302 individuals with a biomass of 1,269 g. The cast net was more effective in coastal zones, collecting 11 species from four families, amounting to 948 individuals and 31,343 g of biomass. The gill net yielded the highest biomass, capturing 13 species from four families with 682 individuals weighing 69,695 g. The fyke net recorded the highest species diversity and number of individuals, capturing 15 species from seven families, totaling 1,569 individuals and 15,362 g of biomass. The fyke net proved most efficient in species and individual counts, whereas the gill net was superior for biomass collection. Conversely, the kick net demonstrated effectiveness in collecting small benthic species in coastal areas.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.60-75
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• 2022

The Bayesian algorithm model is a model algorithm that calculates probabilities based on input data and is mainly used for complex disasters, water quality management, the ecological structure between living things or living-non-living factors. In this study, we analyzed the main factors affected Korean Estuary Trophic Diatom Index (KETDI) change based on the Bayesian network analysis using the diatom community and physicochemical factors in the domestic estuarine aquatic ecosystem. For Bayesian analysis, estuarine diatom habitat data and estuarine aquatic diatom health (2008~2019) data were used. Data were classified into habitat, physical, chemical, and biological factors. Each data was input to the Bayesian network model (GeNIE model) and performed estuary aquatic network analysis along with the nationwide and each coast. From 2008 to 2019, a total of 625 taxa of diatoms were identified, consisting of 2 orders, 5 suborders, 18 families, 141 genera, 595 species, 29 varieties, and 1 species. Nitzschia inconspicua had the highest cumulative cell density, followed by Nitzschia palea, Pseudostaurosira elliptica and Achnanthidium minutissimum. As a result of analyzing the ecological network of diatom health assessment in the estuary ecosystem using the Bayesian network model, the biological factor was the most sensitive factor influencing the health assessment score was. In contrast, the habitat and physicochemical factors had relatively low sensitivity. The most sensitive taxa of diatoms to the assessment of estuarine aquatic health were Nitzschia inconspicua, N. fonticola, Achnanthes convergens, and Pseudostaurosira elliptica. In addition, the ratio of industrial area and cattle shed near the habitat was sensitively linked to the health assessment. The major taxa sensitive to diatom health evaluation differed according to coast. Bayesian network analysis was useful to identify major variables including diatom taxa affecting aquatic health even in complex ecological structures such as estuary ecosystems. In addition, it is possible to identify the restoration target accurately when restoring the consequently damaged estuary aquatic ecosystem.