• Proceedings of KOSOMES biannual meeting
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• 2017.04a
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• pp.83-83
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• 2017

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.52-61
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• 2019

Over the past few decades, microalgae-based biotechnology conjugated with innovative CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genetic engineering has been attracted much attention for the cost-effective and eco-friendly value-added compounds production. However, the discharge of reproducible living modified organism (LMO) into environmental condition potentially causes serious problem in aquatic environment, and thus it is essential to assess potential environmental risk for human health. Accordingly, in this study, we monitored discharged genetically modified microalgae (GMM) near the research complex which is located in Daejeon, South Korea. After testing samples obtained from 6 points of near streams, several green-colored microalgal colonies were detected under hygromicin-containing agar plate. By identification of selection marker genes, the GMM was not detected from all the samples. For the lab-scale environmental risk assessment of GMM, acute toxicity test using rotifer Brachionus calcyflorus was performed by feeding GMM. After feeding, there was no significant difference in mortality between WT and transformant Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. According to further analysis of horizontal transfer of green fluorescence protein (GFP)-coding gene after 24 h of incubation in synthetic freshwater, we concluded that the GFP-expressed gene not transferred into predator. However, further risk assessments and construction of standard methods including prolonged toxicity test are required for the accurate ecological risk assessment.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.164-174
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• 2021

Information on biodiversity plays an important role in conservation planning for ecosystem. As existing biodiversity indices are calculated and predicted only based on the number of individuals and species, it is difficult to explain aspects of genetic and ecological diversity. Phylogenetic diversity can indirectly evaluate ecological diversity as well as genetic diversity overlooked by existing biodiversity assessments. In this study, typical metrics of biodiversity (e.g., species diversity, species richness, etc.) and phylogenetic diversity were evaluated together using a long-term monitoring data of winter birds in Jungrang, Cheonggye and Anyang stream where are designated as Seoul migratory bird reserves. Then discussed the meaning of each assessmentresult. In Jungrang and Anyang stream, the number of individuals generally decreased overtime, whereas in Cheonggye stream, there was no significant change. In addition, species abundance increased over time slightly in Cheonggye stream, while there was no significant change in Jungrang and Anyang stream. Species diversity temporally increased in Jungrang and Cheonggye stream, excluding Anyang stream, but phylogenetic diversity showed a tendency to increase only in Cheonggye stream. These changes in the biodiversity assessment indices are thought to be due to anthropogenic disturbances such as construction that occurred within each site, and it was shown that species diversity and phylogenetic diversity do not always lead to the same assessment results. Therefore, this study suggests that biodiversity assessment needs to be considered from various contexts such as genetic and ecological perspectives.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.663-673
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• 2011

In the face of accelerating biodiversity loss and its significance in our coexistence with nature, biodiversity is becoming more crucial in sustainable development perspective. To estimate biodiversity in the future which provides valuable information for decision making system especially in the national level, a quantitative approach must be studied forehand as a baseline of the present status. In this study, we developed a large-scale map of Plant Species Richness (PSR, typical indicator of biodiversity) for Young-dong and Pyung-chang provinces. Due to the accessibility of appropriate data and advance of modelling techniques, reduction of variables without deteriorating the predictive power is considered by applying Genetic algorithm. In addition, a number of Correctly Classified Instances (CCI) with 10-fold cross validation which indicates the predictive power, was carried out for evaluation. This study, as a fundamental baseline, will be beneficial in future land work as well as ecosystem restoration business or other relevant decision making agenda.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.77-87
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• 2020

National parks and other protected areas often do not adequately protect national biodiversity because they were originally created for socio-economic and/or aesthetic values. The Korean government has committed to expanding the extent of protected areas to fulfill its commitments to the Aichi Biodiversity Convention. To do so, it is necessary to quantify the current levels of biodiversity representation within existing protected areas and to identify additional conservation needs for vulnerable species and ecological systems. In this study, we assess the proportion of species ranges found in South Korea's protected areas, for the species documented in the 3^rd National Ecosystem Survey. We modeled the range distribution of 3,645 species in the following taxonomic groups; plants (1,545 species), mammals (35), birds (132), herptiles (35), and insects (1,898) using the MaxEnt species distribution model and calculated how much of each species' range is within protected areas. On average, 17.4% of plant species' ranges are represented in protected areas, while for mammals and insects an average 12.0% is currently conserved. Conservation representation for herptiles averages 9.3%, while it is 8.6% for birds. Although large proportions of species that have restricted distributions should be represented in protected areas, 17 plant species, two insects (Parnassius bremeri and Lasioglossum occidens), and one bird species (Phylloscopus inornatus) with ranges smaller than 1,000 ㎢ have less than 10% of their ranges within protected areas. Establishing specific conservation goals such as the protection of endangered species or vulnerable taxonomic groups will increase the efficiency of the biodiversity conservation strategies. In addition, lowland coastal areas are critical for biodiversity conservation because the protected areas in South Korea are mainly composed of high mountainous areas.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.390-397
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• 2022

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) is the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council. CAFF conducts Monitoring, Assessment, Policy, and expert group activities to preserve Arctic biodiversity and ensure the sustainability of biological resources and communicates the results to governments and indigenous peoples. The main tasks of CAFF consist of monitoring (Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program), assessment (Arctic Biodiversity Assessment) and strategic projects(Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative, AMBI). Korea has been directly participating in the AMBI since 2015 after acquiring observer status of the Arctic Council in 2013. The AMBI aims to preserve habitats on migration routes used by breeding birds in the Arctic and prevent illegal hunting. Thus, observer countries on migratory routes are directly participating in the project. When selecting priorities for participation in Arctic cooperation projects by 2030, Korea should consider continuing participation in AMBI and participating in the "CAFF Youth Program" in connection with the Arctic Academy program operated by Korea's public institutes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.99-114
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• 2021

We examined a current status of damage in biodiversity and its causing factors in Hasidong Anin coastal dune, Gangneung-si, Gangwon province which is designated as ecological and landscape conservation area. In this study, we found that ecosystem and biodiversity have been primarily damaged by anthropogenic factors such as the construction of surrounding area, military facilities illegally dumped garbage and the expansion of windbreak forest. These factors occur to damage the landscape, ecosystem and biodiversity etc. There is a significant lack of basic data needed for preservation and restoration due to the lack of prior research and value assessment. In order to establish solutions for preservation and restoration, it is critical to collect fundamental data and implement value assessments. Therefore, further studies such as ecosystem services assessment, increasing biodiversity, spatial analysis and monitoring of various items related to coastal dunes are needed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture International Edition
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• no.1
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• pp.26-27
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• 2001

The materials that are involved in urban landscaping include plants and the associated animals, soil, water, and other environmental elements. And biodiversity is the substantial base for human beings. The conservation of biodiversity is of great importance in the sustainable development of the society and should not be neglected in the development of sustainable urban landscape. The conservation of biodiversity should be included in the urban landscape planning. The conservation of biodiversity should be emphasized in the construction of urban green space. Every possible opportunity should be used to conserve the species diversity, genetic diversity and ecological diversity. The assessment of biodiversity conservation should be introduced into modern landscape planning.

• ALGAE
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.57-70
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• 2019

DNA metabarcoding is currently used for large-scale taxonomic identification to understand the community composition in various marine ecosystems. However, before being widely used in this emerging field, this experimental and analytic approach still has several technical challenges to overcome, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) bias, and lack of well-established metabarcoding markers, a task which is difficult but not impossible to achieve. In this study, we present an adapted PCR-free small-organelles enriched metagenomics (SoEM) method for marine biodiversity assessment. To avoid PCR bias and random artefacts, we extracted target DNA sequences without PCR amplification from marine environmental samples enriched with small organelles including mitochondria and plastids because their genome sequences provide a valuable source of molecular markers for phylogenetic analysis. To experimentally enrich small organelles, we performed subcellular fractionation using modified differential centrifugation for marine environmental DNA samples. To validate our SoEM method, two marine environmental samples from the coastal waters were tested the taxonomic capturing capacity against that of traditional DNA metabarcoding method. Results showed that, regardless of taxonomic levels, at least 3-fold greater numbers of taxa were identified in our SoEM method, compared to those identified by the conventional multi-locus DNA metabarcoding method. The SoEM method is thus effective and accurate for identifying taxonomic diversity and presents a useful alternative approach for evaluating biodiversity in the marine environment.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.10-17
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• 2021

Invasive alien species management is pivotal for biodiversity conservation. Commelina caroliniana Walter, from the family Commelinaceae, is an alien plant native to the Himalayas and India, but it has been widely introduced around the world, including in the United States, Brazil, Philippines, and Japan. In Korea, the first population was found growing adjacent to agricultural land and farm roads on Jejudo Island, and field observations confirmed the presence of at least nine populations there. It is similar morphologically to C. diffusa Burm. f. but can be distinguished by involucral bracts that are ciliate at the base, hairs on the peduncle and obsolete upper cincinnus, brown spots on its 4-lobed antherode, and seed surfaces that are smooth to slightly alveolate. It was determined to have an invasiveness low score of 8 according to the Korean 'Invasive Alien Plant Risk Assessment', suggesting that it may spread to natural habitats. Although the current distribution of C. caroliniana is restricted to Jeju-si, it has spread dramatically in many other areas of the world. At present, it has had a limited impact on the local environment, but local and regulatory authorities should pay close attention to this plant and take measures to prevent its expansion in the future.