• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.189-196
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• 2019

Plants are consumed by a myriad of organisms that compete for resources. Direct interactions among multiple plant-feeding organisms in a single host can range for each species from positive to negative. Wood-boring beetle faces a number of biotic and abiotic constraints that interfere with the good prospects from the tree. Biotic factors, including arthropod pests and diseases, and abiotic factors, such as drought and water-logging, are the major constraints affecting the species. The present study aimed to provide basic data for analyzing forest health, identify the kinds of wood-boring beetles in the central part of Korea. Our second goal was to analyze the species composition and diversity of regional communities and to examine. A total of 10,461 individual wood-boring beetles belonging to 8 families and 50 species attracted to trap trees in the pine forests were recorded during the study period on study sites. The results of the analysis of collected species showed that the community structure on all study sites was similar. Seasonal occurrences of dominant wood-boring beetles (5 species) from each study site showed the highest number of all species, except for Siphalinus gigas in May, followed by a gradual decline, and the largest number of Siphalinus gigas appeared in June. The similarity index of species composition was relatively high, ranging from 0.75 to 0.90 for each study site.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.472-483
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• 2014

Major cities have strengthened their efforts to improve the environmental function of the urban forest through aspects of quantity and quality. Yet, it is difficult to propose both long-term improvement and management policy direction continuously due to a lack of evaluating method that social needs could be reflected. After all, effective strengthening of the function of an urban forest, composed of social and biotic environments, is essential to create evaluation criteria. Such data reflects a quantity variation and identifies the distribution and habitation of biotic sources as well. An assessment of utilization possibilities presents such values as a green connectivity, an ecological healthiness, and usage and access opportunities. Consequently, this research was executed to create an urban forest sustainability index that proposes a management and policy direction based on the evaluation of quantity and quality aspects. This study was processed by the following steps: a degree of importance of ecological aspect, a sub-classification index choice, and an examination of adequacy. This research was conducted from premises that urban forest had another functions comparisons to a natural forest. As a result, a criteria of sustainability should be considered to evaluate an ecological aspect, as well as the social and management aspects regarding human disturbance. This research is designed to develop an evaluation index for ecological aspect. In order to evaluate the ecological healthiness of an urban forest, a vegetation index considers aspects of related rarity, damage possibility, naturalness, area, and diversity. In a wildbird index-related study, forest duration and area were selected. Finally, a variance analysis is presented, inclusive of stability, naturalness, diversity, potentiality, and possibility of wildlife inhabitation, which is indicative of an urban forest sustainability index.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.119-128
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• 2001

A biological assessment of water quality was carried out in the Pyungchang River water system, Gangwon-do, Korea from September 1999 through August 2000. The benthic macroinvertebrates collected seasonally from 15 field sites were identified mostly up to species level. Benthic macroinvertebrates composed of 109 species, 77 genera, 31 families, 10 orders, 4 classes in 4 phyla. Dominant species occurring in all the field sites were mostly ephemeropterans and trichopterans. On the basis of the values of species diversity and biological indices such as Trent Biotic Index (TBI) Modified Biological Monitoring Working Party Score System (BMWP) and Biotic Index (BI), the Pyungchang River Water system was generally regarded as showing oligosaprobic water quality.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.307-318
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• 2015

The objectives of this study were to identify multi-level stressors from blood biomarkers to community-level bioindicators and diagnose the stream ecosystem health in polluted streams. Blood chemistry such as total protein ($T_{Pro}$), blood urea nitrogen ($B_{UN}$), total cholesterol ($T_{Cho}$) and $A_{lb}$umin ($A_{lb}$) were analyzed from sentinel fish tissues; the functions of kidney, gill and liver were significantly decreased in the impacted zone ($I_z$), compared to the control zone ($C_z$). Histopathological analysis showed that fish liver tissues were normal in the $C_z$. Fish liver tissues in the $I_z$, however, showed large cell necrosis and degeneration and also had moderate lobular inflammation and inflammatory cell infiltration of lymphocytic histocytes. Species biotic index (SBI) at species level and stream health assessment (SHA) at community level indicated that chemical impacts were evident in the $I_z$ (ecological health; poor - very poor), and this was matched with the blood tissue analysis and histopathological analysis. The impairments of the streams were supported by water chemistry analysis (nitrogen, phosphorus). Tolerance guild analysis and trophic guild analysis of fish were showed significant differences (P < 0.01) between $C_z$ and $I_z$. Overall, multiple parameter analysis from biomarker level (blood tissues) to bioindicator level (community health) showed significantly greater impacts in the $I_z$ than $C_z$. This approach may be effective as a monitoring tool in identifying the multilateral and forthcoming problems related to chemical pollution and habitat degradation of stream ecosystems.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.101-113
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• 2003

The spatial distributional pattern of macrobenthic fauna was investigated to assess the summer benthic environmental conditions in Gwangyang Bay, the southern coast of Korea. The macrobenthic faunal community from 38 sites in Gwangyang Bay comprised 154 species and showed an overall mean density of 1,280 individuals $m^{-2}$. Polychaetes were the most important component of the macrofaunal community in species richness, abundance and biomass. The dominant species in abundance were polychaetes like Tharyx sp. (44.8%), Lumbrineris longifolia (14.0%), Heteromastus filiformis (3.6%), a mussel Mytilus edulis, and an amphipod crustacean Corophium sinense. The abundance and biomass in the western part of the bay were lower than those in the channel regions and mouth of the bay. The community indices showed the same trend in the spatial distribution with the abundance and species richness. All macrobenthic faunas were assigned into a specific functional group according to their ecological responses to the environmental stress. The benthic community health based on the Benthic Pollution Index (BPI) or Biotic Coefficient (BC) seemed to be in the normal to unbalanced er transitional condition, indicated by the dominance of small polychaete worms like Tharyx sp. in the mouth part of the bay.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.172-186
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• 2022

Benthic macroinvertebrates are important ecological and environmental indicators as primary or secondary consumers, and therefore are widely used in the evaluation of aquatic environments. However, there are no comprehensive river ecosystem monitoring surveys that link the major physicochemical water quality items with benthic macroinvertebrates in urban streams. Therefore, this study investigated the distribution characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrates and physicochemical water quality items (17 items) in Yangjaecheon and Yeouicheon from 2019 to 2020. At the same time, by applying Spearman's rank correlation analysis and nonmetric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) analysis in the water quality data and biotic index, we tried to provide basic data for diagnosing the current status of river ecosystems in major urban rivers in Seoul. Based on the study results, a total of 39 species and 3,787 individuals were identified in Yangjaecheon, the water quality(based on BOD, TOC, and TP) of Yangjaecheon was higher than Grade Ib(good), and the BMI using benthic macroinvertebrates appeared as Grade C(normal) at all the sites. In Yeouicheon, a total of 51 species and 4,199 individuals were identified, the water quality(based on BOD, TOC, TP) was higher than Grade Ib(good) similar to Yangjaecheon, and the BMI of both Upstream and Saewon bridge was Grade B(good), while Yeoui bridge was Grade C(normal). Overall, analysis results for the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates by a nonmetric multidimensional scaling method showed no significant difference between the two streams (p=0.1491). Also, significant environmental variables related to benthic macroinvertebrates distribution were determined as water temperature and DO. On the other hand, the results of the correlation analysis between biotic index and major water quality items confirmed that R1 and BMI could be used for on-site urban river water quality evaluation.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.287-298
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• 2005

This study was carried out to offer the raw data on conservation of land and natural environment by constructing groups of indicators to objectively and rationally assess the sustainable natural ecosystem and present the direction for establishing and planning the environmental policy. There were selected that four assessment items were biotic, abiotic, qualitative, and functional factor. And there were extracted fifty-six indicators including density, total nitrogen, hemeroby degree, and goods production. As assessment items and indicators were over 0.6, the design of questionnaire showed no great problem. In the results of correlation analysis of assessment indicators, sociality and dominance was highly correlative in biotic factor, soil property and aspect in abiotic factor, naturalized and urbanized index in qualitative factor, and protection of landslide and soil erosion were too correlative. In the results of deciding the dimension by multidimensional scaling, as stress values were from 0.042 to 0.133, index of fit over 0.9, there no statistical problems. In case of X axis, biotic factor was structure, viewpoint in abiotic factor, composition in qualitative factor, and object in functional factor, and Y axis was shaped Into form, range, structure, and activity.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2022

Benthic animals are important indicators in benthic environmental quality assessment. This study investigated the environmental characteristics and the distribution pattern of benthic animals, and assessed the benthic ecosystem using AMBI (AZTI's marine biotic index) and WQI (water quality index) in the subtidal zone of Muan bay. Samplings were collected from 10 stations in the subtidal zone of Muan bay on summer. In the upper area of Muan bay, grain size was finer and organic content was higher than those of in the lower area. The pollution indicator organism such as Musculista senhousia, Theora fragilis and Lumbrineris longifolia were dominant at some stations. The benthic community was distinguished into three groups of upper, center and lower area of Muan bay, and which were coincided with the results by correlation analysis between organic matter content and benthic health assessment (WQI and AMBI). As a result of this study, the health condition of the subtidal zone in Muan bay were good. However, from the results that benthic animals were not evenly distributed, and also the opportunistic species appeared, the load of organic matter in Muan bay seems to be increasing.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 1999

This study is one of the processes to build the artificial wetlands in the urban area. The purpose of this study was to survey biotic or physical environments, and to review modelling techniques to find out the ecological structure and function. Case study site was the Bangdong wetland in the north west side of Taejon metropolitan city. The number of species of insects decreased during monitoring. But the number of individuals of insects decreased abruptly after increasing. And then biodiversity index dropped and dominance index increased. So the structure of biotopes was affected by weather conditions. And in the restricted area such as urban area, the changes of insects were affected sensitively by not physical but environmental changes. As for birds, the number of species was reduced a little, but the number of individuals increased abruptly. And dominance index increased slowly. The changes of water depth and increase of temperature affected the habitat condition of vegetations and birds, so the dominance index of specific species increased. In urban areas it is necessary to continue management for water environmental changes, such as the depth and area of water. The number of species of fishes was reduced a little, but the number of individuals increased abruptly. And dominance index and biodiversity index decreased slowly. But the water environments was so changeable that it is difficult to explain current status as some specific trends. The number of species of reptiles and amphibians changed little, but the number of individuals increased abruptly. And dominance and biodiversity were not changed. The changes of water depth and temperature affected the habitat of every species the environmental changes affected.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.24-34
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• 2010

This study was carried out to analyze some influences on ecological health conditions, threaten by various stressors such as physical, chemical and biological parameters. We collected samples in 2008 from three zones of upstream, midstream and downstream, Gap Stream. We applied multi-metric fish assessment index (MFAI), based on biotic integrity model to the three zones along with habitat evaluations based on Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI). We also examined fish fauna and compositions, and analyzed relations with MFAI values, QHEI values, and various guild types. Chemical parameters such as oragnic matter (BOD, COD), nutrients (TP, $NH_3$-N), coli-form number (as MPN), and suspended solids (SS) were analyzed to identify the relationship among multiple stressor effects. Using the sentinel species of Zacco platypus, the population structures and condition factors were analyzed along with DNA damages related with genotoxicant effects by comet assay. This study using all these parameters showed that stream condition was degraded along the longitudinal gradient from upstream to downstream, and the downstream, especially, was impacted by nutrient enrichment and toxicant exposure from the point source, wastewater treatment plant. Overall results indicated that our approaches applying various parameters may be used as a cause-effect technique in the stream health assessments and also used as a pre-warning tool for diagnosis of ecological degradation.