• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.115-120
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• 2010

The Asian cultural landscape is a mirrored ecosystem of great complexity, formed by the interaction of man and nature, coupled with a host of ecological processes. The human dependencies on and environmental adaptation of the bio-organisms and the surrounding landscape constitute the typical cultural landscape. Islands are a good example of a cultural landscape, and each mosaic pattern of marine and coastal ecosystems reflects bio-cultural diversity. Along with land-use patterns, wise use of biological organisms and indigenous knowledge has expanded to islands in the Asia-Pacific region in several ways (sea current and human impact, etc.). Loss in biodiversity and landscape diversity as well as cultural diversity owing to global warming and rapid urbanization are emerging issues for island ecosystems all over the world. In order to sustain the historical coexistence between man and natural systems, we ecologists must continue to search for a holistic solution for academic consilience. In this paper, I present the vision and practical characteristics of island ecology with a view toward the conservation of the traditional landscape and bio-cultural diversities in the seascape.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.241-244
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• 2002

Fungi commonly encountered on monocotyledonous substrates were evaluated for their in vitro ability to produce enzymes involved in lignocellulose breakdown. Most were capable of structural polysac-charide utilization, but few produced enzymes associated with lignin breakdown. None of the mono-cotyledon-inhabiting fungi produced reactions as strongly as wood decay fungi.

• Mycobiology
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.20-28
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• 2020

Soil degradation can have an impact on the soil microbiota, but its specific effects on soil fungal communities are poorly understood. In this work, we studied the impact of soil degradation on the richness and diversity of communities of soil fungi, including three different degrees of degradation in Germany and Panama. Soil fungi were isolated monthly using the soil-sprinkling method for 8 months in Germany and 3 months in Panama, and characterized by morphological and molecular data. Soil physico-chemical properties were measured and correlated with the observed values of fungal diversity. We isolated a total of 71 fungal species, 47 from Germany, and 32 from Panama. Soil properties were not associated with fungal richness, diversity, or composition in soils, with the exception of soil compaction in Germany. The geographic location was a strong determinant of the soil fungal species composition although in both countries there was dominance by members of the orders Eurotiales and Hypocreales. In conclusion, the results of this work do not show any evident influence of soil degradation on communities of soil fungi in Germany or Panama.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.454-461
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• 2019

Background: Ikonnikov's whiskered bat (Myotis ikonnikovi) is found throughout the Korean Peninsula, as well as in Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia, China, and Japan. It is small-sized and primarily inhabits old-growth forests. The decrease and fragmentation of habitats due to increased human activity may influence the genetic structure of bat populations. This study was designed to elucidate the population genetic structure of M. ikonnikovi using mitochondrial genes (cytochrome oxidase I and cytochrome b). Results: The results showed that M. ikonnikovi populations from Korea have high genetic diversity. Although genetic differentiation was not detected for the COI gene, strong genetic differentiation of the Cytb gene between Mt. Jeombong and Mt. Jiri populations was observed. Moreover, the results indicated that the gene flow of the maternal lineage may be limited. Conclusions: This study is the first to identify the genetic population structure of M. ikonnikovi. We suggest that conservation of local populations is important for sustaining the genetic diversity of the bat, and comprehensive studies on factors causing habitat fragmentation are required.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.77-83
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• 2022

This study was conducted from March 2018 to December 2019 to identify bird diversity and environmental correlates within the Mulchat-oream wetlands in the Jeju Islands of South Korea. A total of 255 individual belonging to 37 species were recorded form Mulchat-oream. The observation produced a species diversity of 3.14, species richness of 6.54 and species evenness of 0.88 in 2018, and in 2019, the observed species diversity was 3.02, species richness was 6.56 and species evenness was 0.84. The highly dominant species are composed of Passeriformes. The absence of diverse submerged plants, deep water depth and isolated geographical locations makes difficult for aquatic birds to prefer this area, and this has resulted in the dominance of Passeriformes. The appearance of the birds was the lowest in the winter and highest during the summer. The analysis showed that the species richness and evenness increased with an increase in temperature and precipitation. However, the number of species appearing during Mulchat-oream significantly dependent on the temperature (P<0.001, df=2). To date, there has been little research on bird diversity together with environmental factors for the Hallasan National Park. This study shows the environmental factors and seasonal patterns that affect bird population.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.120-128
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• 2021

The objective of this study was to analyze the genotype of black-spotted pond frog (Pelophylax nigromaculatus) using seven microsatellite loci to quantify its genetic diversity and population structure throughout the spatial scale of basins of Han, Geum, Yeongsan, and Nakdong Rivers in South Korea. Genetic diversities in these four areas were compared using diversity index and inbreeding coefficient obtained from the number and frequency of alleles as well as heterozygosity. Additionally, the population structure was confirmed with population differentiation, Nei's genetic distance, multivariate analysis, and Bayesian clustering analysis. Interestingly, a negative genetic diversity pattern was observed in the Han River basin, indicating possible recent habitat disturbances or population declines. In contrast, a positive genetic diversity pattern was found for the population in the Nakdong River basin that had remained the most stable. Results of population structure suggested that populations of black-spotted pond frogs distributed in these four river basins were genetically independent. In particular, the population of the Nakdong River basin had the greatest genetic distance, indicating that it might have originated from an independent population. These results support the use of genetics in addition to designations strictly based on geographic stream areas to define the spatial scale of populations for management and conservation practices.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.739-749
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• 2013

The seasonal and spatial diversity of picocyanobacteria (Pcy) in lakes of the Great Mazurian Lakes (GLM) system was examined by DGGE analysis of molecular markers derived from the 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the ribosomal operon and the phycocyanin operon (cpcBA-IGS). The study of nine lakes, ranging from mesotrophy to hypereutrophy, demonstrated seasonal variance of Pcy. The richness and Shannon diversity index calculated on the basis of both markers were higher in spring and lower in early and late summer. No statistically significant relationships were found between the markers and trophic status of the studied lakes or Pcy abundance. There were, however, statistically significant relationships between the diversity indices and sampling time. The analysis pointed to a different distribution of the two markers. The ITS marker exhibited more unique sequences in time and space, whereas a greater role for common and ubiquitous sequences was indicated by the cpcBA-IGS data. Examination of the Pcy community structure demonstrated that communities were grouped in highly similar clusters according to sampling season/time rather than to the trophic status of the lake. Our results suggest that time is more important than trophic status in shaping the diversity and structure of Pcy communities. The seasonal changes in picocyanobacteria and differences in diversity and community structures are discussed in the context of well-established ecological hypotheses: the PEG model, intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH), and horizontal gene transfer (HGT).

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.79-86
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• 2004

An extensive study of the vegetation characteristics of the Hamersley Ranges, a mountainous desert area of north-west Australia, facilitated the comparison of plant species diversity measures with mountainous deserts of other parts of the world. Alpha diversity was defined as the number of species co-existing at local scales and was found to average 18 species per 0.1 ha for the Hamersley Ranges. This was found to be similar to seven other mountainous deserts in North and South America, and southern Africa. Variation in alpha diversity between these deserts was found to considerably lower than within deserts, suggesting that local processes control species richness at local scales. Beta diversity, defined here as turnover in species composition at various spatial scales, can be measured in many ways. For the Hamersley Ranges, Wilson's β ranged from 1.2 to 1.6 for five sites along a topographic gradient, whereas Whittaker's β between different plant communities was found to average 0.93. Comparable data was not found for other desert areas, but comparisons to non-desert areas suggest beta diversity within landscapes is relatively high and is likely to reflect the considerable landform heterogeneity of the Hamersley Ranges. 55∼70% of species were shared between different landscapes of the Hamersley Ranges; comparisons to other regions suggest beta diversity at this scale is relatively low. Gamma diversity, the number of species over large spatial extents, was successfully compared using regression analysis of the log-log species - area relationship. This revealed that the northern Sonoran desert has significantly less species than the Nama (inland) Karoo and Hamersley Ranges over medium spatial extents, but species numbers were similar at a regional scale. Several constraints to the valid comparison of species diversity were identified, including lack of standardisation of sampling techniques, the wide range of measures employed, general lack of published data, and the influence of the various components of spatial scale on most diversity measures. Recommendations on how to improve future comparative work are provided.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.32-41
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• 2021

South Korea presently harbors less than 800 long-tailed gorals (Naemorhedus caudatus), an endangered species. I report for the first time on the taxonomic status and genetic diversity of the Korean species using non-invasive fecal sampling based on mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequence analyses. To determine the taxonomic status of this species, I reconstructed a consensus neighbor-joining tree and generated a minimum spanning network combining haplotype sequences obtained from feces with a new goral-specific primer set developed using known sequences of the Korean goral and related species (e.g., Russian goral, Chinese goral, Himalayan goral, Japanese serow, etc.). I also examined the genetic diversity of this species. The Korean goral showed only three different haplotypes. The phylogenetic tree and parsimony haplotype network revealed a single cluster of Korean and Russian gorals, separate from related species. Generally, the Korean goral has a relatively low genetic diversity compared with that of other ungulate species (e.g., moose and red deer). I preliminarily showcased the application of non-invasive fecal sampling to the study of genetic characteristics, including the taxonomic status and genetic diversity of gorals, based on mitochondrial DNA. More phylogenetic studies are necessary to ensure the conservation of goral populations throughout South Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.120-127
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• 2024

Bats serve as vectors and natural reservoir hosts for various infectious viruses, bacteria, and fungi. These pathogens have also been detected in bat feces and can cause severe illnesses in hosts, other animals, and humans. Because pathogens can easily spread into the environment through bat feces, determining the bacterial communities in bat guano is crucial to mitigate potential disease transmission and outbreaks. This study primarily aimed to examine bacterial communities in the feces of insectivorous bats living in South Korea. Fecal samples were collected after capturing 84 individuals of four different bat species in two regions of South Korea, and the bacterial microbiota was assessed through next generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The results revealed that, with respect to the relative abundance at the phylum level, Myotis bombinus was dominated by Firmicutes (47.24%) and Proteobacteria (42.66%) whereas Miniopterus fuliginosus (82.78%), Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (63.46%), and Myotis macrodactylus (78.04%) were dominated by Proteobacteria. Alpha diversity analysis showed no difference in abundance between species and a significant difference (p < 0.05) between M. bombinus and M. fuliginosus. Beta-diversity analysis revealed that Clostridium, Asaia, and Enterobacteriaceae_g were clustered as major factors at the genus level using principal component analysis. Additionally, linear discriminant analysis effect size was conducted based on relative expression information to select bacterial markers for each bat species. Clostridium was relatively abundant in M. bombinus, whereas Mycoplasma_g10 was relatively abundant in R. ferrumequinum. Our results provide an overview of bat guano microbiota diversity and the significance of pathogenic taxa for humans and the environment, highlighting a better understanding of preventing emerging diseases. We anticipate that this research will yield bioinformatic data to advance our knowledge of overall microbial genetic diversity and clustering characteristics in insectivorous bat feces in South Korea.