• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 1996

Effects of group breeding of herons on pine community were studied at Pomaeri, in Yangyang, Kangwon Province, Korea. This site has been protected as a Natural Monument (No. 229) since 1970. Herons have used this habitat as a breeding site from] anuary to October every year. In 1995, more than 500 herons were observed in this habitat. Many big pine trees are dying or already dead due to group inhabitation of herons, and no pine saplings were found at forest floor in this habitat. Nutrient contents of soil in this habitat were much higher than those in control plot. This must be due to the addition of feces from herons and of thin twigs and other organic materials from the canopy and bird nests. Species composition of herb layer in this habitat was quite different from that in control plot. Breeding site was dominated by Humulus japonicus. Persiearia perJohata, Persicaria thunbergii. and Commelina communis. which are indicator species of soil eutrophication.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.271-280
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• 2013

This study tried to analyze the impact of climate change on ecological habitat. In this regard, the Rhynchocypris Kumgangensis was selected among the CBIS(Climate-sensitive Biologocal Indicator Species) suggested by the Ministry of Environment. And ecological habitat and restrictive conditions for its survival was surveyed. Future runoff and water quality in the upstream of Pyungchang river were simulated by appling climate change scenarios to SWAT model which is able to simulate water quality. The estimated results explained characteristics on the increase of runoff, BOD, and water temperature and the decrease of DO in the future. The restrictive condition on ecological habitat of the Rhynchocypris Kumgangensis was used water quality during the April to May spawning season since BOD and DO were satisfactory as the first grade of water criteria in the estimated result of future water quality. As a result, it was analyzed that habitat of the Rhynchocypris Kumgangensis in the present was possible about 50~60% of the river. But the habitat would be decreased gradually in the future and would be possible in a very small part of the river in the long term.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.158-169
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• 2012

Sabah has experienced a rapid decline in the extent of forest cover. The precise impact of habitat loss on the conservation status of the plants of Sabah is uncertain. In this study we use the niche modelling algorithm MAXENT to construct preliminary, revised and final ecological niche models for Dipterocarpus lamellatus and Dipterocarpus ochraceus and combined these models with data on current land-use to derive conservation assessments for each species. Preliminary models were based on herbarium data alone. Ground surveys were conducted to evaluate the performance of these preliminary models, and a revised niche model was generated from the combined herbarium and ground survey data. The final model was obtained by constraining the predictions of the revised models by filters. The range overlap between the preliminary and revised models was 0.47 for D. lamellatus and 0.39 for D. ochraceus, suggesting poor agreement between them. There was substantial variation in estimates of habitat loss for D. ochraceus, among the preliminary, revised and constrained models, and this has the potential to lead to incorrect threat assessments. From these estimates of habitat loss, the historic distribution and estimates of population size we determine that both species should be classified as Critically Endangered under IUCN Red List guidelines. Our results suggest that ground-truthing of ecological niche models is essential, especially if the models are being used for conservation decision making.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.107-119
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• 2016

Background: Previous studies on the biological integrity on habitat and landuse patterns demonstrated ecological stream health in the view of regional or macrohabitat scale, thus ignored the mesoscale habitat patterns of pool, riffle, and runs in the stream health analysis. The objective of this study was to analyze influences on the mesohabitat structures of pool, riffle, and run reaches on the fish guilds and biological integrity in Geum-River Watershed. Results: The mesohabitat structures of pool, riffle, and run reaches influenced the ecological stream health along with some close relations on the fish trophic and tolerance guilds. The mesoscale components altered chemical water quality such as nutrients (TN, TP) and BOD and these, then, determined the primary productions, based on the sestonic chlorophyll-a. The riffle-reach had good chemical conditions, but the pool-reach had nutrient enrichments. The riffle-reach had a predominance of insectivores, while the pool-reach has a predominance of omnivores. Also, the riffle-reach had high proportions of sensitive fish and insectivore fish, and the pool-reach had high proportions of tolerant species in the community composition. The intermediate fish species in tolerance and omnivorous fish species in the food linkage dominated the community in the watershed, and the sensitive and insectivorous fishes decreased rapidly with a degradation of the water quality. All the habitat patterns were largely determined by the land-use patterns in the watershed. Conclusions: Trophic guilds and tolerance guilds of fish were determined by land-use pattern and these determined the stream health, based on the Index of Biological Integrity. This study remarks the necessity to include additional variables to consider information provided by mesohabitats and land-use distributions within the selected stream stretch. Overall, our data suggest that land-use pattern and mesohabitat distribution are important factors to be considered for the trophic and tolerance fish compositions and chemical gradients as well as ecological stream health in the watershed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.62-69
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• 2008

This study was conducted in order to recommend forest-based wildlife protection areas in Chung-nam Province using several basic habitat conditions. The conditions used in this study were the forest patch size with the potential to keep wildlife animals safe, the distance from water sources, and the availability of food for wildlife. The fractal dimension index was also used to find the edge line dynamics, which can influence on habitat conditions for edge species. The natural conservation management indices including a forest map (indicating the level of forest age), a slope map, and an elevation map were used to find the forest patches with enough space for wildlife to live on. Water resources and their buffer areas were considered as factors to protect the space as an ecological corridor. Deciduous trees and trees mixed with deciduous trees and conifers were chosen to provide wildlife animals their food. In total, 525 forest patches were chosen and recommended for the wildlife protection area. Five of these forest patches were recommended as wildlife protection areas managed by the provincial government. The other 520 forest patches were recommended to protect local wildlife animals and be managed by each county or city. These forest patches were located around the Geum-buk and Geum-nam mountains, and the forest patches are important resources as habitats to keep wildlife in the area. An ecological network consists of these separate forest patches with the ecological integration. A fractal dimension index was used to divide forest patches into several categories in order to find how patches are shaped. The forest patches with longer edges or more irregular shapes have a much higher possibility of being inhabited by various types of edge species. Through comparison of the wildlife protection areas recommended in this study to the current wildlife protection areas, we recognized that the current wildlife protection areas need boundary adjustments in order for wildlife animals to survive by themselves with water sources and food.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.229-236
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• 2009

A habitat model was developed to delineate potential habitat of the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) in a mountainous region of Kangwon Province, Korea. Between 1997 and 2005, 224 leopard cat presence sites were recorded in the province in the Nationwide Survey on Natural Environments. Fifty percent of the sites were used to develop a habitat model, and the remaining sites were used to test the model. Fourteen environmental variables related to topographic features, water resources, vegetation and human disturbance were quantified for 112 of the leopard cat presence sites and an equal number of randomly selected sites. Statistical analyses (e.g., t-tests, and Pearson correlation analysis) showed that elevation, ridges, plains, % water cover, distance to water source, vegetated area, deciduous forest, coniferous forest, and distance to paved road differed significantly (P < 0.01) between presence and random sites. Stepwise logistic regression was used to develop a habitat model. Landform type (e.g., ridges vs. plains) is the major topographic factor affecting leopard cat presence. The species also appears to prefer deciduous forests and areas far from paved roads. The habitat map derived from the model correctly classified 93.75% of data from an independent sample of leopard cat presence sites, and the map at a regional scale showed that the cat's habitats are highly fragmented. Protection and restoration of connectivity of critical habitats should be implemented to preserve the leopard cat in mountainous regions of Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.163-173
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• 2015

The occurrence of wild boars (Sus scrofa Linnaeus) and reports of wildlife-vehicle conflicts (i.e., road-kill) involving them have increased in natural forest regions of Korea. In the past few decades, many wildlife passages have been constructed to reduce vehicle collisions involving wildlife species. However, few studies have assessed the habitat suitability of target wildlife species when locating the construction sites of wildlife passages. Target species rarely use wildlife passages if built in an inappropriate location. Therefore, a quantitative habitat model is required to find suitable sites for wildlife passages that can connect the fragmented forest patches of wildlife habitats in Korea. In this study, the wild boar was selected as the target species, and six environmental variables (percentage of Quercus forest, slope aspect, distance to roads, water accessibility, forest stand age and density) were measured. The habitat model for wild boars was developed with a Delphi survey, and habitat suitability maps were delineated for the provinces of Gangwon-do and Jeollanam-do. In this study, 298 and 64 boars were observed in Gangwon-do and Jeollanam-do, respectively. Observations of wild boars derived from the second nationwide natural environmental survey were used to evaluate the habitat model. Habitat suitability maps that superimposed existing road networks suggested that wild boar habitats were severely fragmented in both provinces, particularly in Gangwon-do. To connect the fragmented habitats and prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions, this study proposes 11 and 5 wildlife passage sites in Gangwon-do and Jeollanam-do, respectively.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.97-111
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• 2021

This study was conducted to develop a habitat type classification system and its map based on the ecological characteristics of species, spatial type, vegetation, topography, and geological conditions preferred by species. To evaluate the relationships between species and their habitats in Korean national parks, we prepared a classification standard table for systematic classification of habitat types. This classification system divides habitats into 6 low-level and 59 mid-level ecological classes based on habitat structure. The mid-level system divided forest ecosystems into 20 subtypes, stream and wetland ecosystems into 8 types, coastal ecosystems into 7 types, arable land into 6 types, development land into 9 types, and 1 type of marine ecosystem. A habitat classification map was drawn utilizing square images, detailed vegetation maps, and forest stand maps, based on the above habitat classification system, and it covered 1,461 plots spanning 21 national parks. The habitat classification system and survey protocol, which consider domestic habitat conditions, should be further developed and applied to habitat assessment, to enhance the utility of this study.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.73-84
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• 2023

The objective of this study was to evaluate biodiversity and natural habitat environment of freshwater ecosystem. Our aim was therefore to produce a set of biodiversity and habitat indicators based on multi-parameters of water quality and biodiversity by analyzing the characteristics of the results by indicators. We selected four indicators a) anthropogenic disturbance, b) habitat diversity, c) biodiversity, d) ecosystem structure. The fishes cohabiting with Brachymystax lenok tsinlingensis were Rhynchocypris kumgangensis and Zacco koreanus. As a result of the anthropogenic disturbance evaluation, it was analyzed that vegetation embankment showed a more stable environment in the tributary than the main stream, and other disturbance was not confirmed As a result of the habitat diversity evaluation, it was analyzed that habitat evaluation index showed a high score of 200 more on average, showing an optimal habitat condition. As a result of the biodiversity evaluation, it was analyzed as a clean habitat condition with a high proportion of sensitive species, abundant dissolved oxygen, and little pollutants. As a results of the ecosystem structure, the ecological health condition metrics and appearance of endangered species showed large score deviation, but it was analyzed that the stream ecosystem health was generally excellent. There was a slight correlation between the habitat environment and the results of the nature habitat evaluation according to the appearance of the B. lenok tsinlingensis.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.106-114
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• 2020

Background: Determining patterns of habitat use is key to understanding of animal ecology. Approximately 1% of bird species use brood parasitism for their breeding strategy, in which they exploit other species' (hosts) parental care by laying eggs in their nests. Brood parasitism may complicate the habitat requirement of brood parasites because they need habitats that support both their host and their own conditions for breeding. Brood parasitism, through changes in reproductive roles of sex or individual, may further diversify habitat use patterns among individuals. However, patterns of habitat use in avian brood parasites have rarely been characterized. In this study, we categorized the habitat preference of a population of brood parasitic lesser cuckoos (Cuculus poliocephalus) breeding on Jeju Island, Korea. By using compositional analyses together with radio-tracking and land cover data, we determined patterns of habitat use and their sexual and diurnal differences. Results: We found that the lesser cuckoo had a relatively large home range and its overall habitat composition (the second-order selection) was similar to those of the study area; open areas such as the field and grassland habitats accounted for 80% of the home range. Nonetheless, their habitat, comprised of 2.54 different habitats per hectare, could be characterized as a mosaic. We also found sexual differences in habitat composition and selection in the core-use area of home ranges (third-order selection). In particular, the forest habitat was preferentially utilized by females, while underutilized by males. However, there was no diurnal change in the pattern of habitat use. Both sexes preferred field habitats at the second-order selection. At the third-order selection, males preferred field habitats followed by grasslands and females preferred grasslands followed by forest habitats. Conclusions: We suggest that the field and grassland habitats represent the two most important areas for the lesser cuckoo on Jeju Island. Nevertheless, this study shows that habitat preference may differ between sexes, likely due to differences in sex roles, sex-based energy demands, and potential sexual conflict.