• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2023

We analyzed the distribution area of debris slopes in Mudeungsan (Mt. Mudeung) National Park by comparing aerial photos of the past (1966) and the present (2017) and identified the vegetation characteristics that affect the change in the area of the debris slopes by investigating the vegetation status of the debris slopes and the surrounding areas. The area of debris slopes in Mt. Mudeung appears to have been reduced to a quarter of what it used to be. Debris slopes here have decreased at an average rate of 2.3 ha/yr over 51 years by vegetation covers. Notably, most of the small-area debris slopes in the low-inclination slopes disappeared due to active vegetation coverage. However, there are still west-facing, south-west-facing, south-facing, and large-area debris slopes remaining because the sun's radiant heat rapidly raises the surface temperature of rock blocks and dries moisture, making tree growth unfavorable. Because of these locational characteristics, the small-scale vegetation in the middle of Deoksan Stony Slope, which is the broadest area, showed distinct characteristics from the adjacent forest areas. Sunny places and tree species with excellent drying resistance were observed frequently in Deoksan Stony Slope. However, tree species with high hygropreference that grow well in valleys with good soil conditions also prevailed. In some of these places, the soil layer has been well developed due to the accumulation of fine materials and organic matter between the crevices of the rock blocks, which is likely to have provided favorable conditions for such tree species to settle and grow. At the top of Mt. Mudeung, on the other hand, the forest covered the debris slopes, where Mongolian oaks (Quercus mongolica) and royal azaleas (Rhododendron schlippenbachii), which typically grow in the highlands, prevailed. This area was considered favorable for the development of vegetation for the highlands because the density of rock blocks was lower than in Deoksan Stony Slope, and the soil was exposed. Moreover, ash trees (Fraxinus rhynchophylla) and Korean maple trees (Acer pseudosieboldianum) that commonly appear in the valley areas were dominant here. It is probably due to the increased moisture content in the soil, which resulted from creating a depressive landform with a concave shape that is easy to collect rainwater as rock blocks in some areas fell and piled up in the lower region. In conclusion, the area, density of the rock blocks, and distribution pattern of rock block slopes would have affected the vegetation development and species composition in the debris slope landform.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.35-48
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• 2022

Fish assemblage of total 325 of Korean peninsula estuaries were surveyed to analyze the characteristics of community structure and diversity by sea areas for three years from 2016 to 2018. The scale (stream width) of Korean estuaries were various (14~3,356 m), and 68.9% of all estuaries showed salinity of less than 2 psu. Total 149 species classified into 52 families of fish were identified, and the dominant and sub-dominant species were Tribolodon hakonensis (relative abundance, RA, 12.5%) and Mugil cephalus (RA, 9.5%), respectively. The estuary of the Korean Peninsula had different physical and chemical habitat environments depending on the sea area, and accordingly, fish community structure also showed statistically significant differences (PERMANOVA, Pseudo-F=26.69, P=0.001). In addition, the NMDS (nonmetric multidimensional scaling) results showed the patterns that indicating fish community difference by sea areas, even though low community similarity within sea area (SIMPER, 21.79~26.39%). The estuaries of east sea areas were distinguished from the others in the aspects of which, the higher importance of migratory fishes and endangered species, and that of brackish species were characterized at south sea estuaries. However, the estuaries of west sea showed higher importance of species that have a relation with freshwater (primary freshwater species, exotic species), which is the result that associating with the lower salinity of west sea estuaries because of the high ratio of closed estuaries(78.2%). The SIMPER analysis, scoring the contribution rates of species to community similarity, also showed results corresponding to the tendency of different fish community structures according to each sea area. So far, In Korea, most studies on fish communities in estuaries have been conducted in a single estuary unit, which made it difficult to understand the characteristics of estuaries at the national level, which are prerequisite for policy establishment. In present study, we are providing fish community structure characteristics of Korean estuaries in a national scale, including diversity index, habitat salinity ranges of major species, distribution of migratory species. We are expecting that our results could be utilized as baseline information for establishing management policies or further study of Korean estuaries.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.39-64
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• 1995

A faunistic and ecological study on the occurrence of freshwater cladocerans and copepods was accomplished from Chindo, South Korea. Collections were made from total 35 stations, comprising the various freshwater habitats like reservoirs, streams, swamps, bogs, ricefields, ditch, pond, and spring during the periods of July 23-25, and November 1-3 in 1994. Twenty seven cladoceran species of 17 genera of 6 families in 2 orders, and 28 copepod species of 21 genera of 6 families in 3 orders were collected during this research period, of which Daphnia obtusa Kurz and Elaphoidella bidens (Schmeil) are newly recorded from Korea. In reservoirs, Diaphanosoma sp. and Thermocyclops taihokuensis were dominant in July, and then succeeded by Bosmina longirostris and Cyclops vicinus vicinus in November. Thermocyclops crassus co-occurred with 7: taihokuensis at both seasons, was frequent in November after T. taihokuensis precipitately decreased. In other stagnant waters, 7: taihokuensis and Moina weismanni were dominant at ponds in July and in November, respectively. At ricefields in July Moina macrocopa and T. taihokuensis were dominant, but in November M. macrocopa and Paracyclops fimbriatus were. At streams, cladocerans were relatively rare, but became more rich in November. The representative cladoceran species were Bosmina longirostris as a plankton, and Chydorus sphaericus as a epibenthic species. Concerning copepods, nearly all the stations of streams except a few ones adjacent to seashore showed the similiar species constitutions, of which E. serrulatus and M, pehpeiensis were most frequent and abundant. At a mountain streamlet and a spring, the occurrence of Alona sp., Attheyella byblis Chang and Kim, 1992 and A. tetraspinosa Chang, 1993 is quite interesting and deserved much attention in the taxonomical point of view. Seventeen major cladocerans and copepods from lentic habitats and 13 major cladocerans and copepods from lotic habitatats were clustered using average taxonomic distance and UPGMA to infer the co-occurrence relations among species. As for lentic habitats, two large phena were appeared at first. The one phenon consisted of Diaphanosoma sp. and T taihokuensis, and showed its predominancy over the various habitats and its dominancy was rapidly decreased in November. The other phenon frequently occurred rather in November, and subdivided into three subgroups. On the other hand, as for lotic habitats, 13 species were also grouped into 2 large phena. The first one comprised 4 species, which were dominant and highly frequent at nearly all the lotic habitats, and subdivided into three subgroups according to their seasonal fluctuation types. The second one was also subdivided into three phena, the first of which comprised only one species, Microcyclops varicans, and occurred at most of the stations along stream with steadiness through the research period; the second phenon, Chydorus sphaericus, occurred much frequently in November; the last phenon included a few heterogenous subgroups.