• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.spc
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• pp.57-65
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• 2014

Spatial and temporal distributions of zooplankton were measured in an oligotrophic pumped storage-type hydroelectric reservoir which was composed of two reservoirs exchanging water daily, with water going up at night and going down during the day. Repetitive diel disturbance of the water column can be a unique feature of this reservoir system. Chl-${\alpha}$ concentration was highest in the early winter season. Phytoplankton density was lower in summer monsoon due to high flushing rate on rainy days. The zooplankton density was higher in the smaller upper reservoir possibly due to lower fish density in the upper reservoir. In the seasonal variation a time gap was observed between the phytoplankton bloom and the zooplankton bloom (particularly a rotifer, Keratella cochlearis). It is likely to that Keratella production is partially supported by heterotrophic food sources than phytoplankton. The dominance of a mixotrophic dinoflagellate (Peridinium bipes f. ocultatum) might have complicated the trophic relationship between phytoplankton and zooplankton. Our results provide some ecological information of zooplankton community in a highly disturbed alpine reservoir ecosystem relying on mostly allochthonous organic matter.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.320-333
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• 2016

This study was carried out to elucidate the development of unprecedented water-bloom caused by a single species of colonial green algae Eudorina elegans in the upstream area of the Seungchon weir located in the Yeongsan River from late April to May 2013. The Yeongsan River is typically regulated system and the waterbody is seriously enriched by both external and internal sources of nutrients. Seasonal algal outbreaks were highly probable due to various potential factors, such as the excessive nutrients contained in treated wastewater, slow current, high irradiation and temperature, in diatom (winter), green algae (spring) and bluegreen algae (summer). Spring green-tide was attributed to E. elegans with level up to $1,000mg\;m^{-3}$(>$50{\times}10^4cells\;mL^{-1}$). The bloom was exploded in the initial period of the algal development and after then gradually diminished with transporting to the downstream by the intermittent rainfall, resulting in rapid expansion of the distribution range. Although the pulsed-flows by the weir manipulation was applied to control algal bloom, they were not the countermeasures to solve the underlying problem, but rather there still was a remaining problem related to the impact of pulsed-flows on the downstream. The green-tide of E. elegans in this particular region of the Yeongsan River revealed the blooming characteristics of a colonial motile microalga, and fate of vanishing away by the succeeding episodic events of mesoscale rainfall. We believe that the results of the present study contribute to limno-ecological understanding of the green-tide caused by blue-green algae in the four major rivers, Korea.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.52 no.spc2
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• pp.865-873
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to develop and apply a river space restoration framework considering various functions of river basin system. In particular, we will present sustainable river basin management directions by quantifying the effect of improving the aquatic ecosystem through the restoration of river space. For this purpose, the present problems are derived from functional aspects of the river basin, and the river area restoration framework linked with the individual outcome indicators is constructed to evaluate the restoration effect by each function. The ecological impact of restoration of river area was quantitatively analyzed by introducing ecotope concept. As a result of the comparison of restoration effects by creating three kinds of river area restoration scenarios, the construction of suitable habitat such as backswamp in the expanded area has shown favorable results in expanding biodiversity. The diversity evaluation of ecotope in conjunction with the hydraulic and hydrological characteristics of the year will not only provide the expected effects of restoration of river space but will also serve as a criterion about post-project monitoring for outcome evaluation.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.129-140
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• 2019

Majangcheon is a small agricultural stream which is located in Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do. To understand ecological characteristics of Majangcheon as biological habitats, we surveyed its physical environment and fishes from June 2016 to September 2016. The altitudinal difference between lowest and highest point of the stream was 3 meters and the first-order stream under a map drawn on a scale of 1:25,000. The flow rate of stream was slow in overall with $0.09-0.48m{\cdot}s^{-1}$. More than 50% of clay were found in all points except for the point St. 3 in the riverbed structure surveyed. A total of 2,532 individuals of 22 species in nine families were collected from Majangcheon. Of them, stillwater-living species (Acheilognathinae and Carassius auratus) and floating species (Zacco platypus and Oryzias sinensis) were mainly collected. In Majangcheon, thus, both of stillwater-living and floating fishes were specifically coexisted. The correspondence analysis, based on fishes collected from Majangcheon and past research, showed that Majangcheon is closer to the flat streams in Gyeonggi-do rather than the mountainous streams in Gangwon-do but it appeared as an independent group from those of two regions. As a result, Majangcheon is a stream with specificity of fish community.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.135-154
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• 2023

Urban wetlands provide various ecosystem services and are subject to restoration and creation projects due to their increased value in the context of climate change. However, the vegetation structure of wetlands is sensitive to environmental changes, including artificial disturbances, and requires continuous maintenance. In this study, we conducted a vegetation survey of three wetlands created as part of a project to restore urban degraded natural ecosystems and monitored the quantitative changes in wetland vegetation structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle. The vegetation survey revealed 73 species in Incheon Yeonhui wetland, and the change in vegetation composition based on wetland occurrence frequency was 11.5% on average compared to the 2018 vegetation survey results. The vegetation survey identified 44 species in Busan Igidae wetland, and the proportion of species classified as obligate upland plants was the highest at 48.8% among all plants, while the proportion of naturalized plants accounted for 15.9% of all plants. The open water surface area decreased from 10% in May 2019 to 6.7% in May 2020. Iksan Sorasan wetland was surveyed and 44 species were confirmed, and it was found that the proportion of facultative wetland plant decreased compared to the 2018 vegetation survey results, and the open water surface area increased from 0.4% in May 2019 to 4.1% in May 2020. The results of this study showed that wetlands with low artificial management intensity exhibited a tendency for stabilization of vegetation structure, with a decrease in the proportion of plants with high wetland occurrence frequency and a relatively small number of new species. Wetlands with high artificial management intensity required specific management, as they had a large change in vegetation structure and a partially high possibility of new invasion. We reaffirmed the importance of continuous monitoring of vegetation communities and infrastructure for wetlands considering the function and use of urban wetlands, and restoration stages. These research results suggest the need to establish a sustainable wetland maintenance system through the establishment of long-term maintenance goals and monitoring methods that consider the environmental conditions and vegetation composition of wetlands.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.71-85
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• 2018

A recent topic of interest within ecology is ecosystem services that are importantly connected with biodiversity. Biodiversity is a fundamental component of ecological studies and has been the subject of many studies worldwide. However, studies on the diversity and distribution of freshwater fish were not undertaken in earnest until 2000, and the number of internationally available studies is therefore still limited. In this study, we used data from "The Survey and Evaluation of Aquatic Ecosystem Health (hereafter SEAEH)" within the framework of which whole water systems on the Korean peninsula are annually monitored to investigate and determine the current status of the diversity and distribution of freshwater fish, as well as to elucidate major factors impacting freshwater fish. A total of 130 species from 28 families were identified at around 953 sites in the SEAEH investigation of 2014. The species Zacco platypus (relative abundance: 28.2%) and Z. koreanus (19.3%) were identified as the most abundant species on the Korean peninsula, and besides these 20 endangered species, 51 endemic species and 4 exotic species were also collected. Highest (96 species) and lowest (72 species) diversity were identified in the Han River Watershed and the Yeongsan/Seomjin River Watershed, respectively. The mean endemic rate was 32.7%, which is higher than the previous rate determined in 1995. The exotic species Micropterus salmoides, Lepomis macrochirus and Carassius cuvieri were found in the whole river system except north Yeongdong, whereas Oreochromis niloticus occurred only at three sites due to the cold water temperatures in winter. Totally, 28 species were found to be translocated to different water systems not connected with known original habitats, most translocations occurring in the Nakdong River and the Yeongdong region. Among the translocated species, Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis, and Erythroculter erythropterus were dominantly distributed in the mid- to lower reaches of Nakdong River where they may be harmful to the native fish assemblages due to their strong predation. The construction of weirs in connection with the "4 River Project" generated changes in fish assemblages before, during and after the project, resulting in altered habitat condition. Especially, a decrease in the number of endemic species and an increase in the abundance of lentic species were seen. Human-induced global warming will allow exotic species requiring high water temperatures to adapt to the environmental conditions of the Korean peninsula, which may enhance the diversity of native fishes and create changes in distribution. For the establishment of realistic and efficient management and protection strategies for Korean freshwater fish, SEAEH, which produces fundamental and quantitative data for Korean streams, is an important and necessary tool.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.553-565
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• 2022

Awareness of the ecological value and importance of protected areas has increased as climate change accelerates, and there is a need for research on ecosystem services provided by nature. The natural park, which is a representative protected area in Korea, has a system of national parks, provincial parks, and county parks. National parks are managed systematically by the Korea National Park Service, but local governments manage provincial parks and county parks. There may be the same hierarchical differences in naturalness (habitat quality) depending on the hierarchy of the natural parks, but it has not been verified. To identify differences, we examined 22 mountain-type natural parks using habitat quality using the INVEST model developed by Stanford University. The analysis of the habitat quality, regardless of the type and area of the natural park, showed that it was higher in the order of Taebaeksan National Park (0.89), Juwangsan National Park (0.87), Woongseokbong County Park (0.86), and Gayasan National Park (0.85). The larger the area, the higher the value of habitat quality. A comparison of natural parks with similar areas showed that the habitat quality of national parks was higher than that of provincial parks and parks. On the other hand, the average habitat quality of county parks was 0.83±0.02, which was 0.05 higher than that of provincial parks at 0.78±0.03. Furthermore, the higher the proportion of forest areas within the natural park, the higher the habitat quality. The results confirmed that the naturalness of natural parks was independent of their hierarchy and that there are differences in naturalness depending on land use, land coverage, and park management.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.105 no.4
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• pp.401-413
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• 2016

Forest resources utilization and variable disturbance history have been affected the rarity and conservation value of forest relict trees, which served as habitat for forest biodiversity, important carbon stock and cultural role include human and natural history in South Korea. This study was conducted to establish the baseline data for forest resources conservation by clarifying species diversity, spatial distribution and ecological characteristics (individual and habitat) of forest relict trees (DBH > 300 cm) based on the data getting from mountain trail, high resolution aerial photos and field professionals and field survey. As results, 54 taxa (18 family 32 genus 48 species 1 subspecies 3 variety and 2 form) as about 22% of tree species in Korea was identified in the field. 837 individuals of forest relict trees were observed and the majority of the trees was in Pinaceae, deciduous Fagaceae and Rosaceae, which families are abundant in population diversity. High elevation area was important to relict trees as mean altitudinal distribution was 1,200 m a.s.l as likely affected by human activity gradients and mid-steep slope and North aspect was important environment for the trees remain. Many individuals exhibited 'damage larger branch' (55.6%) and consequent relatively lower mean canopy coverages (below 80%). Synthetically, present diversity and abundance of relict forest trees in South Korea were the result of complex process among climate variation, local weather and biological factors and the trees of big and old were estimated to important forest biodiversity elements. In the future, clarifying the role and function of relict trees in forest ecosystem, in- and ex- situ programmes for important trees and habitat, and activities for building the background of conservation policy such as "Guideline for identifying and measurement of forest relict trees".

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.195-205
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• 2013

Excessive input of organic matters from fish cage farming has been considered as one of the major factors disturbing benthic ecosystem, especially in semi-enclosed coastal waters. Recently offshore aquaculture in the vicinity of Jeju-do has been introduced to minimize that kind of negative impact. This study was conducted to investigate the ecological impacts of offshore aquaculture on the macrobenthic polychaete communities. A total of ten sampling works were carried out for 28 months, spanning from 10 days after starting giving feed to 3 months after stopping giving feed. During the study period, mean current velocity was quite strong with the range of 50 cm/s to 70 cm/s. TOC of surface sediment was constantly low. Significant changes in polychaete community were detected just three months after starting giving feed, which were the increase of the number of species and density at all stations. Up to 18 months after the start of farming, the amount of feed provided played an important role in the fluctuation of the number of species and density, especially at 0 m and 10 m stations. After reducing the amount of feed provided, dominance of some opportunistic species within 10 m distance from fish cages still lasted to the end of aquaculture. However, opportunistic species disappeared 3 months after the end of farming, which indicated the sign of recovery from the disturbance. From these results, the amount of food input and the period of cultivation were critical factors disturbing polychaete community and ensuing changes in this offshore and oligotrophic waters as well. In addition, study on the changes of polychaete community structure before and after fish farming showed more detailed changes in benthic ecological state than geochemical approach did.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.339-344
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• 2000

Utilization of animal excreta in aquaculture can have potentials of high fish production and low maintenance costs for fish farming and it can reduce water pollution caused by animal waste disposal. Integration of wastewater treatment pond system with aquaculture has been utilized in many countries. Ecologically balanced pond ecosystem is formed through the stabilization of wastes, the growth of aquatic plants, and the cultivation of fish. The most appropriate fish for rearing in these ponds are those which can feed directly on phytoplankton, especially algae. Carp were introduced into a tertiary pond - water depth of 2.2 m, water surface area of $130\;m^2$, volume of $148\;m^3$ - of a pond system treating milk cow excreta. The carp production was $125g{\cdot}m^{-2}year^{-1}$ which falls into upper range of $18\;-\;137g{\cdot}m^{-2}year^{-1}$ of treated sewage-fed carp farming of other countries. Average $BOD_5$ and T-N of the pond was 19.8 and $21.0\;mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ respectively, and the ecological environment of it was suitable for growth of carp. Several carp of 100g were introduced in August into a secondary pond of the treatment system, whose average $BOD_5$ and T-N was 27.9 and $30.8\;mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ respectively. They were died within one week, which may be attributed to the depletion of dissolved oxygen at dawn. Effluents from primary treatment can be used in fish pond with dilution and those from secondary treatment can be directly funnelled into it. Waste stabilization pond treating animal excreta can be utilized for fish rearing when its water quality maintains secondary treatment level.