• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.29-44
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• 2016

This study was carried out to the structure of plant community, and ecological succession sere of forest ecosystem in Soguemgang Valley, Odaesan National Park. Fifteenth plots(size is $20m{\times}20m$) were set up and the results analyzed by DCA which is one of the ordination technique showed that the plant communities were divided into seven groups which area community I(Quercus variabilis-Pinus densiflora community), II(Pinus densiflora community), III(Pinus densiflora-Quercus variabilis community), IV(Pinus densiflora-Quercus serrata community), V(Quercus serrata community), VI(Pinus densiflora-Deciduous broad-leaved plant community), VII(Cornus controversa-Carpinus laxiflora community). Shannon diversity index per $400m^2$ was to 0.7777 to 1.1440 and the age of Pinus densiflora 86 years old, Quercus variabilis was ranged from 66 to 87 years old, Quercus serrata was ranged from 51 to 62 years old, Carpinus laxiflora was 94 years old. In 2013, the succession trend was predicted Pinus densiflora${\rightarrow}$Quercus variabilis, Quercus serrata ${\rightarrow}$Cornus controversa, Carpinus laxiflora. The ecological sucession progress has declined power of the Pinus densiflora and the increased power of the deciduous broad-leaved and Quercus spp. in Soguemgang Valley, Odaesan National Park. Quercus serrata and Quercus variabilis communities that judged Pinus densiflora were progressing by direction of landform. The southern slopes vegetation were progressing for Quercus variabilis, the northern slopes vegetation were progressing for Quercus serrata. In flat Valley, mainly native species of Cornus controversa, Carpinus laxiflora are predicted ecological succession for deciduous broad-leaved tree community.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.85-97
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• 2011

The tidal flats of Korea today have reduced by 40% in size compared to 1964. To manage this important habitat properly, development of well-organized and nationwide-applicable grading systems is required. There have been several assessment systems proposed previously in Korea, but they are critically flawed in that selected biological indicators are not adequate and grading criteria are obscure and arbitrary. We reviewed the indicators used in these previous evaluation systems (e.g., diversity indices, quantity and quality of benthic macrofauna, halophytes, water birds, etc.) and subsequently proposed new indicators and an improved grading scheme. For the quantitative assessment of macrobenthic community, biomass reflecting production and ecosystem function is recommended over density, which is much less discriminatory among habitats. Of biodiversity indices used, within-, between-habitat and regional biodiversity indices that accurately reflect sampling efforts are suggested. In addition, we proposed to include species rarity, ecosystem engineers, and the ecological quality index ISEP (Inverse function of Shannon-Wiener Evenness Proportion). As for halophytes, their low spatial coverage on benthic habitat suggests that their presence can be used as an ecological indicator of benthic habitat, regardless of their protective status. We stress the need to introduce 1) quantile approach for quantitative indicators (e.g., diversity, biomass, etc.) in relation to grading, 2) presence-absence approach for spatial or aggregate indicators (e.g., boundaries of halophytes and feeding ground of water birds) and 3) benthic habitat mapping that combines all of these indicators.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.250-262
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• 2015

This study aims to investigate the characteristics of the vegetation structure in the sectin stretching between the Jilmoi wetlands and the Donghae Observatory and to set the criteria for the basic data for a management plan including restoration afterwards. 12 plots($10m{\times}40m$, $20m{\times}20m$) were set up to analyse the vegetation structure. The analysis of the classification by TWINSPAN and ordination by DCA, importance percentage and property, distribution of diameter of breast height, growth increments of major woody species, species diversity and the physicochemical properties of soil were all analyzed. Vegetation classes were divided into 3 communities, which are community I (Pinus densiflora community), community II (Quercus mongolica community) and community III (Quercus mongolica-Tilia amurensis community). The P. densiflora community declined when competing with Q. mongolica and Fraxinus rhynchophylla and Q. mongolica competed with T. amurensis on an understory layer in Q. mongolica community. Q. mongolica competed with T. amurensis on both canopy and understory layers in Q. mongolica-T. amurensis community. P. densiflora declined and it was assumed to succeed to F. rhynchophylla or T. amurensis through Q. mongolica based on the importance percentage and distribution of the diameter of the breast height of small and middle sized trees. The age of P. densiflora was between 47 to 51 years old and Q. mongolica was 61years old. T. amurensis was 61 years old and the growth of Q. mongolica slowed a little. As the result of Shannon's index of species diversity, community I ranged from 0.9578 to 1.1862, community II ranged from 0.7904 to 1.2286 and community III ranged from 0.8701 to 1.0323. The contents of organic matter and cation were low compared to uncultivated mountain soil and it were analysed to be inappropriate for tree growth.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.142-163
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• 2009

Taebaek city is located in the mountainous plateau area therefore the major industry was coal industry. According to dramatically declining of the major industry, Taebaek city is need to alternative industry which associated with considering the geographical characteristics of natural tourism resources for increasing the local economy. On the basis of these reasons, this study can be suggested ecological planning and mitigation of deterioration technique about the these study site. That is the reserved area for mountainous experience theme park. As the results of environmental ecology assessment are following as; The natural ecosystem areas, multi-layer structure forest such as forest of Pinus densiflora, forest of Quercus mongolica and deciduous forest have a high value of nature, diversity and potential. In addition, wild bird habitats were important area as a inhabitation, breeding, feeding and hiding. Therefore, on these areas should be preserved. Also, it needs to conserve on there such as more than three types of wild bird inhabitate areas, the fringe of high biological diversity, the wetland that have got good vegetation condition and the function of amphibia, reptiles crossing. In addition, inhabitation, the waterway of wetland form that have got wide waterside width needs to conserve. In conclusion, on the basis of analysis results such as conditions of plan, environment, ecological assessments, survey informations are able to suggest the connectivity of the axis of forest and management plan. Moreover, in the part of forest restoration plan, we suggest the plan of transplant for a compensation of damaged forest by land use.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.31-43
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• 2021

To understand the temporal variation of prokaryotic communities in a temperate coastal area, prokaryotic abundance, activity, and community composition were investigated every week for over a year at a coastal monitoring station of Yeong-do, Busan. The prokaryotic abundances fluctuated about 10 times, ranging from 2.0 to 20.1 × 10⁵ cells mL^-1 and tended to be high in spring when phytoplankton bloom occurred. The prokaryotic thymidine incorporation rates (TTI) varied in a low range between 0.2 and 11.5 pmol L^-1 h^-1 in winter. However, in summer, TTI were increased up to a range of 8.3 to 17.4 pmol L^-1 h^-1, showing an increasing pattern in summer. During the study period, Alphaproteobacteria was the most dominant class for most of the year, followed by Flavobacteria. While the seasonal variation of prokaryotic composition was not apparent at the class level, many prokaryotic species showed a distinct temporal or seasonal variation for the year. In the coastal site, prokaryotic biomass and activity did not show significant correlations with temperature and chlorophyll-a, which are well known to regulate prokaryotic growth in marine environments, suggesting that the study area may be affected by diverse sources of organic matter for their growth.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.353-360
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• 2017

Background: Endophytic fungi play an important role in balancing the ecosystem and boosting host growth. In the present study, we investigated the endophytic fungal diversity of healthy Panax notoginseng and evaluated its potential antimicrobial activity against five major phytopathogens causing root-rot of P. notoginseng. Methods: A culture-dependent technique, combining morphological and molecular methods, was used to analyze endophytic fungal diversity. A double-layer agar technique was used to challenge the phytopathogens of P. notoginseng. Results: A total of 89 fungi were obtained from the roots, stems, leaves, and seeds of P. notoginseng, and 41 isolates representing different morphotypes were selected for taxonomic characterization. The fungal isolates belonged to Ascomycota (96.6%) and Zygomycota (3.4%). All isolates were classified to 23 genera and an unknown taxon belonging to Sordariomycetes. The number of isolates obtained from different tissues ranged from 12 to 42 for leaves and roots, respectively. The selected endophytic fungal isolates were challenged by the root-rot pathogens Alternaria panax, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, Phoma herbarum, and Mycocentrospora acerina. Twenty-six of the 41 isolates (63.4%) exhibited activity against at least one of the pathogens tested. Conclusion: Our results suggested that P. notoginseng harbors diversified endophytic fungi that would provide a basis for the identification of new bioactive compounds, and for effective biocontrol of notoginseng root rot.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1275-1286
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• 2012

Coastal marine ecosystem plays important role of spawning and nursery grounds for fisheries resources. Yongil Bay is one of major coastal marine ecosystems, which is located in the southwestern East Sea of Korea. Species composition and abundance of marine organism in the Yongil Bay were investigated by season from March to November 2009. Gill net and pot fisheries were used for survey of pelagic and demersal species composition, and collected 106 species, 67 families, and 7 taxa of fisheries resources from the coastal ecosystem. Species were included 2 species in Ascidiacea, 2 species in Bivalvia, 6 in Cephalopoda, 22 in Crustacea, 5 in Echinodermata, 12 in Gastropoda, and 57 in Pisces. Diversity indices (Shannon index, H') showed seasonal variation with low value of 2.11 in winter, and high value of 2.63 in autumn. Main dominant species were Asterias amurensis, Pleuronectes yokohamae, Siphonalia spadicea fuscolineata, Trachurus japonicas, Sillago japonica, Conger myriaster, Volutharpa ampullaceal, Engraulis japonicus, Asterina pectinifera, and Portunus (Portunus) sanguinolentus that were occupied over 71.5% of total individuals, and 52.9% of wet weight. Seasonal variations of fisheries resources composition were discussed on correlationships with those of environmental factors in the coastal ecosystem of the Yongil Bay in Korea. Those results from this study will provide scientific data and information to develop the ecosystem-based coastal fisheries assessment and management system in Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.105-116
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• 2021

Background: The creation of the National Institute of Ecology began as a national alternative project to preserve mudflats instead of constructing the industrial complexes by reclamation, and achieve regional development. On the other hand, at the national level, the research institute for ecology was needed to cope with the worsening conditions for maintaining biodiversity due to accelerated climate change such as global warming and increased demand for development. In order to meet these needs, the National Institute of Ecology has the following objectives: (1) carries out studies for ecosystem change due to climate change and biodiversity conservation, (2) performs ecological education to the public through exhibition of various ecosystem models, and (3) promotes regional development through the ecological industry. Furthermore, to achieve these objectives, the National Institute of Ecology thoroughly followed the basic principles of ecology, especially restoration ecology, in the process of its construction. We introduce the principles and cases of ecological restoration applied in the process. Results: We minimized the impact on the ecosystem in order to harmonize with the surrounding environment in all the processes of construction. We pursued passive restoration following the principle of ecological restoration as a process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem degraded for all the space except in land where artificial facilities were introduced. Reference information was applied thoroughly in the process of active restoration to create biome around the world, Korean peninsula forests, and wetland ecosystems. In order to realize true restoration, we pursued the ecological restoration in a landscape level as the follows. We moved the local road 6 and high-voltage power lines to underground to ensure ecological connectivity within the National Institute of Ecology campus. To enhance ecological diversity, we introduced perch poles and islands as well as floating leaved, emerged, wetland, and riparian plants in wetlands and mantle communities around the forests of the Korean Peninsula in the terrestrial ecosystem. Furthermore, in order to make the public aware of the importance of the intact nature, the low-lying landscape elements, which have disappeared due to excessive land use in most areas of Korea, was created by imitating demilitarized zone (DMZ) landscape that has these landscape elements. Conclusions: The National Institute of Ecology was created in an eco-friendly way by thoroughly reflecting the principles of ecology to suit its status and thus the impact on the existing ecosystem was minimized. This concept was also designed to be reflected in the process of operation. The results have become real, and a result of analysis on carbon budget analysis is approaching the carbon neutrality.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.112-119
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• 2021

In 2012, the National Park Service conducted an ecological health assessment to efficiently preserve and manage the ecosystem. The need for improving pre-existing management indicators was recognized from the revised Natural Park Act because, while the indicators of the existing evaluation system focused on endangered species, ecosystem disturbance, diversity, water quality (BOD, DO), and habitat fragmentation, they did not reflect the lack of indicators for marine ecological assessment, policy changes, and the time demands. The evaluation results comprised a five-point grading system, which made the analysis of immediate changes, difficult. Therefore, the benthic pollution index (BPI) and habitat restoration indicators were added to improve the evaluation system. The National Park was assessed using 10 classifications, however, only four classifications were evaluated. The ratings were divided into five states, and ten classes were presented as pictograms. The assessment results showed a similar trend as the indicators were improved, increasing from level 3 to level 5. However, the results of the Wolaksan National Park after improvement in the indicators were lower than that before the improvement, whereas, for the Juwangsan National Park, it was higher. This study aims at contributing to the scientific and systematic management of the national park ecosystem by improving the ecological health assessment system.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.155-160
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• 2022

The debate of South-North transboundary rivers must be expanded from the existing cooperation in water resources towards cooperation within ecosystem conservation. Regarding the Han and Imjin rivers confluence water system, the nature of the estuarine ecosystem must be conserved considering the aspect of climate change. Furthermore, the agenda of maintaining continuous inter-Korean communication and cooperation should focus on ecosystem conservation, including conserving migratory species that inhabit both Koreas. Notably, within the Han and Imjin rivers confluence, transboundary rivers are abundant legally protected species such as Grus vipio, Anser fabalis, Anser cygnoides, Platalea minor, Lutra lutra, Prionailurus bengalensis which suggests a strong need for a debate regarding habitat conservation. This study analyzed the ecosystem conditions and environmental aspects within the confluence of Han and Imjin rivers. In addition, this study provided step wise approach of ecosystem conservation that consider conditions for potential direct inter-Korean cooperation. The inter-Korean cooperation mentioned in this study will be developed into legitimate cooperation once the results from monitoring the ecosystem of transboundary rivers, awareness raising are exchanged.