• Title/Summary/Keyword: Ecosystem health

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The Strategy for the Development of Bio-Resources Utilizing Sericultural Products and Insects

  • Lee, Won-Chu;Kim, Iksoo
    • International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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    • v.1 no.2
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    • pp.95-102
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    • 2000
  • Experiments related to the field of sericulture started in the years 1900, in Korea. The sericultural experimental station in Korea was first organized among agricultural fields in Korea, indicating that sericulture in Korea was regarded as an important field of agriculture. Sericulture has been devoted to a great deal for the improvement of Korean economy during the past 100 years even under the coarse social circumstances caused particularly by the Korean War, However, the traditional Korean sericulture, aimed to produce silk yarn, was weakened, because of several reasons such as diminishment in silk consumption, increased labor charge in Korea, and so on. After this difficulty time, the Korean sericulture was revolutionized by shifting into functional sericulture from 1995, and the Korean sericulture now plays an important role for the improvement of human health. Mulberry tree, silkworm, and silk have a boundless potential to be developed as resources. We expect the know-how obtained through silkworm research would expand to the other insect research too. Thus, an area of entomological industry is hoped to prosper owing to insect research as well as sericulture. Mulberry tree is known to possess many bio-active substances, so it can be utilized as a resource for substitute medicine and a raw material for the functional food. In addition, an invention of genetically engineered mulberry variety, which will produce more bioactive substances, is expected. Silkworm is one of the most extensively studied insect organisms on the genome so far, Thus, silkworm is expected to be an "insect bio-factory", enabling mass-production of useful proteins by transformation, in which useful foreign genes are assimilated into silkworm. Silk can be transformed into several phases, because it possesses useful functional groups, which are sensitive to chemical reaction. Also, because silk fibrin itself is protein, it has a superior applicability as tissue membrane. Due to this usefulness, many researchers are now working on the silk as food, cosmetic, medical resource, and bioengineering resource, and even an expanded application is expected using silk in the future. Until now, the researches on insects were largely focused on the prevention of the damage caused by pest, instead of a beneficial aspect. However, insects are thought to be the fourth natural resource in the world, possessing unlimited potential as world resources in the near future. Therefore, our entomological research effort should be focused on the subject with potential for industrialization. Such subject includes selecting the insect species useful for environmental evaluation, construction of environment-friendly agricultural ecosystem, pollen mediation, pet, and advanced bio-resources.

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Monitoring of Selected Veterinary Antibiotics in Animal Carcass Disposal Site and Adjacent Agricultural Soil (가축매몰지 및 인근 농경지의 축산용 잔류 항생제 모니터링)

  • Lim, Jung Eun;Rajapaksha, Anushka Upamali;Jeong, Se Hee;Kim, Sung Chul;Kim, Kye Hoon;Lee, Sang Soo;Ok, Yong Sik
    • Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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    • v.57 no.3
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    • pp.189-196
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    • 2014
  • In Korea, over 4,700 animal carcass disposal sites were installed until 2011 due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. Due to the putrefaction of buried animals, the leachate containing veterinary antibiotics may release into surrounding environments. Antibiotic residues in the environment cause the formation of antibiotic resistance bacteria threatening human and ecosystem health. This study reports the concentrations of five antibiotics, including tetracycline (TC), chlortetracycline (CTC), oxytetracycline (OTC), sulfamethazine (SMZ), and sulfamethoxazole (SMX), in soils from animal carcass disposal site and adjacent agricultural field. Concentrations of antibiotics at animal carcass disposal sites (TC: $144.26-350.73{\mu}g/kg$, SMZ: $17.72-44.94{\mu}g/kg$) were higher than those at agricultural field (TC: $134.16-320.73{\mu}g/kg$, SMZ: $6.48-8.85{\mu}g/kg$) whereas the concentrations of CTC, OTC, and SMX were below detection limit in both sites. Results showed that the antibiotics in animal carcass site might leach to the soil and possibly contaminating the groundwater. Future studies will focus on the transfer of antibiotics residues into food crops.

Global Occurrence of Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms and N, P-limitation Strategy for Bloom Control (유해 남조류의 세계적 발생현황 및 녹조제어를 위한 질소와 인-제한 전략)

  • Ahn, Chi-Yong;Lee, Chang Soo;Choi, Jae Woo;Lee, Sanghyup;Oh, Hee-Mock
    • Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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    • v.33 no.1
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    • pp.1-6
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    • 2015
  • Increased harmful algal blooms by cyanobacteria are threatening public health and limiting human activities related with freshwater ecosystems. Phosphorus (P) has long been suggested as a critical nutrient for cyanobacterial bloom through field research in Canada during the 1970s, proposing a P-based freshwater management guideline. However, recently, nitrogen (N) has also been highlighted as an impacting nutrient on cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs). Due to the intensive and frequent observation of Microcystis, this kind of paradigm shift from P limitation to season-dependent N or P limitation has an important implication for a dual nutrient management strategy in eutrophic freshwaters. Through recent international researches, general strategies to control CyanoHABs in lakes and reservoirs are as follows: a dual nutrient (N & P) reduction, wastewater collection and treatment, pre-treatment of influent water in buffer zones, dredging of sediment, reduction of residence time, algal collection, and precipitation and flocculation of cyanobacteria. In addition, sustainable and integrative freshwater algae management should be carried out, based on the ecological aspect, because cyanobacteria are not the target organism to be eradicated, but an essential microbial member in the freshwater ecosystem.

Analysis of Water Infrastructure Sustainability Index: Using Weighting and Cluster Analysis (물 인프라 지속가능성 지수 분석: 가중치 분석과 군집분석을 활용하여)

  • Ryu, Jaena;Kang, Daewoon
    • KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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    • v.38 no.3
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    • pp.417-428
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    • 2018
  • The purpose of this study is to raise the necessity of ensuring sustainability of water infrastructures in economic, social and environmental sectors by using index that evaluates the sustainability centering on water supply and wastewater utilities. This study identified sub-indexes that should be stressed among different indexes in economic, social and environmental aspects and those indexes were compared by each clusters of cities. The principal component analysis was used to calculate the weights of the sub-indexes, and the k-mean cluster analysis was conducted to classify the clusters. As a result of the weighting analysis, financial independence, service revenue ratio, subsidy ratio, population coverage ratio, deterioration, stream/river ecosystem health and river water quality were found to be the major variables in assessing sustainability. Cities were then classified into two groups using the k-mean cluster analysis. The overall sustainability scored high in the economic sector was relatively satisfactory, but it was necessary to improve the environmental sustainability. The group with relatively good environmental sustainability showed low score in the overall sustainability and required improvements in the economic sector.

Analysis of Stream Ecosystem Health in Headwater Areas Using Landcover Data (소하천 수변 토지피복에 따른 하천 건강성 분석)

  • Han, Dae-Ho;Kim, Ik-Jae
    • Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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    • 2009.05a
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    • pp.496-500
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    • 2009
  • 소하천은 하천 네트워크의 최상류에 넓게 소재하는 하천이다. 본 연구의 목적은 올바른 소하천 수생태계 관리방안을 도출하기 위하여 소하천의 건강성을 분석하고 현행 소하천 관리제도의 개선점을 모색하는 것이었다. 본 연구에서는 다음과 같은 분석방법을 이용하였다. 첫째, 2007년 한강수계 소하천 28개 지점에서의 부착조류($DAI_{PO}$, TDI), 저서성 대형무척추동물(KSI), 어류(IBI), 서식환경, 수변환경 등 6개 항목에 대한 수생태 건강성 조사결과를 토대로 공간적 분포와 수질현황을 조사하여 소하천에 대한 종합적인 건강성 평가를 실시하였다. 둘째, 분석대상지역을 각각 소하천 구간스케일(28개 지점)과 유역스케일(팔당호, 안성천 유역)로 선정, 하천차수도(1:25,000)를 활용하여 해당 구간과 유역의 소하천도를 작성하였다. 셋째, 작성된 소하천도 는ArcGIS(ver. 9.3)에서 30, 60, 90, 120, 150-m Buffering을 하였다. 다음으로 소하천 구간은 중분류(23개 항목, $2000{\sim}2006$ 또는 2007년) 토지피복도를, 팔당호 및 안성천 유역의 소하천은 대분류(8개 항목, $1975{\sim}2000$년) 토지피복도를 적용하여 분류항목별 면적변화비율을 산정하였다. 끝으로 소하천 정비에 대한 제도적 문제점을 분석하여 소하천 관리의 개선점을 연구하였다. 그 연구 결과, 첫째 연구대상 소하천(28개)의 건강성은 도심 소하천에서 가장 낮게 조사되었고, 일부 소하천은 비록 상류에 위치함에도 불구하고 부착조류의 유기물, 영양염류 평가가 낮게 평가되었다. 둘째, 소하천 구간 스케일의 수변토지피복변화 분석결과 소하천 수생태 건강성은 거시적으로 산림, 도시화, 밭 등의 피복변화에 민감한 것으로 나타났으며 도시화 피복변화의 영향은 수변 30m에서 60m보다 3배 정도 큰 것으로 나타났다. 유역 스케일 분석에서는 상대적으로 도시화가 많이 진행된 안성천 유역의 소하천이 팔당호 유역보다 낮은 건강성일 것으로 예측되었다. 결론적으로 적절한 소하천 수변관리는 지역 하천의 건강성을 온전히 회복시키고 개선 유지하기 위한 중요한 수단들 중에 하나이며 수변토지피복의 변화율은 (소)하천 건강성 또는 유역관리의 지표로 활용될 수가 있는 것으로 조사되었다. 이와 더불어 본 연구를 통해 소하천 복원 및 관리는 소하천 특성을 고려한 장기적인 계획과 관리대상의 우선순위를 바탕으로 점진적인 대안마련이 필요할 것으로 사료된다.

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Effects of number of frozen-thawed ram sperm and number of inseminations on fertility in synchronized ewes under field condition

  • Jha, Pankaj Kumar;Alam, Md. Golam Shahi;Al Mansur, Md. Abdullah;Talukder, Mohammad Rafiqul Islam;Naher, Nazmun;Rahman, A.K.M. Anisur;Hal, David C.;Bari, Farida Yeasmin
    • Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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    • v.35 no.2
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    • pp.190-197
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    • 2020
  • The effects of the number of frozen-thawed ram sperm per single and double intra-cervical artificial insemination (AI) on fertility in ewes were studied. A total of 89 non-pregnant ewes were synchronized for oestrus with two doses of 100 ㎍ PGF (Cloprostenol) 9 days apart. The ewes were randomly assigned to one of four groups; D200 (n = 23; double AI with 200 × 106 sperm), S200 (n = 24; single AI with 200 × 106 sperm), D100 (n = 24; double AI with 100 × 106 sperm) and S100 (n = 18; single AI with 100 × 106 sperm). Ewes were inseminated within 12 to 18 h for single AI and, within 10 to 12 h and 16 to 18 h for double AI after the onset of oestrus. The onset of oestrus ranged from 28 to 76 h (54.33 ± 1.28 h). The high percentage (29.2%) of ewes showed oestrus between 51 to 60 h. The non-return rates were highest in group D200 (56.5%) and differed significantly (p < 0.05) from group S100 (11.1%). No ewes were pregnant in group S100, and the pregnancy rates among the remaining groups did not differ. The mean gestation period was 152.8 ± 0.5 days and no difference was observed among the groups. The lambing and multiple birth rates were 100% in group D200. The single and twin lambing was highest in group D100 (33.3%) and group D200 (83.3%), respectively. Only one triplet lambing and the highest lambing size (2.2 ± 0.2) was recorded in group D200. In conclusion, double AI with 200 × 106 sperm showed comparatively most practical for achieving high pregnancy rates and lambing performances in Bangladeshi ewes under field conditions.

Rainfed Areas and Animal Agriculture in Asia: The Wanting Agenda for Transforming Productivity Growth and Rural Poverty

  • Devendra, C.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.25 no.1
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    • pp.122-142
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    • 2012
  • The importance of rainfed areas and animal agriculture on productivity enhancement and food security for economic rural growth in Asia is discussed in the context of opportunities for increasing potential contribution from them. The extent of the rainfed area of about 223 million hectares and the biophysical attributes are described. They have been variously referred to inter alia as fragile, marginal, dry, waste, problem, threatened, range, less favoured, low potential lands, forests and woodlands, including lowlands and uplands. Of these, the terms less favoured areas (LFAs), and low or high potential are quite widely used. The LFAs are characterised by four key features: i) very variable biophysical elements, notably poor soil quality, rainfall, length of growing season and dry periods, ii) extreme poverty and very poor people who continuously face hunger and vulnerability, iii) presence of large populations of ruminant animals (buffaloes, cattle, goats and sheep), and iv) have had minimum development attention and an unfinished wanting agenda. The rainfed humid/sub-humid areas found mainly in South East Asia (99 million ha), and arid/semi-arid tropical systems found in South Asia (116 million ha) are priority agro-ecological zones (AEZs). In India for example, the ecosystem occupies 68% of the total cultivated area and supports 40% of the human and 65% of the livestock populations. The area also produces 4% of food requirements. The biophysical and typical household characteristics, agricultural diversification, patterns of mixed farming and cropping systems are also described. Concerning animals, their role and economic importance, relevance of ownership, nomadic movements, and more importantly their potential value as the entry point for the development of LFAs is discussed. Two examples of demonstrated success concern increasing buffalo production for milk and their expanded use in semi-arid AEZs in India, and the integration of cattle and goats with oil palm in Malaysia. Revitalised development of the LFAs is justified by the demand for agricultural land to meet human needs e.g. housing, recreation and industrialisation; use of arable land to expand crop production to ceiling levels; increasing and very high animal densities; increased urbanisation and pressure on the use of available land; growing environmental concerns of very intensive crop production e.g. acidification and salinisation with rice cultivation; and human health risks due to expanding peri-urban poultry and pig production. The strategies for promoting productivity growth will require concerted R and D on improved use of LFAs, application of systems perspectives for technology delivery, increased investments, a policy framework and improved farmer-researcher-extension linkages. These challenges and their resolution in rainfed areas can forcefully impact on increased productivity, improved livelihoods and human welfare, and environmental sustainability in the future.

Comparison of Nekton Assemblage Structures Between Estuary and Inshore Waters on the Mid-Western Coast of Korea (서해 하구역과 연안역 유영생물의 군집구조 비교)

  • Hwang, Sun-Do;Lee, Woo-Joo;Im, Yang-Jae
    • The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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    • v.17 no.3
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    • pp.149-159
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    • 2012
  • To elucidate the species compositions of estuarine and inshore fauna and compare productivities between them, catch were collected by bag nets in the Han River estuary off Ganghwa Island and the inshore waters off Jangbong Island for 24 hours at the spring tide from March to December 2010. Community structures of nekton assemblages were different with area, month, taxonomic groups. Although the diversity of estuarine nekton assemblage was lower than that of inshore nekton assemblage, the productivity of nekton assemblage in estuary was higher than that in the inshore waters. Nekton assemblages were distributed according to habitat environment: the estuarine species, Coilia mystus, Chelon haematocheilus, Collichthys lucidus were prominent in the Han River estuary off Ganghwa Island, and marine species, Thryssa kammalensis, Sardinella zunasi, Portunus trituberculatus were prominent in the inshore waters off Jangbong Island. Palaemon gravieri, Exopalaemon carinicauda, Synechogobius hasta were inhabited in both waters. The health assessment of estuarine ecosystem based on scientific research will be contributed to the effective management of estuary with determination of order and direction in policy.

Distributional Characteristics and Population Dynamics of Endangered Plant, Paeonia obovata Maxim. (멸종위기야생식물인 산작약(Paeonia obovata Maxim.)의 분포특성과 개체군 동태)

  • Kim, Young Chul;Chae, Hyun Hee;Lee, Kyu Song
    • Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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    • v.30 no.4
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    • pp.658-675
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    • 2016
  • The environmental characteristics of the habitats, the population structures, ecological niche, life traits and the population demography are used as an essential informations to the effective conservation plans about the target species. We first confirmed a total of 37 populations through 12 years of investigation on the extents, and investigated the environmental factors of habitats and the population structures of the 25 cohorts in 12 regions among them. And, we investigated the population dynamics targeting at 8 cohorts in the population of Daegwanryeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do. Along with this, we conducted 4 years of cultivation experiments and how pollinators affect the success of reproduction. The results shows that the Paeonia obovata Maxim. was found in a relatively wide range of habitats. For the population structures of the 25 cohorts, there were considerable differences among cohorts, including a case which showed relative stable structure and an extreme case in which only adults were found. The factor that affected the population dynamics during the investigation was thought as a forest gap created in the tree layer. In the cultivation experiment, seedlings grew well in a less soil organic matter. The seed setting rate and the number of seeds generated by visiting pollinators were higher trends. In conclusion, to understand the distribution of the Paeonia obovata Maxim., there needs to be investigated on the other factors that are involved in dispersal factors other than environmental factors, and thus we suggest the necessity of the research on the dispersal vectors. The current Paeonia obovata Maxim. population was thought as a process of expansion after the rapid reduction of the extents in the past. For the effective conservation of the Paeonia obovata Maxim., an endangered plant, we recommend to understand the species through the spatio-temporal expansion, and maintain the health of the ecosystem based on it.

Rhizospheric fungi of Panax notoginseng: diversity and antagonism to host phytopathogens

  • Miao, Cui-Ping;Mi, Qi-Li;Qiao, Xin-Guo;Zheng, You-Kun;Chen, You-Wei;Xu, Li-Hua;Guan, Hui-Lin;Zhao, Li-Xing
    • Journal of Ginseng Research
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    • v.40 no.2
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    • pp.127-134
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    • 2016
  • Background: Rhizospheric fungi play an essential role in the plantesoil ecosystem, affecting plant growth and health. In this study, we evaluated the fungal diversity in the rhizosphere soil of 2-yr-old healthy Panax notoginseng cultivated in Wenshan, China. Methods: Culture-independent Illumina MiSeq and culture-dependent techniques, combining molecular and morphological characteristics, were used to analyze the rhizospheric fungal diversity. A diffusion test was used to challenge the phytopathogens of P. notoginseng. Results: A total of 16,130 paired-end reads of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 were generated and clustered into 860 operational taxonomic units at 97% sequence similarity. All the operational taxonomic units were assigned to five phyla and 79 genera. Zygomycota (46.2%) and Ascomycota (37.8%) were the dominant taxa; Mortierella and unclassified Mortierellales accounted for a large proportion (44.9%) at genus level. The relative abundance of Fusarium and Phoma sequenceswas high, accounting for 12.9% and 5.5%, respectively. In total,113 fungal isolates were isolated from rhizosphere soil. They were assigned to five classes, eight orders (except for an Incertae sedis), 26 genera, and 43 species based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer. Fusarium was the most isolated genus with six species (24 isolates, 21.2%). The abundance of Phoma was also relatively high (8.0%). Thirteen isolates displayed antimicrobial activity against at least one test fungus. Conclusion: Our results suggest that diverse fungi including potential pathogenic ones exist in the rhizosphere soil of 2-yr-old P. notoginseng and that antagonistic isolates may be useful for biological control of pathogens.