• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.148-155
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• 2020

In this study, we analyzed the effects of the presence or absence of weirs on fish assemblages in wadeable streams (Stream order 1^st~4^th). More specifically, we investigated these effects by evaluating the differences in stream size. The results showed differences in the fish assemblages in third or higher order streams (PERMANOVA, P<0.005). The presence or absence of weirs mainly affected variables such as the number of species the individuals, and species richness index, whereas no difference was observed in the populations of exotic, endemic, and endangered species. A SIMPER analysis showed that the common species Zacco platypus, Zacco koreanus, and Pungtungia herzi are dominant in their corresponding streams (contribution>5%), and that these are the main contributors to differences among the fish assemblages. All these species showed high relative abundances at the sites with weirs. Altered environments by the presence of weirs provided these species with concentrated habitats. In summary, this study analyzed the effects of weirs on fish assemblages on a broad, nationwide, scale, and these results can effectively aid future studies on the specific effects of weirs.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.160-166
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• 2012

Egg development and early life history of the endangered Korean freshwater fish, Microphysogobio koreensis, was investigated to get a basic information for establishing its conservation strategy. The matured adult fishes were sampled at Imsil-gun, Jeollabuk-do, Korea in May 1 2012 and artificially fertilized. The fertilized eggs were spherical, separated demersal and $1.8{\pm}0.14mm$ in diameter. The hatching of the embryo began at about 29 hours after fertilization under water temperature of $23^{\circ}C$. The newly hatched pre-larvae were average $2.2{\pm}0.48mm$ in total length. At 4 days after hatching, the post-larvae were $3.6{\pm}0.55mm$ in total length and york sac was completely absorbed. At 20 days after hatching, their fin rays were formed and finally the larvae entered juvenile stage and grew up to $6.5{\pm}0.77mm$ in total length. At 60 days after hatching, the total length reached $24.4{\pm}1.71mm$, and the band patterns of he head and lateral side were similar to adult fish. Based on this study, the fertilized eggs of M. koreensis hatched more quickly and the pre-larvae length was also smaller, compared with related species.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.369-374
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• 2009

The stumpy bullhead (Pseudobagrus brevicorpus) endemic to Korea is one of critically endangered freshwater fish species. To provide baseline data for its captive breeding and reintroduction we investigated basal characteristics on its growth and sexual maturation in an artificial rearing environment. After 698-day rearing the stumpy bullhead grew up to $89.22{\pm}10.29\;mm$ in total length (TL) and $70.93{\pm}7.68\;g$ in total body weight (BW)($BW=5\times10^{-5}\;TL^{2.678}$; $R^2=0.995$), and showed survival rate of 74.2%. The sex ratio was 1 (471 females) : 1 (473 males), and males ($TL=87.44{\pm}1.07mm$; $BW=8.43{\pm}0.31\;g$) showed significantly faster growth than females ($TL=78.38{\pm}0.92mm$; $BW=6.38{\pm}0.20\;g$) after 663-day rearing. However, condition factor of females was significantly higher than that of males (P<0.05). The number of eggs per female ranged from 508 to 867 (average 734), and their diameters ranged from 0.04 to 1.65 mm. The females which reared about two years in the laboratory condition was able to spawn in the early June after 1~2 days of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) injection. The number of hatched fries ranged from 113 to 338 (average 216).

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.98-103
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• 2008

Genetic diversity and population genetic structure within or among three stream populations (Gab, Baekgok and Ji streams) of Korean endangered natural monument fish, Iksookimia choii, were assessed by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). AFLP analysis using three primer combinations generated 104 to 106 AFLP bands, and percent polymorphic bands were similar in those three populations ranging 21.5 to 24.5%. Heterozygosity and genetic diversity within or among populations were quite low for all of these populations with average values ranging from 0.067 to 0.084 and from 0.076 to 0.087, respectively. Analyses of pairwise distance and genetic similarity among three populations of I. choii also revealed the similar results with very low genetic differentiation one another. Although pairwise Fst values were very low, our data clearly indicated distinct genetic differentiation among the three populations. This is the first report concerning the genetic diversity and differentiation of this species, and provides basic genetic information that should facilitate attempts to conserve this species.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.79-86
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• 2021

In this study, the distribution and habitat characteristics of Odontobutis obscura were investigated. It is a freshwater fish species which belongs to the Class I Endangered species as specified by the Ministry of Environment of South Korea. Sampling was conducted in the Sanyang Stream watershed between April and August of 2016. The Sanyang Stream watershed includes the Sanyang and Gucheon Streams, and their tributaries. Odontobutis obscura was caught at every sampling site, except sites 1~3, which are located in the lower part of the Sanyang Stream. Its habitat range extended from the headwaters to the lower parts of the stream that were not impacted by the South Sea. Salinity was the major factor limiting the distribution of O. obscura in the Sanyang Stream watershed. All individuals of O. obscura were caught in areas where the substrate composition was over 50% gravel. Furthermore, the substrate composition seems to be the most important habitat factor affecting spawning of O. obscura. Ecological studies of O. obscura are scarce, and this study is the first to report a detailed distribution for the species. Further studies on the physiology and ecology of O. obscura are essential for establishing preservation strategies for this endangered species.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.356-367
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• 2012

Community structure of fish and inhabiting status of endangered species, Cobitis choii and Gobiobotia naktongensis were investigated in the Ji Stream, a tributary of the Geum River Drainage System of Korea from May to October 2011. Ten to 23 fish species inhabited upper stream (St. 1~St. 4) with a Aa-Bb river type composed of mostly pebble and cobble bottoms, 16~28 species did middle stream (St. 5~St. 7) with a Bb type composed of mostly cobble and boulder bottoms, and 20-29 species did lower stream (St. 8~St. 10) with a Bb-Bc type composed of mostly sand bottoms. A total of 44 species belonging to nine families were found in the stream during the survay. The dominant species were in the order of Zacco platypus (37.2%), Pungtungia herzi (5.8%) and Pseudogobio esocinus (5.5%). Other abundant species included Acheilognathus lanceolatus (5.3%), Zacco koreanus (5.2%), Hemibarbus longirostris (4.9%) and Squalidus gracilis majimae (3.5%). Among residing species, 16 species were endemic to Korea, two (Cobits choii and Gobiobotia naktongensis) were endangered, and one (Micropterus salmoides) was non-indigenous. The similarity index based on species composition and abundance clearly delineated the fish community of the Ji Stream according to the three major sections, which were defined at the above. Dominance index gradually decreased toward downstream, while diversity, evenness and species richness indexes gradually increased toward downstream. The two endangered species, C. choii and G. naktongensis co-occurred at the lower stream due to the prevalence of a sandy substratum.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.490-498
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• 2008

This study was to analyze fish composition and ecological indicator characteristics from eight sampling sites of Geum River, October 2007. Total number of family and species sampled were 9 and 40. The most dominant family was Cyprinidae (27 species, 85%), and then followed by Cobitidae, Odomtobutidae, and Gobiidae. Constancy values of Zacco platypus and Zacco temminckii were 1.00 and 0.30, respectively, and the relative abundance of Acheilognathus koreensis and Pseudogobio esocinus were greater than 5% of the total. The number of Korean endemic species sampled in this Geum River study was 7 family 19 species, which is 47.5% of total 40 species, and endangered species of Pseudopungtungia nigra and Gobiobotia brevibarba were only 0.5% of the total and these species were only distributed within the upstream regions. Exotic species, Micropterus salmoides, which is known as large-mouth bass, were observed in two sites of G3 and G7. Analytical results of fish community showed that community dominance index was 0.19, which is low, and the species evenness index (0.74), diversity index (2.03), and richness index (3.00) appeared high. These results indicate that structure of fish community is stable in the Geum River. According to various guilds analysis, the relative abundance of tolerant and omnivores at all sites were 40% and 47% of the total, respectively. This monitoring data may contribute changes of fish fauna and compositions in relation to habitat modifications and chemical water quality degradations in the future.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to provide essential data necessary to assess ecological flow requirements by understanding habitat conditions for fish species through monitoring an ecological environment in the Korea stream (Dal Stream) and building related database. On-site surveys were conducted for identifying ecological and habitat conditions at the four monitoring sites. Fish sampling was carried out at the selected four sites (St.) during the period ranging from September, 2008 to September, 2009. At the four sampling sites, we measured water surface elevation, depth and velocity at the cross-sections. Optimal Ecological Flowrates (OEFs) were estimated using the Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) established for four fish species Zacco koreanus (St.1), Pungtungia herzi (St.2), Coreoleuciscus splendidus (St.3), and Zacco platypus (St.4) selected as icon species using the Physical HABitat SIMulation system (PHABSIM). Eighteen species (56.3%) including Odontobutis interrupta, Coreoperca herzi and C. splendidus were found endemic out of the 32 species in eight families sampled during this study period. The endangered species was collected Acheilognathus signifier, Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa and Gobiobotia macrocephala, and this relative abundance was 9.4%. The most frequently found one was Z. platypus (31.3%) followed by C. splendidus (17.6%) and Z. koreanus (15.7%). The estimated IBI values ranged from 27.3 to 34.3 with average being 30.3 out of 50, rendering the site ecologically poor to fair health conditions. For C. splendidus (St.3), the dominant fish species in the stream, the favored habitat conditions were estimated to be 0.3-0.5 m for water depth, 0.4-0.7 m/s for flow velocity and sand-cobbles for substrate size, respectively. An OEFs of 8.5 m³/s was recommended for the representative fish species at the St.3.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.603-614
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• 2022

This study investigated the characteristics of fish communities in the Bangtaecheon Stream in Korea from April to October 2020. The survey collected 4,640 fish of 26 species in 9 families from 11 survey stations. The dominant and subdominant species were Rhynchocypris kumgangensis(relative abundance at 31.5%) and Zacco koreanus(27.8%), respectively. The next most abundant species were Ladislavia taczanowskii(15.9%), Pungtungia herzi(4.0%), Brachymystax lenok tsinlingensis(3.7%), Microphysogobio longidorsalis(2.4%), and Zacco platypus(2.3%). Among the collected fish species, 17 (65.4%) were Korean endemic species, 4 (15.4%), including Acheilognathus signifer, Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa, Gobiobotia brevibarba, and B. l. tsinlingensis,were class II endangered wildlife as designated by the Ministry of Environment, and 1 species, Hemibarbus mylodon, was a natural monument. Moreover, two landlocked species (B. l. tsinlingensisand C. koreanus) were also collected. Additionally, four cold-water species (R. kumgangensis, L. taczanowskii, B. l. tsinlingensis,and Cottus koreanus) were collected, and all of them mainly inhabited the upper and middle streams. Fish community analysis showed a tendency for dominance and uniformity to decrease and abundance and diversity to increase from upstream to downstream and that the community structure was divided into upstream and downstream groups. The river health was rated as excellent (9 stations) and good (2 stations). Compared to the previous studies, three species (Carassius auratus, Leiocassis ussuriensis,and Siniperca scherzeri) appeared in the past but did not appear in this survey, and three species (Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis, Microphysogobio yaluensis,and Orthrias nudus) that did not appear in the past appeared in this survey. Bangtaecheon Steam is well-preserved, and climate-sensitive species, endangered wildlife, and natural monuments inhabit the stream. Therefore, continuous attention and systematic conservation measures are required.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.247-252
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• 2009

The egg development and early life history of the Korean endangered fish Koreocobitis naktongensis (Cobitidae) were investigated. Eggs from the females were obtained by injecting 10 IU/g of human chorionic gonadotropin and inseminated with sperm by the dry method in the laboratory. The fertilized eggs were 1.0~1.2 mm in diameter and had no oil globules. The embryo began to hatch about 38 hrs after fertilization under water temperature of $20{\pm}1^{\circ}C$. The newly-hatched larvae were 2.6~2.8 mm in total length, and their mouth and anus were not yet opened. Seven days after hatching, the postlarvae were 4.5~5.2 mm in total length, and their yolk sacs were completely absorbed. They entered the juvenile stage when all fin-rays were formed at 50 days after hatching, and their total lengths were 21~27 mm.