• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.163-168
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• 2013

Iris odaesanensis Y. N. Lee. is an important endangered and native plant belonging to the family Iridaceae in Korea. This study describes a method for rapid micropropagation of this species via from leaf, rhizome and root explants derived calli. Leaf, rhizome and root explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) for callus induction. Rhizome explants yielded calli at a frequency of 72% when cultured at 1.0 mg/l 2,4-D. Calli were maintained at 1.0 mg/l 2,4-D. These calli were transferred to MS medium supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/l 2,4-D in combination with 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 3.0 mg/l BA for adventitious shoot induction. The highest number of adventitious shoot (228.9 per petri-dish) were formed at 1.0 mg/l 2,4-D and 1.0 mg/l BA. WPM medium was the best to convert calli into plantlets, where up to 98.2% of calli were regenerated into plantlets. This in vitro propagation protocol should be useful for conservation of this endangered plant.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.221-233
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• 1999

The vegetation and plant resources of Paeaknokdam, the crater of Mt. Halla, was investigated from 1996 to 1998. The vegetation was classified into Diapensia lapponica var. obovata-Tofieldia fauriel association and Festuca ovina-Carex erythrobasis association. The latter was divided into Rhododendron mucronulatum var. ciliatum-Empetrum nigrum var. japonicum subassociation, which was composed partly of Abies koreana-Betula ermani var. saitoana variant. The plant resources of 162 taxa were composed of 49 families, 122 genera, 127 species, 2 subspecies, 30 varieties and 3 formae, of which 63 taxa were newly found in this area. Among the investigated plants, 27 taxa were endemic to Korea or Cheju islands, 39 taxa were rare or endangered, and 65 taxa were identified as alpine plants. One hundred and twenty-one taxa(75.6%) were identified to be useful: 82 for ornament, 75 for medice, 66 for food, 17 for nectar-producing, 15 for pasture, and 10 for industry.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.57-73
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• 2017

The formation of the lava dam of the paleo lake blocked the entrance to the Chatancheon River on the Jeongok lava plateau and it suddenly transformed the terrestrial ecosystem into the aquatic one by the overflow. The spiders in the lava dam adapted in the wetland and evolved into water spiders that could survive by forming bubble houses. Since then, the lava dam was connected to the present Hantangang River due to the dissection and the lake became a terrestrial environment, a small area of marsh composed of primarily clay soil layer. Change in water level of the habitat and thus the extension of the terrestrial area made the species a endangered now. This study carried out frequency of occurrence, degree of wetness and plant habitats of the vascular plant in the water spider habitat. As a result of this study, total 180taxa are of 55 (30.6%) wetland plant groups and of 113 (62.8%) upland plant groups except facultative plant groups. Among the wetland plant groups, the Isachne globosa community occupied the largest area, where the water spiders were most observed. The result of this study, the classification and the types of vascular plant species, would provide useful information for the sustaining healthy wetland ecosystem and the restoration of the habitat for the water spiders.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.623-639
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• 2017

We investigated traditional knowledge about ethnobotanical uses around national parks in the northern areas of Province Gyeongsangbuk-do, with the focus on the Sobeaksan National Park area. Interviews were carried out to 138 residents at 42 places from 7 counties and/or cities, and verified species and usage information were categorized by taxonomic groups, usage, and used parts. The ethnobotanical species of the regions consisted of a total of 277 taxa: 244 species, 3 subspecies, 28 varieties, and 2 forma in 213 genera of 79 families. The significant native plants included one Endangered Species (Paeonia obovata Max.) and four endemic species (Salix hallaisanensis H. Lev., Aconitum pseudolaeve Nakai, Paulownia coreana Uyeki, and Cirsium setidens (Dunn) Nakai, Sasa coreana Nakai). About 17 Approved Species for Delivering Overseas designated by Korea Ministry of Environment have been also traditionally valuable in the regions. The main usage of the plants were edible (185 taxa) and medicinal (175 taxa). Leaves were most commonly used parts (109 taxa), followed by stems (73 taxa), fruits (69 taxa), roots (67 taxa), and wholes (57 taxa). The traditional usage of plants were diverse as those useful parts. Leaves, fruits and seeds were used as edible and medicinal; sprouts (young shoots) were mainly used as edible; but roots and flowers were used as medicinal. The study does not only provides examples of traditional uses of native plants, but also facilitates sustainable managements and developments of ethnobotanical knowledge for the contemporary society.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.77-87
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• 2020

National parks and other protected areas often do not adequately protect national biodiversity because they were originally created for socio-economic and/or aesthetic values. The Korean government has committed to expanding the extent of protected areas to fulfill its commitments to the Aichi Biodiversity Convention. To do so, it is necessary to quantify the current levels of biodiversity representation within existing protected areas and to identify additional conservation needs for vulnerable species and ecological systems. In this study, we assess the proportion of species ranges found in South Korea's protected areas, for the species documented in the 3^rd National Ecosystem Survey. We modeled the range distribution of 3,645 species in the following taxonomic groups; plants (1,545 species), mammals (35), birds (132), herptiles (35), and insects (1,898) using the MaxEnt species distribution model and calculated how much of each species' range is within protected areas. On average, 17.4% of plant species' ranges are represented in protected areas, while for mammals and insects an average 12.0% is currently conserved. Conservation representation for herptiles averages 9.3%, while it is 8.6% for birds. Although large proportions of species that have restricted distributions should be represented in protected areas, 17 plant species, two insects (Parnassius bremeri and Lasioglossum occidens), and one bird species (Phylloscopus inornatus) with ranges smaller than 1,000 ㎢ have less than 10% of their ranges within protected areas. Establishing specific conservation goals such as the protection of endangered species or vulnerable taxonomic groups will increase the efficiency of the biodiversity conservation strategies. In addition, lowland coastal areas are critical for biodiversity conservation because the protected areas in South Korea are mainly composed of high mountainous areas.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.565-588
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• 2019

This study aimed to understand current flora of Western Civilian Control Zone (CCZ) in Korea. Some areas that located at Paju-si and Yeoncheon-gun were selected as representative survey area (Jangdan-myeon, Deokjin mountain fortress, Ilwol peak of Mt. Seokbyeong, Imjinriver, Sunaecheon stream, Sewolcheon stream in Paju and Banjeong-ri in Yeoncheon). Through this survey, 461 vascular plant specimens were collected from April 2012 to September 2014, twice a month and from October 2014 to October 2018, once a month. These were finally classified into 96 families 305 genera 413 species 4 subspecies 41 varieties 6 forms totally 464 taxa. There are remarkable plants such as 6 taxa of Korean endemic species, 44 taxa of specified species on a floristics aspect, and 35 taxa of alien and naturalized plants (7.5%). Meanwhile, it has not been observed any endangered plant species during the activities in this area.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.257-276
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• 2022

Studies on rare and endemic plant conservation should be performed nationally to conserve plant diversity. Studies targeting a specific taxon have been reported based on the necessity of conserving plant diversity. From this point of view, there is an increasing necessity to compare and evaluate the studies for conservation. Moreover, it is necessary to analyze and review the direction for study subjects and items required for effective conservation of rare and endemic plants in Korea, based on the analysis results of collected data. We analyzed trends of studies on rare and endemic plants worldwide. In particular, we collected and analyzed the study trend in Korea. Study fields of the rare and endemic plants were divided into six classifications, of which the conservation ecology classification was sub-divided into the species traits, population study, and biological interaction. We have collected conservation ecology studies showing significant differences in regions and countries. They have been actively conducted in Europe and North America by region and in Japan and the United States by country. On the contrary, studies on basic ecology accounted for the most, followed by conservation genetics and restoration ecology in Korea. It was revealed that the portion of conservation ecology conducted in Korea was lower than that of the world. Moreover, studies mainly focused on a specific taxon of rare and endemic plants, such as endangered plants designated by the Korean Ministry of Environment. Particularly in Korea, conservation genetics and restoration ecology studies accounted for high percentages. Considering the worldwide study trends, particularly those in Europe and North America that lead the study of conservation ecology, we suggest approaches to increase the percentages of conservation ecology, including securing the information on species traits, population structure and population dynamics, and interaction between animals and plants are necessary for effective conservation of rare and endemic plants in Korea.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.343-356
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• 2010

Plant micropropagation techniques include bud cultures using apical or axillary buds, organogenesis through callus culture or adventitious bud induction, and somatic embryogenesis. In Korea Forest Research Institute (KFRI), the first tissue culture trial in woody plant was initiated from the bud culture of hybrid poplars (Populus alba x P. glandulosa) in 1978. Since then several mass propagation techniques have developed from conifer and hardwood species, resulting in allowing practical application to Poplars, Birches and some oak species. In addition, useful micropropagation and genetic resources conservation techniques were established in some rare and endangered tree species including Abeliophyllum distichum. Among various in vitro propagation techniques, somatic embryogenesis is known to be the most efficient plant regeneration system. Since the first somatic embryo induction was reported in Tilia amurensis by KFRI in 1986, various protocols for direct or indirect somatic embryogenesis systems have developed in conifer and hardwood species including Larix leptolepis, Pinus rigida x P. taeda F1, Kalopanax septemlobus and Liliodendron tulipifera, etc. However, most of these technologies have been developed using juvenile tissues, i.e. immature zygotic embryos or mature embryos. Therefore it has been difficult to directly application to tree breeding program due to their unproven genetic background. Recently remarkable progresses and new approaches have been achieved in mature tree somatic embryogenesis. In this article we reviewed several micropropagation techniques, which have been mainly developed by KFRI and recent international progresses.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.361-365
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• 2022

Here, Podospora leporina was isolated and cultured from Cypripedium guttatum Sw. (spotted lady's slipper), which was designated as an endangered wildlife class 1 by the Ministry of Environment. Further, Podospora sp., which is found in Calanthe discolor Lindl. (Japanese hardy orchid) root is recorded as an endophytic fungus in Jeju Island, Korea. However, there is no existing record of Podospora spp. Thus, in this study, we analyzed the morphological characteristics and two molecular markers, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large ribosomal subunit (LSU), of P. leporina and compared these data with other relative species. Consequently, this endophytic fungal species was confirmed as an unrecorded species in Korea, so we presented cultural characteristics and microstructures, such as the conidia of P. leporina.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.390-402
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• 2005

This study was carried out systematically to grasp the resource plants in construct-reserved site of ecological forest, Jecheon-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea. This site was located at $37^{\circ}12'$ in latitude and $127^{\circ}57'$ in longitude and the period of survey was from March to October, 2004. The vascular plants were summarized as 371 taxa; 83 families, 238 genera, 324 species, 44 varieties and 3 forma. And in the results of survey on resource plants, we confirmed 178 taxa of ornamental plants$(47.98\%)$, 232 taxa of edible plants$(62.53\%)$, 257 taxa of medicinal plants$(69.27\%)$ and 154 taxa of other useful plants$(41.51\%)$. The rare and endangered plants designated by Korea Forest Service were 4 taxa; Eranthis stellata, Paeonia japonica, Viola albida and Scopolia japonica.