• Advances in environmental research
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.247-262
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• 2015

The few lignin biomarker studies conducted in tropical environments are hampered by having to use references signatures established for plants and soils characteristic of the temperate zone. This study presents a lignin biomarker analysis (vanillyls (V), p-hydroxyls (P), syringyls (S), cinnamyls (C)) of the dominant plant species and soil horizons as well as an analysis of the interrelated terrigenous organic matter (TOM) dynamics between vegetation and soil of the $Tapaj{\acute{o}}s$ river region, an active colonization front in the Brazilian Amazon. We collected and analyzed samples from 17 fresh dominant plant species and 48 soil cores at three depths (0-5 cm, 20-25 cm, 50-55 cm) from primary rainforest, fallow forest, subsistence agriculture fields and pastures. Lignin signatures in tropical plants clearly distinguish from temperate ones with high ratios of Acid/aldehyde of vanillyls ((Ad/Al)v) and P/V+S. Contrary to temperate environments, similarly high ratios in tropical soils are not related to TOM degradation along with pedogenesis but to direct influence of plants growing on them. Lignin signatures of both plants and soils of primary rainforest and fallow forest clearly distinguish from those of non-forested areas, i.e., agriculture fields and pastures. Attalea speciosa Palm trees, an invasive species in all perturbed landscapes of the Amazon, exhibit lignin signatures clearly distinct from other dominant plant species. The study of lignin signatures in tropical areas thus represents a powerful tool to evaluate the impact of primary rainforest clearing on TOM dynamics in tropical areas.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.117-123
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• 2000

Changing patterns and the possibility of climate change in the area of Cheiudo island, the southernmost Island in Korea, were analyzed using daily temperature and Precipitation data observed at the Cheiu Regional Meteorological Office from May 1923 to December 1998. A hydrologic simulation model "BROOK" was used to simulate and analyze the dynamics of daily soil moisture content and soil moisture deficit by applying the daily weather data. During the period, significantly increasing pattern was observed in temperature data of both annual and monthly basis, while no significantly changing pattern was observed in precipitation data. During the last 76 years. mean annual temperature was observed to have risen about 1.4$^{\circ}C$, which may show the Possibility of the initiation of climate change on the island whose validity should be tested in future studies after long-term studies on temperature. Based on the simulation, due to increased temperature, significant increase was predicted in evapotranspiration. while no significant decrease was detected in simulated soil moisture content during the period. Changing pattern of annual soil moisture content was markedly different from those of precipitation. In some dominant trees, negative effects of the drought of the late season for the previous year were shown to be statistically significant to radial growth of the tree for the current year. As annual variation of radial growth of trees is mainly affected by the soil moisture content. the information on the dynamics of soil moisture deficit possibly provides us with useful information for the interpretation of tree growth decline on the mountain. mountain.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.280-291
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• 2021

The study examined the influence of climate and soil dynamics on vegetation health across the ecological zones in Rivers State, Nigeria. MODIS imagery was used to assess the vegetation health through NDVI and point grid pattern of meteorological data for total precipitation (TP), air temperature (AT), soil moisture (SM) and soil temperature (ST) of 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2015 were used for the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Findings showed that NDVI ranged between 0.420 and 0.612 in the freshwater swamp (FWS) while between 0.465 and 0.611 in the rainforest and the NDVI in the mangrove was generally low. The highest mean AT was experienced in the mangrove ecological zone and the least was experienced in the rainforest. The mean SM was generally highest in the rainforest with highest value in 2000 (774.44 m³/m³). The ST was highest in the mangrove and the least was experienced in the rainforest while the TP was highest in the mangrove. NDVI correlated significantly with SM (r=0.720; p<0.05) and ST (r= -0.493; p<0.05). NDVI, SM, TP and ST significantly varied among the ecological zones. Regression analysis showed that vegetation health was significantly related to the combination of soil temperature and soil moisture (R²=0.641; p=0.000). Thus, monitoring the factors that affect vegetation health in a changing climate and soil environments is highly required.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.264-271
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• 2023

Environmental crises caused by climate change and human-induced disturbances have become urgent challenges to the sustainability of human beings. These issues can be addressed based on a data-driven understanding and forecasting of ecosystem responses to environmental changes. In this study, we introduce a long-term ecological monitoring system in Korean Long-Term Ecological Research (KLTER), and a plan for the Korean Ecological Observatory Network (KEON). KLTER has been conducted since 2004 and has yielded valuable scientific results. However, the KLTER approach has limitations in data integration and coordinated observations. To overcome these limitations, we developed a KEON plan focused on multidisciplinary monitoring of the physiochemical, meteorological, and biological components of ecosystems to deepen process-based understanding of ecosystem functions and detect changes. KEON aims to answer nationwide and long-term ecological questions by using a standardized monitoring approach. We are preparing three types of observatories: two supersites depending on the climate-vegetation zones, three local sites depending on the ecosystem types, and two mobile deployment platforms to act on urgent ecological issues. The main observation topics were species diversity, population dynamics, biogeochemistry (carbon, methane, and water cycles), phenology, and remote sensing. We believe that KEON can address environmental challenges and play an important role in ecological observations through partnerships with international observatories.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.60-69
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• 2016

In this study, we estimated root zone soil moisture dynamics using remotely sensed (RS) data. A soil moisture data assimilation scheme was used to derive the soil and root parameters from MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. Based on the estimated soil/root parameters and weather forcings, soil moisture dynamics were simulated at spatio-temporal scales based on a hydrological model. For calibration/validation, the Little Washita (LW13) in Oklahoma and Chungmi-cheon/Seolma-cheon sites were selected. The derived water retention curves matched the observations at LW 13. Also, the simulated soil moisture dynamics at these sites was in agreement with the Time Domain Reflectrometry (TDR)-based measurements. To test the applicability of this approach at ungauged regions, the soil/root parameters at the pixel where the Seolma-cheon site is located were derived from the calibrated MODIS-based (Chungmi-cheon) soil moisture data. Then, the simulated soil moisture was validated using the measurements at the Seolma-cheon site. The results were slightly overestimated compared to the measurements, but these findings support the applicability of this proposed approach in ungauged regions with predictable uncertainties. These findings showed the potential of this approach in Korea. Thus, this proposed approach can be used to assess root zone soil moisture dynamics at spatio-temporal scales across Korea, which comprises mountainous regions with dense forest.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.96 no.6
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• pp.730-736
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• 2007

The heterogeneity of forest environment plays an important role in the structure and dynamics of tree population, the composition of forest community, and the maintenance of species diversity. Based upon the research data of the nine hectare permanent plot in the typical mixed broadleaved-Korean pine forest, this study was conducted to analyze the characteristics of spatial pattern of Acer tegmentosum population for seedlings, saplings, and living and dead trees so as to evaluate the effect of micro-topography on spatial pattern of the species. The results noted that A. tegmentosum preferred to gentle slopes. There was no difference in density of seedlings by the variation of aspect, but the density of saplings, and living and dead trees was high on the western and southeastern slopes. Living trees of A. tegmentosum showed the clumped pattern for all scales within 150 m and highest at the scale of 30 m. Dead stems of the species indicated the clumped pattern within 111 m, highest at the scale of 72 m, and random pattern beyond the scale of 111 m (P < 0.01 ). The similarity of occurrence by developmental stages of A. tegmentosum showed that seedlings vs. saplings, saplings vs. living trees, and living trees vs. dead stems had highly positive correlation to each other, respectively (P < 0.01 ), indicating that the occurrence of previous developmental stages was positively correlated to following stages.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.99 no.4
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• pp.553-558
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• 2010

This study was conducted to clarify the differences in rodents population densities between natural restored and red pine silvicultured forests after forest fire in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, Korea from March to December 2008. One ha size of 3 study plots were set up in each natural restored and silvicultured stand. We trapped the small rodents during 4 consecutive nights every 2 months in each stand. Understory coverage and number of shrub stems were higher in silvicultured stand than in natural restored stand. Coverage of overstory, suboverstory and midstory, number of tree stem, woody seedling stems and dead wood, and amount of coarse woody debris were higher in natural restored stand than in silvicultured stand. Six hundred eighty eight individuals of four species, such as Apodemus agrarius, A. peninsulae, Eothenomys regulus and Tamias sibiricus were captured in our study. Number of captured small rodents were higher in natural restored stand than in silvicultured stand. Also, species compositions were differed in both stands. The captured number of A. agrarius and A. peninsulae were most highest in April and December. E. regulus were shown higher number of captured in April and June, and T. sibiricus were in June and October. Removal of coarse woody debris and silvicultural practice would not be good for the inhabitation of small rodents. For the conservation of small rodents diversity, management of understory and canopy would be needed in forest fired area.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.203-217
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• 2024

The Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector of the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory is crucial for obtaining data on carbon sinks, necessitating accurate estimations. This study analyzes cases of countries applying the LULUCF sector at the Tier 3 level to propose enhanced methodologies for carbon sink estimation. In nations like Japan and Western Europe, satellite spatial information such as SPOT, Landsat, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)is used alongside national statistical data to estimate LULUCF. However, in Korea, the lack of land use change data and the absence of integrated management by category, measurement is predominantly conducted at the Tier 1 level, except for certain forest areas. In this study, Space-borne LiDAR Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) was used to calculate forest canopy heights based on Relative Height 100 (RH100) in the cities of Icheon, Gwangju, and Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province, Korea. These canopy heights were compared with the 1:5,000 scale forest maps used for the National Inventory Report in Korea. The GEDI data showed a maximum canopy height of 29.44 meters (m) in Gwangju, contrasting with the forest type maps that reported heights up to 34 m in Gwangju and parts of Icheon, and a minimum of 2 m in Icheon. Additionally, this study utilized Ordinary Least Squares(OLS)regression analysis to compare GEDI RH100 data with forest stand heights at the eup-myeon-dong level using ArcGIS, revealing Standard Deviations (SDs)ranging from -1.4 to 2.5, indicating significant regional variability. Areas where forest stand heights were higher than GEDI measurements showed greater variability, whereas locations with lower tree heights from forest type maps demonstrated lower SDs. The discrepancies between GEDI and actual measurements suggest the potential for improving height estimations through the application of high-resolution remote sensing techniques. To enhance future assessments of forest biomass and carbon storage at the Tier 3 level, high-resolution, reliable data are essential. These findings underscore the urgent need for integrating high-resolution, spatially explicit LiDAR data to enhance the accuracy of carbon sink calculations in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.69-77
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• 1999

Secondary vegetation. the holistically integrated system of nature and human being, is the complicated ecosystem that is composed of natural and man-created factors. Understanding the ecological function of secondary vegetation supplies us many important informations for sustainable landscape management and ecological restoration planning. In this research, we tried to examine the shape effect of vegetation patch on early structure of populations of pine and oaks. Moreover. we also tried to clarify the ecological functions of patch edge by exploring the patch effect on germination using patch index. In addition, we present the landscape structure of man -made vegetation of our study area, and setting experimental design of research. Vegetation landscape of study area is typical human disturbed landscape mainly composed of disturbance patches. Vegetation types of graveyard and managed pine forest were controlled by periodically repeated management. However, current seedlings of pine occurred well at both vegetation types. Presence of both saplings were more controlled in managed pine forest (PDM) and graveyard (G) than those of undergrowth (PD) and forest edge (FE) with canopy trees. The number of pine seedlings increased with patch size and patch perimeter. That of oak seedlings was, however, not significantly different. Larger graveyards provided higher light availability for germination of pine seedlings. We think, however, most seedlings of both species in the large sized graveyards without shade will die more easily than that of small sized ones before rainy summer. Relationships between patch shape and germination of two woody species cannot be exactly explained enough yet in these results. More informations on spatial interaction of the total species with differently sized patches are necessary to solve the concept of patch effect on species colonization.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.84 no.3
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• pp.394-405
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• 1995

Certain ericaceous understory plants of temperate forests proliferate following forest clearcutting and fire. Rapid vegetative growth of these plants may affect conifer regeneration due to their strong competitive abilities and allelopathic properties. Planted conifers in these shrub-dominated habitats experience "growth check" which may result in a loss of productivity or in extreme cases total failure of forest regeneration. This growth check phenomenon is exemplified in Calluna Sitca spruce Scots pine ecosystems of western Europe, Kalmia black spruce ecosystem of eastern Canada and Gaultheria-cedar/hemlock ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Dynamics of Kalmia black spruce ecosystem following disturbance was used to explain the mechanism of conifer growth inhibition and their regeneration failure. It is argued that in addition to competition for nutrients, Kalmia allelopathy plays a major role in growth inhibition of black spruce. This conclusion is supported by the results of various field, laboratory and greenhouse experiments. Eight phenolic compounds were isolated and identified from the leaves of Kalmia angustifolia, four of which are known to be highly phyotoxic to black spruce. Methods of overcoming the allelopathic effects of Kalmia in order to enhance black spruce regeneration in Kalmia-dominated sites are discussed.