• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.130-142
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• 2007

This study was to examine impacts of turbid water on fish community in the downstream of Yongdam Dam during the period from June to October 2006. For the research, we selected six sampling sites in the field: two sites were controls with no influences of turbid water from the dam and other remaining four sites were the stations for an assessment of potential turbid effects. We evaluated integrative health conditions throughout applications of various models such as necropsy-based fish health assessment model (FHA), Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) using fish assemblages, and Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI). Laboratory tests on fish exposure under 400 NTU were performed to find out impact of turbid water using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results showed that fine solid particles were clogging in the gill in the treatments, while particles were not found in the control. This results indicate that when inorganic turbidity increases abruptedly, fish may have a mechanical abrasion or respiratory blocking. The stream health condition, based on the IBI values, ranged between 38 and 48 (average: 42), indicating a "excellent" or "good" condition after the criteria of US EPA (1993). In the mean time, physical habitat condition, based on the QHEI, ranged 97 to 187 (average 154), indicating a "suboptimal condition". These biological outcomes were compared with chemical dataset: IBI values were more correlated (r=0.526, p<0.05, n=18) with QHEI rather than chemical water quality, based on turbidity (r=0.260, p>0.05, n=18). Analysis of the FHA showed that the individual health indicated "excellent condition", while QHEI showed no habitat disturbances (especially bottom substrate and embeddeness), food-web, and spawning place. Consequently, we concluded that the ecological health in downstream of Yongdam Dam was not impacted by the turbid water.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.188-197
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• 2008

This research was a preliminary case study to determine the levels of total mercury in the tissues of sentinel species (Zacco platypus) and ecological health in relation to habitat characteristics and chemical conditions. We collected fishes in Gap Stream during June$\sim$October 2007 and analyzed the total mercury from five types of tissues such as liver, kidney, gill, vertebrae and muscle of Zaceo platypus using Direct Mercury Analyzer (DMA-80, US EPA Method 7473). Mean concentrations of total [Hg], based on all tissues, was 67.2 and $20.7\;{\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$, in the upstream and downstream site, respectively, indicating 3 times greater level in the upstream. In other words, the levels were higher in the pristine upstream than the downstream influenced by the wastewater disposal plant. Chemical water quality, based on BOD, COD and nutrients (TN, TP) showed that severe degradation occurred in the downstreams than the upstreams. Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) using fish multi-metric model averaged 32, indicating a "good$\sim$fair" condition and varied from 42 (excellent$\sim$good) at S2 to 22 (fair$\sim$poor) at S5 depending on the sites sampled. Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) in the all sites averaged 142, which was judged as "good" habitat health, but showed a high variation (181 in Site 2 vs. 67 in Site 5). Overall data suggest that health conditions, based on IBI and QHEI, was better in the upstream sites but the mercury bioaccumulation levels in the fish tissues were opposite. We believe that measurements of various parameters are required for a diagnosis of integrative ecosystem health.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.218-231
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• 2012

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the physico-chemical water quality, trophic and tolerance guilds in the control ($C_o$) and impacted streams of the abandoned mine, along with the ecological health, using a multimetric health model and physical habitat conditions of Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI), during the period of three years, 2005~2007. Also, eco-toxicity ($EE_t$) enclosure tests were conducted to examine the toxic effects on the outflows from the mine wastewater, using the sentinel species of Rhynchocypris oxycephalus, and we compared the biological responses of the control ($C_o$) and treatment (T) to the effluents through a Necropybased Health Assessment Index ($N_b$-HAI). Tissue impact analysis of the spleen, kidney, gill, liver, eyes, and fins were conducted in the controlled enclosure experiments (10 individuals). According to the comparisons of the control ($C_o$) vs. the treatment (T) in physicochemical water quality, outflows from the abandoned mine resulted in low pH of 3.2, strong acid wastewater, high ionic concentrations, based on an electrical conductivity, and high total dissolved solid (TDS). Physical habitat assessments, based on Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) did not show any statistical differences (p>0.05) in the sampling sites, whereas, the $M_m$-EH model values in a multimetric ecological health ($M_m$-EH) model of the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI), using fish assemblages, were 16~20 (fair condition) in the control and all zero (0, poor condition) in the impacted sites of mine wastewater. In addition, in enclosure eco-toxicity ($EE_t$) tests, the model values of $N_b$-HAI ranged between 0 and 3 in the controls during the three years, indicating an excellent~good condition (Ex~G), and were >100 (range: 100~137) in the impacted sites, which indicates a poor condition (P). Under the circumstances, organ tissues, such as the liver, kidney, and gills were largely impaired, so that efficient water quality managements are required in the outflow area of the abandoned mine watershed.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.3 s.113
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• pp.341-351
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• 2005

Ecological stream health, based on the index of biological integrity (IBI) , was evaluated at five sampling locations of Youdeung Stream during August-October 2004. For the study, we also analyzed spatial and temporal patterns of conventional water quality over tine period of 1995 ${\sim}$ 2004, using the water chemistry dataset, obtained from the Ministry of Environment, Korea. The water quality parameters used here were conductivity, total suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand $(BOD_5)$, chemical oxygen demand $(COD_{mn})$, total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP). The multi-metric model values averaged 27.8 in the stream and ranged 24 ${\sim}$ 32. The health condition was judged as 'Fair' to 'Poor' conditions, according to the stream health criteria of US EPA (1993). Longitudinal variation occurred from the upstream to downstream reach; largest differences in all water quality variables occurred between Site 5 and the other sites. This was mainly attributed to the impacts of wastewater treatment plants near the locations. Also, relative proportions of tolerance and omnivore species increased in downstream reaches. The model values, however, did not match the values, based on water quality parameters. We assume that this may be associated with primarily reduced water volumn during dry season in the stream along with modified physical habitat conditions.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.986-995
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to analyze the distribution of endangered fish species and elucidate their relations on chemical water quality, physical habitat conditions and ecological stream health. The dominant species in the watershed was Pseudopungtungia nigra (Pn), Gobiobotia macrocephala (Gm), Gobiobotia brevibarba (Gb), Liobagrus obesus (Lo), and Iksookimia choii (Ic) in the order. The species of Pn designated as "critical endangered species (I) (CER)", was most widely distributed species among the endangered species, so the designation of the species should be re-evaluated. The endangered species was most popular (4 species, 384 individuals) in the Cho-River region of eighteen lotic regions. According to the analysis of chemical tolerance limits in the habitats with endangered fish species, biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total phosphorus (TP) was analyzed as "very good" (Ia) and "good condition" in the chemical criteria of the Ministry of Environment, Korea. Also, chemical conditions, based on ammonia-N ($NH_{4+}$), total nitrogen (TN), phosphate-P ($PO_{4^-}P$) were much better in the habitat with endangered species (Hw) than the habitat without endangered species (Ho). In the meantime, the species of Ic showed wide ranges on the chemical tolerance, so physical habitat conditions, such as the size of substrate particles (sand) and hydrological regime, were considered as more important factors than the chemical water quality, if the water quality is not largely degraded. The endangered species were also more distributed in the high-order (4-6) streams than the low-order (1-3) streams. The evaluation of ecological stream health, based on multi-metric model of the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI), showed the large difference between the Hw (21.6, fair condition)and Ho (30.5, good condition), indicating that the habitat maintained well chemically and physically had higher distributions of endangered species. Overall, the designation of CER on the Pn should be re-evaluated due to wide-distributions, and the protections from water pollution and the habitat conservations on the endangered species are necessary in the watershed.