• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.343-373
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• 2024

Background: The present study provides valuable insights into the traditional uses of medicinal plants by the inhabitants of the Northern District of the lesser Himalayas in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. The study likely focuses on documenting and preserving the region's indigenous knowledge and practices related to medicinal plants. Ethnobotanical data were collected by interviewing 72 local informants including practitioners, farmers, teachers, and laborers from different localities of District Jhelum Valley. Different quantitative tools were used for the analysis of ethnobotanical data including relative frequency of citation, use value, informant consensus factor, fidelity level, cultural value, practical value, consensus value for plant part, rank order priority, percentage respondent knowledge, economic value and their total value were calculated. Jaccard's index (JI) was used to compare the present knowledge with the previous studies in the same or surrounding areas. Results: A total of 129 species belonging to 111 genera and 63 families were documented along with their ethnobotanical uses. Dominant families based on the number of species include Rosaceae contributing 12 species followed by Asteraceae and Saxifragaceae with 8 species each. The comparative study of the novelty of species and their uses by the JI revealed 13 novel plant species which were not reported earlier from this region. Conclusions: This information is not only important for scientific and ethnobotanical purposes but also for the sustainable management of medicinal plant resources and the potential discovery of new natural medicine. Such studies can help to bridge the gap between traditional and modern medicines and collaboration between traditional healers and health care practitioners.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.462-466
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• 2020

Testate amoebae are easily recognized as their characteristic shells from other protistan groups. They in which more than 1,900 species have been recorded are mixture of heterogeneous groups mainly composed of Amoebozoa and Cercozoa. In Korea, 74 species of testate amoebae have been recorded since late 1980s. Here I report a list of 12 unrecorded species of testate amoebae from Korea which were discovered during 2016-2018: Arcella crenulata Deflandre, 1928; Centropyxis cassis(Wallich, 1864); C. delicatula Penard, 1902; C. hirsuta Deflander, 1929; C. orbicularis Deflandre, 1929; C. sylvatica (Deflandre, 1929); Cyclopyxis eurystoma Deflandre, 1929; C. intermedia Kufferath, 1932; C. kahli(Deflandre, 1929); Difflugia diafana Vucetich, 1987; D. manicata Penard, 1902; Awerintzewia cyclostoma Schoutenden, 1906. As a result the fauna of testate amoebae in Korea is composed of 86 species. There are still much more species remained to be discovered in Korea. The faunal studies on testate amoebae will provide us valuable information about freshwater and soil environments.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.207-213
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• 2017

In order to investigate the indigenous prokaryotic species diversity of the Nakdong River system in Korea, fresh water samples from Hapcheonho Lake and Jinyangho Lake were analyzed for bacterial taxonomic diversity. The isolated bacterial strains were identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, and those exhibiting at least 98.7% sequence similarity with known bacterial species, but never reported in Korea, were selected as unrecorded species. Eleven unrecorded bacterial species were discovered in this study. The isolates were identified as Aquabacterium citratiphilum, Clostridium ghonii, Curvibacter delicates, Deinococcus depolymerans, Eubacterium moniliforme, Flavobacterium nitrogenifigens, Kineosporia mesophila, Luteibacter jiangsuensis, Microbacterium terricola, Rhizobium larrymoorei, and Sediminicoccus rosea belonging to the phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Deinococcus-Thermus. The selected isolates were further characterized for cellular and colonial morphologies, growth conditions, physiological properties, and enzymatic activities. Descriptive information of these previously unrecorded species is also provided.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.214-223
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• 2017

As part of a larger study with the aim to discover indigenous prokaryotic species in Korea, nine bacterial strains were isolated and assigned to the phylum Proteobacteria in 2016. High 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (>98.5%) and formation of a robust phylogenetic clades with known species indicated that each strain belongs to an independent and predefined bacterial species. This is the first report of these nine species in Korea: two strains of the Methylobacterium, two strains of the Microvirga, one strain of the Pantoea, and four strains of the Psychrobacter, all within the Proteobacteria. Gram reaction, colony and cell morphology, basic biochemical characteristics, and isolation sources are also described in the species description section.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.95-108
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• 2023

Ciliates are unicellular eukaryotes and one of the most abundant and speciose protistan groups. However, their diversity is underestimated, and many new species are waiting for our discovery. During several field surveys conducted from 2018 to 2021 to document indigenous Korean ciliates, 10 unrecorded ciliate species were collected and investigated from freshwater, marine, and semiterrestrial habitats. The morphology of these species was studied based on observation of living and protargol-stained specimens. These species belong to five classes as follows: 1) class Heterotrichea - Peritromus faurei; 2) class Spirotrichea - Heterotachysoma dragescoi, Pseudokeronopsis parasongi, and Certesia quadrinucleata; 3) class Nassophorea - Chilodontopsis depressa; 4) class Prostomatea - Plagiocampa rouxi and Urotricha furcata; and 5) class Oligohymenophorea - Metanophrys similis, Uronema gallicum, and Protocyclidium citrullus. Also, we provide a brief diagnosis, photomicrographs, and information of the locality for each species. Further, we compare each species with the most recent description and with similar congeners.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.395-403
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• 2022

In this study, we identified that the fermentation of Korean indigenous probiotics and red ginseng produced ginsenoside compound K (CK) from major ginsenosides. Based on whole genome sequencing of 19 probiotics species, β-glucosidase, α-arabinofuranosidase, β-xylosidase, and α-rhamnosidase related to bioconversion of ginsenosides are identified in the genome of 19 species, 3 species, 6 species, and 8 species, respectively. Among the 19 probiotics species, Bifidobacterium longum CBT BG7 converted from ginsenoside Rb1 to CK, and both B. breve CBT BR3 and B. lactis CBT BL3 converted ginsenoside Rb1 to Rd. The final concentration and yield of ginsenoside F2 and CK were higher in the fermentation with the nondisrupted cells than with disrupted cells. The combination of both CBT BG7 and BL3, and CBT BG7 and BR3 showed higher amounts of F2 than CBT BG7 only. CBT BG7 with adding α-amylase increased the amounts of F2. In this study, we identified that the fermentation of both Korean indigenous probiotic bacteria CBT BG7, BR3 and BL3, and red gingseng is able to produce CK, a bioactive compound that promotes health benefits.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.114-122
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• 2018

As part of a larger study of indigenous prokaryotic species diversity in South Korea, various samples from Namhangang were subjected to analyses. Fresh water, underwater sediment, and moss-inhabiting aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were isolated. 22 of the isolates were identified as unrecorded bacterial species in Korea that had ${\geq}98.7%$ 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with published species. The aerobic strains isolated were Kurthia gibsonii and Massilia plicata. Also identified were four facultative anaerobic strains: Bacillus hisashii, Enterococcus rotai, Paenibacillus vini, and Pediococcus pentosaceus. 16 strictly anaerobic strains were identified as Bacteroides xylanolyticus, Carnobacterium maltaromaticum, Clostridium argentinense, Clostridium beijerinckii, Clostridium butyricum, Clostridium cavendishii, Clostridium diolis, Clostridium frigidicarnis, Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum, Clostridium sphenoides, Clostridium subterminale, Cutibacterium acnes, Paraclostridium bifermentans, Prevotella paludivivens, and Romboutsia lituseburensis. Based on the examination of morphological, cultural, physiological, and biochemical properties of the isolates, descriptive information of these previously unrecorded species is provided here.

• Mycobiology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.346-354
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• 2021

The genus Aspergillus is commonly isolated from various marine and terrestrial environments; however, only a few species have been studied in rhizosphere soil. As part of the Korean indigenous fungal excavation project, we investigated fungal diversity from rhizosphere soil, focusing on Aspergillus species. A total of 13 strains were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of three different plants. Based on phylogenetic analysis of β-tubulin and calmodulin and morphological characteristics, we identified five Aspergillus species. A. calidoustus and A. pseudodeflectus were commonly isolated from the rhizosphere soil. Four species were confirmed as unrecorded species in Korea: A. calidoustus, A. dimorphicus, A. germanicus, and A. pseudodeflecuts. The detailed morphological descriptions of these unrecorded species are provided.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.53-61
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• 2007

Most of the plants and trees are landscaping plants at the university campus, Thus, the natural flora can be found on sidewalks like urban area. In order to investigate the flora on sidewalks of the university campus, the vegetation survey was done. The study site is Natural Science Campus, Sungkyunkwan University which is located at Suwon, Korea. Vascular plants surveyed were consisted of 130 taxa, 39 families, 99 genera, 115 species, 15 varieties. Indigenous weeds was 101 species (77.7%). Naturalized weeds was 29 species (22.3%). In the families, Compositae 30 species (23%), Gramineae 18 species (14%), Leguminosae 9 species (7%), Caryophyllaceae 8 species (6%), Cruciferae 8 species (6%), Polygonaceae 5 species (4%), Euphorbiaceae 5 species (4%), Scrophulariaceae 4 species (3%), Rosaceae 3 species (2%), Violaceae 3 species (2%), Convolvulaceae 3 species (2%) and etc. 34 species (27%). Life Form of flora in the site by Raunkiaer classification was Therophytes 67 species (51.5%), Hemicryptophytes 46 species (35.4%), Geophytes 8 species (6.2%), Nanophanerophytes 4 species (3.1%), Phanerohytes 3 species (2.3%) and Chamaephytes 2 species (1.5%). Naturalized Ratios was 10.7%.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1593-1601
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• 2015

Two marine algal halymeniacean species were collected from eastern coast of Korea during the survey of indigenous species of algae. One is distinct from other similar species by foliose thalli with irregular shape and several branches and linear proliferations without division. The other is characterized by indistinct midrib, foliose unbranched thalli and refractive ganglioid cells in medulla. These two species are identified as Grateloupia latissima and Cryptonemia yendoi based on the morphological features, respectively. Morphological and taxonomic notes on these species are included in the present study. This is the first record of G. latissima and C. yendoi from Korea.