• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.67-77
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• 2021

Salurnis marginella Guérin-Méneville, 1829 (Hemiptera: Flatidae) is an invasive species first reported in 2003 in Iksan, which is located in the mid-western region of South Korea, and subsequently found in the nearby regions in 2005. However, molecular-perspective reports on their invasive characteristics are not yet available. In this study, population genetic characteristics of Korean S. marginella were evaluated using the mitochondrial COI region and sequencing 124 individual samples collected in 11 Korean localities. A total of 12 haplotypes were identified with a maximum sequence divergence of 1.368% (9 bp). Haplotype diversity was relatively higher than that of other insect species invaded into Korea, providing 2-6 haplotypes per populations, indicating that introduction to Korea may have happened rather extensively and consistently. Nucleotide diversity (π) was the highest in Iksan but owing to the limited sample size (three individuals) from this locality, additional studies are required for drawing conclusive inference regarding the place of entry to Korea. Ulsan, the easternmost population in the present study, revealed nearly the lowest diversity estimates, such as the lowest H and the second-lowest π; a unique haplogroup with a higher frequency; and an independent genetic cluster, suggesting that the introduction of S. marginella to Ulsan was an independent event. Further collection in Korea and neighboring countries, including the original distributional range is necessary to elucidate the invasive dynamics of S. marginella

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.277-290
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• 2008

In the past two decades Mikania micrantha Kunth, a climbing plant species originating from tropical America, has spread across Taiwan. It can now be found frequently in the lowlands and lower mountain areas up to 1,000 m a.s.l. in the centre and south of the island. Mikania micrantha is considered a problematic invasive alien plant species which is said to cause economical as well as environmental damage. This study investigated the ecological site characteristics of M. micrantha in Taiwan. 112 vegetation surveys were carried out in habitats where the alien plant was present. A comparison between sites with a high and a low abundance was carried out in order to assess which factors especially influence the extensive spread of the plant. Furthermore, the influence of disturbances was examined. Results showed that Mikania micrantha grows very dense in habitats which are characterized by good light conditions combined with vertical structures, such as trees. Results revealed that this invader occurs most frequently in agricultural fallows and wastelands, but it could hardly be found in the intensively managed plantations in the investigation area. Results provide great evidence that the plant is strongly influenced by disturbances, but only if impacts occur rarely.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.119-133
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to provide basic information for rational management plans for sustainable conservation and utilization by comprehensive analyzing the flora distributed in Yongchu valley, Changwon-si. The flora of Yongchu valley were summarized as 319 taxa including 93 families, 212 genera, 285 species, 3 subspecies, 6 forms and 25 varieties. The endemic plants were 5 taxa such as Chrysosplenium pilosum var. fulvum, Impatiens koreana, Lespedeza maritima, Thalictrum acteifolium and Weigela subsessilis. The rare plants were 11 taxa including I. koreana, Prunus yedoensis and Magnolia kobus. The specific plants by floristic region were 38 taxa including I. koreana, Jeffersonia dubia., M. kobus and P. yedoensis which are class V. The naturalized plants were 11 taxa including Solanum americanum, Aster pilosus, Crassocephalum crepidioides and Cerastium glomeratum and so forth and invasive alien plants among these plants was 1 taxa of A. pilosus. The target plants adaptable to climate change were 8 taxa including Corydalis turtschaninovii of northern plant, I. koreana of endemic plant, and Meliosma myriantha of southern plant.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.193-205
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• 2017

Histone methylation plays important roles in regulating chromatin dynamics and transcription in eukaryotes. Implication of histone modifications in fungal pathogenesis is, however, beginning to emerge. Here, we report identification and functional analysis of a putative JmjC-domain-containing histone demethylase in Magnaporthe oryzae. Through bioinformatics analysis, we identified seven genes, which encode putative histone demethylases containing JmjC domain. Deletion of one gene, MoJMJ1, belonging to JARID group, resulted in defects in vegetative growth, asexual reproduction, appressorium formation as well as invasive growth in the fungus. Western blot analysis showed that global H3K4me3 level increased in the deletion mutant, compared to wild-type strain, indicating histone demethylase activity of MoJMJ1. Introduction of MoJMJ1 gene into ${\Delta}Mojmj1$ restored defects in pre-penetration developments including appressorium formation, indicating the importance of histone demethylation through MoJMJ1 during infection-specific morphogenesis. However, defects in penetration and invasive growth were not complemented. We discuss such incomplete complementation in detail here. Our work on MoJMJ1 provides insights into H3K4me3-mediated regulation of infection-specific development in the plant pathogenic fungus.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.90-97
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• 2020

Background: Natural forests are generally considered to be less prone to biological invasions than other modified ecosystems, particularly when canopy cover is high. Few decades of management of degraded forests by local communities in Nepal has increased canopy cover and altered disturbance regimes. These changes might have reduced the abundance of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) in forests. To understand the status of IAPS in such forests, we studied two community managed Shorea robusta forests (Sundari and Dhusheri) of Nawalpur district in central Nepal. In these two forests, vegetation sampling was done using circular plots 10 m radius at forest edge, gaps, and within canopy. Variation of IAPS richness and cover across these microhabitats were compared, and their variation with tree canopy cover and basal area analyzed. Result: Altogether 14 IAPS were recorded in the study forests; among them Chromolaena odorata, Ageratum houstonianum, and Lantana camara had the highest frequency. Mikania micrantha was at the early stage of colonization in Sundari Community Forest (CF) but absent in Dhuseri CF. Both IAPS cover and richness was higher at forest edge and gap than in canopy plots and both these attributes declined with increasing canopy cover and tree basal area. Conclusion: The results indicate that increase in canopy cover and closure of forest gaps through participatory management of degraded forests can prevent plant invasions and suppress the growth of previously established IAPS in Shorea robusta forests of Nepal. This is the unacknowledged benefit of participatory forest management in Nepal.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2019.04a
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• pp.71-71
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• 2019

The genus Cenchrus (Poaceae), containing ca. 23 species, is distributed throughout Australia, Africa, Indian sub-continent, and America. In Korea, Cenchrus longispinus (Hack.) Fernald, especially introduced to Daecheong Island in 1999, is one of the most hazardous invasive plant which causes serious environmental threats, biodiversity damages and physically negative impact on humans and animals. Based on the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, we characterized the chloroplast (cp) genome sequences of C. longispinus which contains a large single copy (LSC; 80,223 bp), a small single copy (SSC; 12,449 bp), separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs; 22,236 bp). Additionally, we analyzed the cp genome sequences of Cenchrus echinatus L. which contains a large single copy (LSC; 80,220 bp), a small single copy (SSC; 12,439 bp), separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs; 22,236 bp). These cp genomes consist of 75 unique genes, 4 rRNA coding genes, 33 tRNA coding genes and 21 duplicated in the IR regions, of which the gene content and organization are similar to the other Poaceae cp genomes. We selected 40 potential regions in cp genomes of two Cenchrus species and one Korean Pennisetum species to develop new single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for identifying C. longispinus based on amplification-refractory mutation system (ARMS) technique. The markers, inferred from SNP in matK and ndhF genes, show effectiveness to recognize C. longispinus from C. echinatus and Korean native species Pennisetum alopecuroides (L.) Spreng.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.189-200
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• 2016

The species distribution model would be a useful tool for understanding how invasive alien species spread over the country and what environmental variables contribute to their distributions. This study is focused on the potential distribution of two invasive alien species, the common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) and knotgrass (Paspalum distichum) in the Korean Peninsula. The maximum entropy (Maxent) model was used for the prediction of their distribution by inferring their climatic environmental requirements from localities where they are currently known to occur. We obtained their presence data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the Korean plant species databases and bioclimatic data from the WorldClim dataset. As a results of the modelling, the potential distribution predicted by global occurrence data was more accurate than that by native occurrence data. The variables determining the common ragweed distribution were precipitation of the driest month and annual mean temperature. Both annual and the coldest quarter mean temperatures were critical factors in determining the knotgrass distribution. The Maxent model could be a useful tool for the prediction of alien species invasion and the management of their expansion.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.71-99
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• 2022

This study was conducted to investigate the vascular flora of Masan, located in Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, and to comprehend the distribution of remarkable plants such as rare and Korea endemic plants and invasive alien plants. The survey was carried out the distribution of vascular plants 11 times per season from 2010 to 2018. A total of 619 taxa in 93 families, 328 genera, 529 species, 6 subspecies, 78 varieties and 6 forms were identified on mt. Masan. Among them, Korean endemic plants are 21 taxa including Saussurea diamantica Nakai and are plants designated by the Korea Forest Service are 20 taxa counting Saxifraga octopetala Nakai. Invasive alien plants were classified a total of 35 taxa inclusive of Trifolium pratense L. (WS), Aster pilosus Willd. (SS), Coreopsis lanceolata L. (SR), Rumex obtusifolius L. (SC) and Lindernia dubia (L.) Pennell (CS). The naturalization rate was 5% and the urbanization index was 10.0%, respectively. Although this study identified the diverse distribution of major plants such as rare and endemic plants around Masan, it was confirmed that invasive alien plants, which pose a great threat to forest biodiversity conservation and promotion, spread and distributed in a specific section Therefore, it is urgent to establish a conservation strategy and countermeasures.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.41-61
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was carried out to present the basic data for constructing a ecological stream, Shindangcheon stream located in Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. From August 2017 to June 2019, a total of 7 surveys were conducted. The numbers of vascular plants were summarized as 388 taxa including 75 families, 246 genera, 360 species, 4 subspecies, 19 varieties, 2 forms and 3 hybrids. The most families of taxa were Poaceae (59 taxa), Asteraceae (47 taxa), Fabaceae (27 taxa), Rosaceae and Cyperaceae (20 taxa, respectively), and Polygonaceae and Brassicaceae (15 taxa, respectively). The rare plant was Aristolochia contorta Bunge, and the Korean endemic plants were 4 taxa, such as Populus × tomentiglandulosa T.B.Lee, Salix koriyanagi Kimura ex Goerz, Lespedeza maritima Nakai, and Weigela subsessilis (Nakai) L.H.Bailey. The specific plants by floristic region found in this site were 13 taxa comprising 8 taxa of grade I, 4 taxa of grade III, and 1 taxon of grade IV. The naturalized plants were 73 taxa, such as Fallopia dumetorum (L.) Holub, Persicaria orientalis (L.) Spach., Potentilla supina L. var. ternata Pterm., and so forth. The invasive alien plants were 6 taxa, such as Rumex acetosella L., Sicyos angulatus L., Solanum carolinense L., Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., Lactuca serriola L., and Symphyotrichum pilosum (Willd.) G.L.Nesom..

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.385-397
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• 2020

The ascomycete fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides infects a wide range of plant hosts and causes enormous economic losses in the world. The transcription factors (TFs) play an important role in development and pathogenicity of many organisms. In this study, we found that the C₂H₂ TF CgCrzA is localized in both cytoplasm and nucleus under standard condition, and it translocated from cytoplasm to nucleus in a calcineurin-dependent manner. Moreover, the ΔCgCrzA was hypersensitive to cell wall perturbing agents and showed severe cell wall integrity defects. Deletion of the CgCRZA inhibited the development of invasive structures and lost pathogenicity to plant hosts. Our results suggested that calcineurin-responsive TF CgCrzA was not only involved in regulating cell wall integrity, but also in morphogenesis and virulence in C. gloeosporioides.