• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-21
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• 2024

This study conducted surveys to identify the distribution of communities and flora according to vegetation in the coastal sand dunes of Sagye in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, located at the southernmost tip of Korea. The survey was conducted over 20 sessions from April 2020 to October 2021. As a result of the study, physiognomy was classified into six correlated vegetation types: plant communities on the salt marsh, annual communities on a coastal drift-line, herb communities on a dune, shrub communities on a coastal dune, forest-edge communities on a dune, and artificial afforestation vegetation. The survey identified 43 communities, and a total of 212 taxa were found to be distributed among 62 families, 166 genera, 191 species, 15 varieties, 3 subspecies, and 3 forma. It was found that there were five rare plant taxa distributed in the area, including the Cymbidium macrorrhizum which was classified as an endangered Class II plant by the Ministry of Environment. Floristic target species identified by the surveys included 2 taxa for grade V, 5 taxa for grade IV, 15 taxa for grade III, 14 taxa for grade II, and 19 taxa for grade I. Climate-sensitive biological indicator species included 11 indicator and 2 candidate species, representing a high ratio of 33.3% of all indicator species and 15.4% of candidate species. Naturalized plants included 16 families, 43 genera, and 52 taxa, with a naturalization rate of 21.1% and an urbanization index of 24.5%. It is expected that these results will be widely used as data needed to prepare conservation and management measures for biodiversity in response to climate change in coastal dunes in the future.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.215-228
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• 2008

This study was performed to find out the community structure of macrobenthos and the environmental factors around Munseom coastal water in Jeju Island from June to December, 2007. Mean temperature and mean salinity were $19.6^{\circ}C$ and 34.03 psu, indicating stable water masses. Concentrations of DO, COD and SS were as low as those in the standard sea-water-quality classes I. Chlorophyll a concentrations ranged from 0.40 to 1.09 mg/L (mean, 0.69 mg/L), and higher concentration was observed in December rather than in June due to a blooming in winter. The mean concentration (their ranges are in parentheses) of nitrate, phosphate, and silicate were 0.15 mg/L (0.073-0.264 mg/L), 0.01 mg/L (0.004-0.011 mg/L) and 0.23 mg/L (0.039-0.464 mg/L), respectively. The values were higher near the Munseom due to influxes from the land. Of the 112 species that were identified, 40 species (36.0%) were Mollusca; 33 (28.8%) were Cnidaria; 13 (11.7%) were Porifera; 8 (7.2%) were Arthropoda and 17 species (15.3%) were others including Echinodermata. Density and biomass were estimated to be 4,340 individual/$m^2$ and $53,107.8\;gwwt/m^2$ respectively. Anthozoa was the most dominant group in abundance ($2,132\;ind./m^2$) as well as in the number of species, whereas Cnidaria was predominant in biomass ($37,630.9\;gwwt/m^2$). The dominant species were Dendronephthya gigantea, Scleronephthya gracillimum, Anthoplexaura dimorpha, Dendronephthya castanea, Thecocarpus niger, Dendronephthya spinulosa, Dendronephthya putteri, and Acabaria bicolor in the depth of 10-30 m. The seasonal variations of the number of individual and biomass of Cnidaria and Mollusca were observed. There was a slow increment in June, a decrement in October, and a drastic increasing in December. The biodiversity, evenness and richness index in surveyed stations were 2.715-3.413 (H'), 0.758-0.851(E'), and 5.202-8.720 (R) respectively. The dominance index was the highest in station M2 and the lowest in station M1.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.72-87
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• 2009

This research is insect diversity analysis on the basis of survey results and bibliographies of Hongdo Island, Mts. Seoraksan, Hallasan, Daeamsan & Daeusan, Hyangnobong peak & Geonbongsan nature reserves and Dokdo Protected Natural Area among 10 designated nature reserves. The Mt. Hallasan nature reserve has 1,867 species in 22 orders and shows the highest species diversity. The species diversities of Mt. Seoraksan, Mt. Hyangnobong peak & Geonbongsan, Hongdo Island, Mt. Daeamsan & Daeusan, and Dokdo Protected Natural Area reveal 1,604 species in 19 orders, 704 species in 18 orders, 474 species in 19 orders, 468 species in 16 orders, and 114 species in 11 orders, respectively, in descending order. The order Lepidoptera shows as dominant taxa in Hongdo, Seoraksan, Hallasan, Hyangnobong peak & Geonbongsan, whereas the order Coleoptera as subdominant taxa in these areas. On the other hand, in Mt. Daeamsan & Daeusan, and Dokdo Protected Natural Area, the order Coleoptera appears as dominant taxa whereas the order Lepidoptera as subdominant taxa. The order Ephemeroptera has been shown the highest species diversity in Seoraksan which is reported to 25 species, Odonata in Hallasan to 28, Dermaptera in Seoraksan to 9, Orthoptera in Hallasan to 51, Hemiptera in Hallasan to 175, Homoptera in Seoraksan to 126, Hymenoptera in Hallasan to 183, and Diptera in Hallasan to 206. The species diversity is generally poor in Daeamsan & Daeusan, Hyangnobong peak & Geonbongsan, and Dokdo Protected Natural Area. Maybe this result is caused by the lack of various academic surveys compared to the other areas. It is needed to study systematic academic investigation on insect in the nature reserve areas in Korea, and to plan appropriate management and conservation on natural environment considering biodiversity of each nature reserve area.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.126-137
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• 2011

Although Sumunmulbangdui wetland at the Halla Mountain in Jeju Island, a kind of montane wetlands, has been considered to bear high biodiversity, no study has been reported on the bacterial diversity. In this study, soil and water samples were collected from the wetland in order to isolate novel bacterial species. Bacterial strains belonging to the phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria were isolated after spreading soil and water samples onto solid agar media. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the strains assigned to the three phyla were compared to those of type strains of the species in the phyla. The strains that showed less than 98.7% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the validly published species were considered to be novel species candidates. A total of 32 strains were regarded as novel species candidates in the phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. Diversity of novel species candidates was very low; the candidates were confined to only few genera. In the Bacteroidetes, 13 novel candidate species were affiliated with the genera Mucilaginibacter, Sphingobacterium, Pedobacter, Flavobacterium, and Chryseobacterium. A total of 13 novel candidate species that assigned to the genera Paenibacillus Lysinibacillus, and Bacillus were identified in the phylum Firmicutes. Only two candidate species that belonged to the genera Mycobacterium and Nocardia were excavated in the Actinobacteria. Cultural, physiological, and chemotaxonomic characteristics have been determined for the novel species candidates, and the characteristics are described in this study.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2020

Domestic cats (Felis catus) introduced to insular environments can be invasive predators that often threaten endemic species and cause biodiversity loss or local extinction on the island. This study was conducted from March to July 2018 to understand the population size, home range, and spatial use of cats introduced to Mara Islet (N 33° 07', E 126° 16') in Jeju Special Governing Province, the Republic of Korea. Observation records based on their natural marks revealed that there were 20 adult cats on Mara Islet. A capture-recapture method also estimated 20 adult individuals (95% confidence interval: 20-24 individuals). According to our telemetry study on ten adults deployed with GPS-based telemetry units, the home range size was 12.05±6.99 ha (95% KDE: kernel density estimation), and the core habitat size was 1.60±0.77 ha (50% KDE). There were no significant differences in the home range and core habitat sizes by sex. The home range of domestic cats overlapped with the human residential area, where they might secure easy foods. Five of ten tracked cats were active at potential breeding colonies for the Crested Murrlet (Synthliboramphus wumizusume), and six approached potential breeding areas of the Styan's Grasshopper Warbler (Locustella pleskei), suggesting the predation risk of the two endangered species by cats. This study provides novel information on the population size and home range of introduced cats on Mara Islet which is an important stopover site of migratory birds as well as a breeding habitat of the two endangered avian species. Reducing the potential negative impacts of the introduced cats on migratory birds and the endangered species on Mara Islet requires monitoring of the predation rate of birds by cats, the population trends of cats and endangered breeding birds as well as the effective cat population control and management.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.533-541
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• 2017

Agricultural landscape has many ecosystem service functions. However, the development of the horticulture complex has no consideration for environmental conservation. Therefore, we analyzed the priorities of ecosystem service functions required for the composition. The study was conducted in three stages. As a result of the first survey, 17 functions were selected to be improved. In the second survey, 12 functions were selected excluding 5 functions. Finally, 1. Measures for water purification, 2. Groundwater recharge plan, 3. Surface water storage space, 4. Flood control measures, 5. Vegetation diversity space, 6. Carbon emission reduction plan, 7. Aquatic insect habitat space, 8. Amphibian reptiles 9. Landscape and Waste Management, 10. Bird Species Space, 11. Heat Island Mitigation Plan, 12. Experience / Ecological Education Plan. We proposed the structure, capacity, flow rate, arrangement and form of the water treatment facility to improve water quality by improving the function. We proposed a reservoir space of 7-10% for groundwater recharge. The development of reservoir and storage facilities suitable for the Korean situation is suggested for the surface water storage and flood control measures. And proposed to secure a green space for the climate cycle. Proposed habitat and nutrient discharge management for biodiversity. We propose green area development and wetland development to improve the landscape, and put into the facilities for experiential education. The results of the research can be utilized for the development and improvement of the horticultural complex.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.263-268
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• 2016

Metallothionein (MT) family of metal-binding proteins are involved in maintaining homeostasis and heavy metal poisoning. Recently, MT has been considered as a biomarker that can identify a particular species, very similar to the use of cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. Satsuma myomphala species of land snails have been reported from North-East Asia, including South Korea and Japan. In particular, the land snail species have been known from only a limited area of Geoje Island, Gyeongsangnam-do province of South Korea. Genetic studies of S. myomphala has been limited with only 6 nucleotide, 2 protein registered on the NCBI server. For elucidating the genetic information of S. myomphala, we conducted RNA sequencing analysis using Illumina HiSeq 2500 next-generation platform. We screened the MT gene from the RNA-Seq database to confirm the molecular phylogenetic relationship. After sequencing, the de novo analysis and clustering generated 103,774 unigenes. After annotation against PANM database using BLAST program, we obtained MT sequence of 74 amino acid residues containing the coding region of 222 bp. Based on this sequence, we found about 53 sequences using the BLAST program in NCBI nr database. Using ClustalX alignment, Maximum-Likehood Tree of MEGA program, we confirmed the molecular phylogenetic relationships that showed similarity with mollusks such as Helix pomatia and H. aspersa, Megathura crenulata.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.335-344
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• 2023

Brachydiplax chalybea flavovittata, a climate-sensitive biological indicator species, was first observed and recorded at Jeju Island in Korea in 2010. Overwintering was recently confirmed in the Yeongsan River area. This study was aimed to predict the potential distribution patterns for the larvae of B. chalybea flavovittata and to understand its ecological characteristics as well as changes of population under global climate change circumstances. Data was collected both from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and by field surveys from May 2019 to May 2023. We used for the distribution model among downloaded 19 variables from the WorldClim database. MaxEnt model was adopted for the prediction of potential and future distribution for B. chalybea flavovittata. Larval distribution ranged within a region delimited by northern latitude from Jeju-si, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province (33.318096°) to Yeoju-si, Gyeonggi-do (37.366734°) and eastern longitude from Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do (126.054925°) to Yangsan-si, Gyeongsangnam-do (129.016472°). M type (permanent rivers, streams and creeks) wetlands were the most common habitat based on the Ramsar's wetland classification system, followed by Tp type (permanent freshwater marshes and pools) (45.8%) and F type (estuarine waters) (4.2%). MaxEnt model presented that potential distribution with high inhabiting probability included Ulsan and Daegu Metropolitan City in addition to the currently discovered habitats. Applying to the future scenarios by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it was predicted that the possible distribution area would expand in the 2050s and 2090s, covering the southern and western coastal regions, the southern Daegu metropolitan area and the eastern coastal regions in the near future. This study suggests that B. chalybea flavovittata can be used as an effective indicator species for climate changes with a monitoring of their distribution ranges. Our findings will also help to provide basic information on the conservation and management of co-existing native species.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.40-48
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• 2023

This study is part of a foundational research effort aimed at developing a suitability index for breeding grounds related to avian activities along the domestic South and West coasts, including islands. Focus Group Interviews (FGI) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) analyses were conducted. The results are as follows. First, as a result of determining the value of the suitability of coastal bird breeding sites, the 'Natural Value(0.763)' was higher than the 'Artificial Value(0.237)'. Other artificial values were identified as sub-ranked except for 'Protected Areas' to ensure continuous integrity of breeding spaces. Second, as a result of re-establishing the 25 evaluation items classified in the two-time FGI as higher concepts, nine natural values and five artificial values were finally selected as a total of 14. Third, the results of the mid-classification evaluation of the importance of the suitability of coastal bird breeding sites were identified in the order of 'Ecological Value(0.392)', 'Topographic Value(0.251)', 'Passive Interference(0.124)', 'Geological Value(0.120)', and 'Active Interference(0.113)'. Fourth, the results of the priority of evaluation items of coastal bird breeding sites were in the order of 'Vegetation Distribution (0.187)', 'Area of Mudflats(0.118)', 'Presence or Absence of Mudflats(0.092)', 'Appearance of Natural Enemies(0.087)', 'Protected Areas(0.08)', 'Island Area (0.069)', 'Over-Breeding devastation(0.064)', 'Soil Composition Ratio(0.056)', 'Distance from Land(0.054)', 'Ocean farm area (0.045)', 'Cultivated land area(0.041)', 'Cultivation behavior(0.038)', 'Angle of the Surface(0.036)', and 'Land Use(0.033)'. It is judged that the weighting result value of the evaluation items derived in this study can be used for priority evaluation focusing on the coastal bird breeding area space. However, it seems that the correlation with the unique habitat suitability of bird individuals needs to be supplemented, and spatial analysis research incorporating species-specific characteristics will be left as a future task.