• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.640-647
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• 2017

The need for an efficient sampling technique to collect aquatic organisms has risen with the increase of interest in rice paddy fields, which have been recognized as important ecosystems supporting biodiversity. In the present study, a submerged funnel trap used with the assistance of attracting agents (fish meal and chemical light) was designed as an easy, objective and quantitative tool for collecting aquatic organisms in the rice paddy fields. The preference for collecting aquatic organisms as a means for attracting agents was analyzed using a generalized linear mixed model. Also, based on the data of previous research, we compared the community composition of the aquatic macroinvertebrates, which were collected using the quadrat method, and newly designed submerged funnel traps, by analyzing non-metric multidimensional scaling. The results showed that the catching efficiency of 18 of the total 65 taxa was affected by the attracting agents. 12 taxa including Pomacea canaliculata, Hippeutis cantori, Austropeplea ollula, Erpobdella lineata, Ostracoda spp. Branchinella kugenumaensis, Hydaticus grammicus, Rhantus pulverosus, Chironomidae spp., Rana nigromaculata, Cobitidae spp. etc., favored fish meal and 6 taxa including Ischnura asiatica, Coenagrionidae spp. Sternolophus rufipes etc., were attracted by chemical light. The submerged funnel trap used as a measurement tool for biodiversity was less applicable than the quadrat method; however, it was more effective for the selective collection of specific taxa. We expect that this newly designed trap can be a simple and quantitative method for collecting aquatic organisms, and could be used for long term and extensive surveys in rice paddy fields in the future.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.224-231
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• 2018

Dietary niches can support the coexistence of sympatric species in marine ecosystems, which can lead to the presence of greater abundances of those species. Stomach contents of silver croaker (Pennahia argentata) and Japanese sillago (Sillago japonica) inhabiting the Nakdong River estuary, Korea were analyzed to determine diet compositions and the presence of any size-related and inter-specific feeding relationships. These species were bottom-feeding predators that consumed mainly benthic crustaceans and mollusks, but polychaetes were also important in the S. japonica diets. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) ordination and multivariate analyses based on weight contributions of the different prey taxa to stomach contents revealed significant inter-specific dietary differences. Size-related change was also significant for P. argentata diets, but not for S. japonica. Canonical analysis of principal coordinate (CAP) ordination plot further demonstrated that differences in the type and range of prey ingested by the two species contributed such an inter-specific difference in the diet compositions. The results from this study provide clear evidence of niche segregation between co-occurring P. argentata and S. japonica in the Nakdong River estuary, which would reduce the likelihood of inter-specific competition for food resources.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.167-182
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• 2021

This study was carried out to investigate temporal and spatial distribution of macrobenthic community and elucidate effects of environmental factors on change of community structure in an intertidal flat, Hakseong-ri, Boryeong, Korea. Field surveys were seasonally conducted to collect samples of sediment and macrobenthos using can core in triplicate at nine stations in 2016 and 2017. Our results showed that sediment had high mud content (above 60%) in most samples and mean content of loss on ignition was 2.3% in 2016. A total of 79 species was collected in the study site during the study period. Mean density and biomass were 611 ind./m² and 64.1 gWWt/m², respectively. Heteromastus filiformis was the dominant species (48.6%, 297 ind./m²) followed by Macrophthalmus japonicus (10.1%, 62 ind./m²) and Upogebia major (6.9%, 42 ind./m²). Three assembly groups resulted from cluster analysis were more distinguished by interaction between organisms and frequency of dominant species than by physical and chemical environment characteristics. In addition, macrobenthic community in the Hakseong intertidal flat showed seasonal changes based on non metric multidimensional scaling using species abundance.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.100 no.1
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• pp.34-41
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• 2011

Vegetation structure, composition and diversity were quantified for 10 samples ($10m{\times}10m$) representing woody vegetation and for 30 samples ($1m {\times}3m$) representing understory vegetation in Pinus parviflora and Tsuga sieboldii forest of Taeharyeong, Ulleung-gun (Gyeongsangbuk-do). P. parviflora was limitedly advanced to sapling layer from seedling stage, and based on Mantel tests, composition of canopy layer was not established in ground woody vegetation. Non-metric multidimensional scaling revealed influence of biotic and abiotic factors in species composition of woody and understory vegetation. In the result of multiple regression model, abundance of P. parviflora (density and breast height area) and percent cover of woody debris were significant predict variables for understory diversity. These results suggest that relatively large disturbance is required for regeneration of P. parviflora and T. sieboldii forest, and control of expansion of monocultural understory species that monopolize resources such as Carex blepharicarpa and Maianthemum dilatatum, is necessary for maintenance of diversity.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.87-95
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• 2021

Macroinvertebrates in forest streams affect the overall health of other streams in the same water system. In this study, we compared differences in the benthic macroinvertebrate community at two headwater streams located at different latitudes in the southern and northern parts of South Korea. We calculated the community temperature index (CTI), which represents the thermal preferences of the benthic communities. Hierarchical cluster analyses (HCA) were conducted to compare the similarities among sampling sites. In addition, we analyzed the relationship between community composition and environmental and community characteristics using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Our results showed that CTI was significantly different between the two regions, indicating that these benthic macroinvertebrate communities have different thermal preferences. These two regions were clearly distinguished from each other in the HCA; furthermore, seasonal differences in benthic community composition were observed within each region. The functional feeding groups present in the benthic macroinvertebrate communities were different even though their habitat was similar.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.257-273
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• 2023

Hydrochemical characteristics and microbial communities of spring (Samtong), surface water, and groundwater in Cheorwon, Korea, were analyzed. Field surveys and water quality analyses were undertaken at 10 sampling points for five spring, two surface, and three groundwater samples on 15 December 2022. Hydrochemical analysis revealed that most water samples were Ca-HCO₃ type and that water-rock interactions were the predominant mineral source. Radon concentrations were <1 kBq m^-3 for surface water, 1~10 kBq m^-3 for spring water, and 1~1,000 kq m^-3 for groundwater. Microbial cluster analysis showed that the main phyla were Proteobacteria, Planctomyceta, Verrucomicrobia, Acidobacteria, and Actinomycetota.Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis indicated that water temperature, pH, and Si content were closely related to microorganism content. NMDS and canonical correspondence analysis results revealed that environmental factors affecting spring water were temperature, and Mg and Si concentrations, particularly for Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria, and Pseudomonas brenneri. Both hydrochemical and microbial community analyses yielded similar results at some spring and groundwater sampling points, likely due to the effects of a basalt aquifer.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.121-127
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• 2023

The study was performed in order to understand the association between organic matter content in the sediments and the distribution of macrobenthos in the intertidal zone of the Muan bay. The sediment samples obtained from 21 sampling sites in August 2019 were analyzed for sediment composition and organic matter content (Ignition loss; IL and Total organic carbon; TOC). Further the macro benthos was sorted and enumerated. The sediments of inner area of bay has coarser composition where mouth part of bay, the sediments were predominantly silty. The highest organic matter content (both of IL and TOC) was measured at station 10 located near the Mokpo area while the lowest values was measured at station 20 adjacent to the north side of the bay. The 4 most abundant species accounted for more than 10% of all specimens were Assiminea sp., Musculista senhousia, Cerithideopsilla cingulate and Heteromastus filiformis. The maximum number of species and density were observed at station 10. Cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) allow identification of four benthic assemblages based on species abundance. The correlation analysis revealed that there was a significant difference (p<0.05) in the density with TOC. Based on the analysis; it was found that the distribution of macrobenthos varied with the differences in sediment composition and organic matter content.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.285-293
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• 2023

This study conducted to investigate the temporal and spatial variations in the fish community structure in the Seomjin River estuary (ES1~ES3) and Gwangyang Bay (ES4~ES8). Surveys were conducted at eight points between May and September from 2020 to 2021. A total of 5,111 fish were collected, representing 42 families, 68 genera, and 78 species. The dominant species collected during the survey period were Pennahia argentata, with 2,370 individuals and a relative abundance of 46.4%. Also, as a subdominant species, Nuchequula nuchalis, 1643 individuals were caught, accounting for 32.1% relative abundance. According to Bray-Curtis similarities, observations were divided into three groups based on the fish community composition, and they were further categorized into brackish water areas, coastal areas, inner areas, and outer areas. Group 1 mainly consisted of fish inhabiting freshwater and brackish water areas, while group 3 exclusively contained fish living in marine waters. ANOSIM (Analysis of Similarity) analysis revealed a significant difference (ANOSIM R=0.783, p=0.001) between Group 2 and Group 3, and the species contributing to these clusters were P. argentata and Muraenesox cinereus. The study demonstrated spatial changes in the fish community structure from the Seomjin River estuary to the outer coast. The findings highlight the importance of long-term monitoring of major species that exhibit spatial variations, serving as essential foundational data for the conservation and management of economically significant fish species.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.199-208
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• 2021

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is effective method with high detection sensitivity for evaluating fish biodiversity and detecting endangered fish from natural water samples. We compared the richness of operational taxonomic units(OTUs) and composition of freshwater fishes according to filters(cellulose nitrate filter vs. glass fiber filter), extraction kits(DNeasy2^® Blood & Tissue Kit vs. DNeasy2^® PowerWater Kit), primer sets (12S rDNA vs. 16S rDNA), and PCR methods (conventional PCR vs. touchdown PCR) to determine the optimal conditions for metabarcoding analysis of Korean freshwater fish. The glass fiber filter and DNeasy2^® Blood & Tissue Kit combination showed the highest number of freshwater fish OTUs in both 12S and 16S rDNA. Among the four types, the primer sets only showed statistically significant difference in the average number of OTUs in class Actinopterygii (non-parametric Wilcoxon signed ranks test, p=0.005). However, there was no difference in the average number of OTUs in freshwater fish. The species composition also showed significant difference according to primer sets (PERMANOVA, Pseudo-F=6.9489, p=0.006), but no differences were observed in the other three types. The non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) results revealed that species composition clustered together according to primer sets based on similarity of 65%; 16S rDNA primer set was mainly attributed to endangered species such as Microphysogobio koreensis and Pseudogobio brevicorpus. In contrast, the 12S rDNA primer set was mainly attributed to common species such as Zacco platypus and Coreoperca herzi. This study provides essential information on species diversity analysis using metabarcoding for environmental water samples obtained from rivers in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.694-707
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• 2016

This study investigated the community structure of macrobenthic assemblages in the Taehwa River Estuary, Ulsan, Korea. Macrobenthos were collected with a Van Veen Grab Sampler during February and November 2012. The total species number and mean density were $176species/9.6m^2$ and $1,992inds./m^2$, respectively. Polychaetes were the most dominant faunal group in terms of species (91 species) and abundance ($1,463inds./m^2$). The major dominant species were polychaetes Minuspio japonica ($609{\pm}1,221inds./m^2$), Hediste japonica ($174{\pm}318inds./m^2$), Tharyx sp.1 ($106{\pm}283inds/m^2$), Lumbrineris longifolia ($79{\pm}207inds./m^2$), bivalve Theora fragilis ($114{\pm}272inds./m^2$) and amphipod Grandidierella japonica ($88{\pm}223inds./m^2$). Based on community statistics (cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) ordination), the macrobenthic community was divided into three station groups. Group I(freshwater dominated stations 2-6 with coarse sediment) was characterized by a high abundance of polychaetes Minuspio japonica, Hediste japonica, Capitella capitata, Pseudopolydora kempi, amphipods Grandidierella japonica and Apocorophium acutum. Group II (ecotone, stations 7-9 with mixed sediment) was numerically dominated by bivalve Theora fragilis, polychaetes Cirriformia tentaculata, Tharyx sp.1, Lumbrineris longifolia and Chaetozone sp. Finally, Group III (seawater dominated stations 10-12 with fine sediment) was characterized by a high density of polychaete Magelona japonica. These results showed that changes in salinity gradient and sedimentary characteristics were the main factors behind spatial changes in the macrobenthic communities of the Taehwa River Estuary.