• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.684-693
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• 2016

Daemyung retarding basin located near the confluence floodplain of the Nakdong and Kumho River is a large spawning site for the endangered Kaloula borealis, and needs for protecting the habitat of the endangered species are increasing. However, scientific studies are rarely conducted on the population characteristics and ecological knowledge on the species in the basin. This paper aims to estimate the population size and spatial distribution of the species that inhabited at the Daemyung retarding basin, using the capture-recapture method. Also, pitfall traps were installed in each habitat types classified with micro-topographic features, slope aspects, and vegetation communities to identify the spatial distribution characteristics of the Kaloula borealis of each habitat in the retarding basin. Field survey on the species was conducted from May 2013 to October 2014, showing that the species emerged in May, became more active during July and August and started to hibernate at the end of October. Using capture-recapture method, the first survey was carried out from July to August, 2014. Ninety-eight toads were captured, marked, and released back into the site. In the second survey, 68 toads including 5 marked toads of the previous survey were captured. Based on these two-sample surveys, around 535-2,131 individual toads are estimated to inhabit the Daemyung retarding basin. Fifty-seven pitfall traps were installed in four habitat types: mounded and vegetated flatland, lowland swamps, and slope areas of both the southern and western parts of the basin in order to delineate spatial abundance of the endangered Kaloula borealis during the rainy season when the species is actively spawning. Pitfall traps at the spatially explicit array indicated that the species gradually move to the slope areas near the Daemyung stream, showing high occurrence density of the Kaloula borealis compared to the lowland swamps after the spawning season. The emergence of Kaloula borealis in the lowland swamps appeared to be comparatively higher during the spawning season. However, after the spawning season the toads species rapidly moved into the neighboring land of relatively high elevation such as the slope area towards the Dalsung protected wetlands and Daemyung River. These results are closely related to the migration patterns that toads tend to return to the sheltering sites and/or hibernating grounds after the spawning season. Also, the Kaloula borealis moved to the nearest high-level vegetated areas as the lowland swamps of their spawning grounds deteriorated with the expansion of permanent ponds due to the rise in the groundwater level.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.187-198
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• 2010

Thinning treatment has a huge effect on understory and litter structures in forest ecosystem, and the resulting changes may impact some arthropod groups such as plant-feeders and detritivores. This study was carried out to find a change in arthropod abundance and their structures in relation to the thinning activity in a Pinus koraiensis plantation in Chuncheon, Korea, where thinning was conducted twice: in 1998-2000 (old-thinning) and 2007 (new-thinning). Arthropods were collected using pitfall traps in 2006 and 2008. Effects of old-thinning on change of abundance and community structure of arthropod were significant, but the effects of new-thinning were not significant. The most significant thinning effect was found in detritivores, followed by plant feeders, but the effect was hardly significant in predators. Among detritivores the changes in abundance was diverse. The abundance of orthopteran plant-feeder increased, but Curculionidae declined after thinning. There was not different in abundance of total arthropods between thinned and unthinned areas because the difference may have cancelled each other out by increased or decreased abundance of taxa. Community structures of arthropods were most greatly affected by years, followed by the old-thinning, but the new-thinning did not affect community structures.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.291-295
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• 2015

The insect community structures between a plantation of Pinus rigida and a secondary forest of Quercus monglica were compared to find out one of the ecological roles of a forest planted in 1960s in a suburban area of Seoul, Korea. We collected the insect samples biweekly from September to November in 2014 by using 5 pitfall traps in both forests. The results of analyzing the community structure index of insects in both forests of P. rigida and Q. Mongolica showed that the species richness was a little higher and species evenness was a little lower in P. rigida plantation, and species diversity and dominance were similar in the two forests. The analysis results of insect community structure at the two forests did not show any significant difference. We conclude that the plantation of P. rigida over 40-50 years could sufficiently perform an ecological function as an insect habitat.

• The Korean Journal of Soil Zoology
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• v.8 no.1_2
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• pp.32-36
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• 2003

Diversity and altitudinal distribution of the ground-beetles including Silphidae were investigated on Mt. Gabjangsan, Sangju city, Korea. Of the collected 10 species belonging to 3 families, Synuchus cycloderus was the most abundant species and S. nitidus was the relatively more abundant than the other species. The highest number collected was at alto 700 m. Simpson dominance index was 0.66 the highest at 700 malt., whereas, 0.47 at alto 800 m, was the lowest. The highest Simpson diversity index was noticed at alto 800 m (0.53). Also, seasonal indices of diversity and dominance of Simpson and Menhinick index were provided.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.155-163
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• 2017

This study was conducted to know the wetland insect diversity at Gonggeom-ji in Sangju city which is the first designated paddy field wetland protection by the Ministry of Environment of Korea in 2011. Data was collected at four times from March to November in 2014 using by Searching, Sweeping and Pitfall trap methods. In this study a total of 227 species of 205 genera belonging to 78 families from 8 orders were collected and individuals were 1,327. Among them, the order of Coleoptera was the most species-rich (42.73%), Hemiptera was the second order (22.47%). In the total diversity index (H') was 6.339 that means highly positive. Dominant Index (DI) was 0.143, Evenness index (EI) was 0.810. Over all survey periods, interspecies competitiveness was high, and community stability was also high. Therefore Gonggeom-ji wetland revealed stable and positive environmental situation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.102 no.1
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• pp.97-106
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• 2013

The present study is aimed to evaluate forest health in a fragmented urban forest using characteristics of insect communities. Ants (Formicidae) and ground beetles (Carabidae) surveyed by pitfall trap method in the Hongneung forest located in the urban area of Seoul were compared with those in the Gwangneung forest. The Gwangneung forest is supposed to be health due to its high biodiversity and well-conserved nature. Ants of the Hongneung forest was much more abundant compared with those of the Gwangneung forest. However, ground beetles showed the opposite patterns; much more abundant in the Gwangneung forest than in the Hongneung forest. Species richness was higher in the Gwangneung forest than in the Hongneung forest, but species diversity was higher in the Hongneung forest. In the Hongneung forest, forest specialist species and generalist species were balanced, whereas few forest specialists dominated in the Gwangneung forest. This dominance decreased species diversity in those Gwangneung forest. Thus, characteristics of insect community in the Hongneung forest were greatly different with those in the Gwangneung forest.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.115-120
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• 2020

This study investigated the dominant species and the population variation of the ant species, an indicator species of biodiversity, to obtain basic data on the changes of population according to the future climate change. The survey period was from June to September 2013, and we investigated the distribution of ants by square irradiation method (10m × 10m) using traps. The survey in each altitude identified a total of 14 species of 11 genera in 3 subfamilies and collected 15,466 individuals. We confirmed the distribution of 4,548 individuals of 13 species at low altitude (700m), and the dominant species was Aphaenogaster japonica (49.9%). At the middle altitude (900m), we collected 9,129 individuals of 8 species, and the dominant species was Pheidole fervida (57.7%). At high altitude (1,100m), we identified 1,789 individuals of 10 species, and Myrmica kotokui (43.3%) was the dominant species. It was confirmed that Aphaenogaster japonica, Nylanderia flavipes, and Pheidole fervida were widely distributed throughout the altitudes.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.545-552
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• 2009

This study was conducted to provide basic information for development of habitat-based conservation strategies of biological diversity in agricultural ecosystem. The carabid beetle assemblages were examined at four kinds of habitats(levee, dike, forest patch remnants and streamside) from three differently stressed areas located in Paltan-myun, Hwaseong city, Korea: agricultural and forest area(site 1), industrial area(site 2), and residential area(site 3). Pitfall trap samplings were carried out 39 times from November 2000 to November 2002. Our study's findings were that the composition of carabid beetle fauna, dominance species, and pattern of carabid beetle assemblage were different among the habitats. The similarity index was highest between two levees in site 2 and 3, and lowest between hillock in site 2 and streamside in site 3, and that among habitats fragmented by road with high traffic was lower than that among any other habitat types. So, we could know that agricultural land use respectively do an important role in diversity conservation and networking. These findings will be used to establish the land use and management plans in the aspects of conservation of biodiversity.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.21-32
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• 2018

This study was carried out to define the characteristics of the identified ground-dwelling invertebrate communities at Nari basin and Tonggumi area in Ulleungdo Island, designated as a nationally important agricultural heritage. The habitat types were divided into the following categories: crop land, forest, and ecotone, and the soil-dwelling invertebrates were collected according to habitat type. The ground-dwelling invertebrates were collected using a pitfall trap, and a self-organizing map (SOM) was applied to the invertebrates dataset to define the characteristics in invertebrates distribution. The SOM clearly classified the relevant information into four clusters, and extracted ecological information from the invertebrates dataset. The cluster II was composed of invertebrate communities which are collected in the Tonggumi area. The Tonggumi area is where mountainous areas were developed for agricultural purposes, which has geographical features commonly observed in Ulleungdo Island. It is noted that the cluster II has different characteristics as compared other clusters. The results of this study are expected to be used for the preservation of agricultural environment and maintenance of biodiversity by providing basic data, on the biotope of Ulleungdo Island designated as a nationally important agricultural heritage and information on the characteristics of the applicable ground-dwelling invertebrate communities.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.101 no.3
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• pp.488-500
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• 2012

The present study was carried out to evaluate arthropod predators (Araneae, Carabidae, Staphylinidae, and Formicidae) as bioindicator for forest disturbance. We selected 12 study sites according to disturbance intensities caused by fire intensity and recovery methods at Goseong, Gangneung, and Samcheok in Gangwondo. Intensities of disturbance were characterized as follows: 0 (no fire), 1 (surface fire), 2 (crown fire), and 3 (crown fire followed by reforestation). Arthropod predators were captured using pitfall trap. Species richness and abundance of Araneae, Carabidae, Staphylinidae, and Formicidae were not different along disturbance intensities. However, species richness and abundance of grassland ants significantly increased in higher disturbance intensities. Abundance of grassland ants such as Formica japonica and Camponotus japonicas linearly decreased along litter depth. Furthermore, ant communities were clustered along disturbance intensities. In a one-time survey, ants may be most useful as bioindicator for forest disturbance among the four predator taxa, because ants actively forage for long seasons.