• Development and Reproduction
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.127-133
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• 2006

[ $17\;{\alpha}-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase(P450_{C17})$ ] is the key enzyme mediating the conversion of progesterone to $17\;{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$, ultimately to androstenedione during steroidogenesis. R. dybowskii's ovarian $P450_{C17}$ cDNA was cloned to understand the regulatory mechanism of ovarian steroidogenic pathway at the molecular level in amphibian. A 2.5kb cDNA clone encoding a single open-reading frame with a 519 deduced amino acid was isolated with the screening of ovarian cDNA library. This sequence contained the three highly conserved domains as seen in $P450_{C17}$ of other species. The comparison of amino acid sequence of Rana $P450_{C17}$ with other animal's $P450_{C17}$ showed relatively high identity with 76% in Xenopus, 63% in chicken, 60% in rainbow trout, and 45% in human. Phylogenic analysis also indicated that Rana $P450_{C17}$ gene was evolutionary well conserved among vertebrate. Northern analysis indicated that the two different sizes of $P450_{C17}$ transcripts with approximately 2.5 and 3.6kb were detected in ovary tissue, but not in other tissues. The expression vector of Rana $P450_{C17}$ clearly showed the $17\;{\alpha}-hydroxylase$ activity converting the exogenous progesterone into $17\;{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ in the nonsteroidogenic COS-1 cells. Therefore, Rana $P450_{C17}$ cDNA is very useful to investigate the molecular mechanism of the ovarian steroidogenesis in amphibian.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1999.10b
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• pp.43.1-43
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• 1999

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1999.10b
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• pp.43.2-43
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• 1999

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.311-317
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• 2007

This study was conducted to determine the geographical distribution and habitat for Rana catesbeiana and Trachemys scripta elegans in order to obtain the current basic data on biota needed for establishing a database on non-indigenous species(NIS) in Jeju-do and to develop management plans applicable to Jeju, starting from March 2005 until May 2006. As a result of an inspection, it was found that the habitat for R. catesbeiana in Jeju includes Hankyeong-myeon, Daejeong-eup, and Ahndeok-myeon. These areas are all located on the western side of Jeju-do, and considered to have favorable conditions for R. catesbeiana to inhabit. Thus, it is unlikely that the population of R. catesbeiana will possibly decrease; what's worse, there exists even a risk that it could not only expand to other regions but also do damage to the population of native insecta, fishes, amphibians and reptiles, so this terrible species ought to be exterminated. More than 92 individuals of T. scripta elegans species were found to inhabit in 15 ponds around Jeju Island. T. scripta elegans. as the topmost predator, could destruct the pond ecosystem, and also cause a problem of water pollution due to its excrement. Counter-measures against T. scripta elegans could include publicity activities encouraging self-control of the release of captive T. scripta elegans, extermination plans using its ecological habits, and sign-posting publicizing its hazard to healthy ecosystem at the areas with high population density of T. scripta elegans or at its habitats with high foot traffic, together with the continuous management of NIS(none-indigenous species).

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.477-481
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• 1998

Previous studies have postulated that isometric animals exert similar locomotory capacity (speed, distance) because the amount of energy available for the motion would be the same regardless of body mass (m). To test propriety of this theory, we examined body shape and take-off potential of two frog species, Rana nigromaculata (powerful jumpers) and Bombina orientalis (slow hoppers). Morphological measurements included thigh muscle mass (indicative of total muscle force), hindlimb length (L, determining acceleration distance), and interilial width (shaping take-off motion). To gauge locomotory capacity, take-off speed (v) and take-off angle ($\theta$) were measured from video analyses, and jump distance (R) and take-off Power ($P_{t}$ ) were calculated from equations $R=V^{2}sin2\theta/g$ and ($P_{t}$＝$㎷^{3}/2L$(where g is the gravitational constant). Scaling exponents of morphometric variables for both species were 0.96-1.11 for thigh muscle mass, 0.28-0.29 for hindlimb length, and 0.30-0.36 for interilial width. Scaling exponents of locomotory performance for the two species were -0.01-0.14 for take-off speed, 0.24-0.31 for jump distance, and 0.66-0.84 for take-off power. The results demonstrate that the frogs of this study showed isometric body shape within species, but that take-off response changed allometrically with body mass, indicating that these data did not fully support the previous proposition. An exception was found in take-off speed of B. orientalis, in which the speed changed little with body mass (slope＝-0.01). These findings suggest that the energy availability approach did not properly explain the apparent allometric relations of the take-off response in these animals and that an alternative model such as a power production approach may be worth addressing.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.425-432
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• 2006

The tadpoles of 12 Korean anuran species, including Bombina orientalis, Bufo gargarizans, B. stejnegeri, Hyla japonica, Kaloula borealis, Rana dybowskii, R. huanrenensis, R. coreana, R. nigromaculata, R. chosenica, R. rugosa, and R. catesbeiana, were classified based on their morphological characteristics. We collected eggs or tadpoles of the 12 Korean anuran species from Gangwon, Incheon, Chungcheong, and Gyeonggi districts in 2005 and 2006 breeding seasons. When the tadpoles reached at $27{\sim}37$ Gosner's developmental stages, we described morphological characteristics of the tadpoles of each anuran species and measured their physical parameters such as total length, body length, and body mass. After that, we chose 12 morphological characteristics to identify each species and to use them as classification keys such as eye location, caudal musculature pattern, spiracle location, oral disc morphology, and labial tooth row formula. In this paper, we presented classification keys, morphological characteristics, and drawings for the tadpoles of 12 anuran species.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.20-30
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• 2009

To study reproductive dynamics of a Gold-spotted pond frog (Rana chosenica) population located at Gangnae, Cheongwon, Chungbuk, Korea, we monitored the population over 207 days between April 17$^{th}$ 2007 and December 18$^{th}$ 2008 using a drift fence accompanied with 20 pitfall traps. The population was located in an agricultural wetland, compromising three small ponds. Gold-spotted pond frogs immigrated into the wetland between April 16$^{th}$ and June 17$^{th}$ and emigrated from the wetland between September 21$^{st}$ and November 12$^{th}$. Precipitation showed a positive correlation with the number of migrated frogs in Autumn 2007 and Spring 2008, but other environmental factors such as air and water temperatures and relative humidity did not show any significant relationships. In general, small frogs first migrated into and from the wetland, but the trend was not strong. Female gold-spotted pond frogs were bigger than males. During the autumn migration, small frogs of which snout-vent length was smaller than 20 mm were found, indicating that successful breeding occurred in the population. Our results could be useful to conserve this endangered species in Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.229-236
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• 2010

We conducted field surveys of amphibians and reptiles over a two-year period in 16 lagoons along the eastern coastline of South Korea, and determined the habitat characteristics correlated with the number of amphibian and reptilian species and individuals. We documented 11 amphibian species and 8 reptilian species. The dominant amphibian species was the black-spotted pond frog (Rana nigromaculata), and the dominant reptilian species was the red-eared turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans), an invasive species. Among the 14 habitat characteristics, connectivity to mountainous area significantly affected the number of amphibian and reptilian individuals. Other factors, including emerged plant cover, salinity, pH, the number of birds for amphibians and connectivity to agricultural land, lagoon perimeter length for reptiles also influenced the number of species or individuals of them. Our results demonstrate that these lagoons are home to more amphibians and reptiles than has been previously known. To effectively conserve herpetofauna in the lagoon ecosystem, lagoons as well as surrounding wetlands, grasslands, and mountainous areas should be protected.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.187-193
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• 2009

To investigate the roadkill of amphibians in Korea National parks, we conducted a survey from 2006 to 2008. As a result, our count of road-killed amphibians included 1,748 individuals from 9 species over three years, and the ratio of road-killed amphibians decreased in 2007, 2008 as compared to 2006. Additionally, many amphibians, including Rana dybawskii, Bufo gargarizans, and Bufo stejnegeri were road-killed by vehicles in "Forest-Stream" or "Forest-Forest" environments, and between March and June. In the risk analysis by frequency, 4 lines including national line 37 (Deogyusan), provincial line 517 (Songnisan), national line 6 (Odaesan) and provincial line 597 (Woraksan) were classed as RISK V category. This designation involves species considered to be extremely important, such as Rana dybowskii and Bufo stejnegeri. Therefore, a conservation plan is needed to protect important species located near RISK V lines.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.338-344
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• 2015

In an effort to restore the amphibians in urban freshwater system the characteristics of feeding activity of Rana rugosa living in Gyeonggi-provinces (Yangpyeong-gun and Namyangju-si) was analyzed from 2013 to 2014. The stomach contents of R. rugosa was analyzed non-invasively and compared to organisms captured by sweeping and trapping in their habitat. As a result, Hymenoptera and Cleoptera were primarily preyed by R. rugosa. Particularly, the proportion of Formicidae was more than 98% among the preyed Hymenoptera. Trapped insects in the habitat of R. rugosa's in Namyangju were Hymenoptera (58%, Formicidae 99%), Collembola (17%), Orthoptera (10%) and Diptera (9%) in order in order. In Yangpyeong, trapped insects were Collembola (49%), Orthoptera (14%), Arachnida (9%), Diptera (9%), Cleoptera (7%) and Hymenoptera (3%). Even though Hemiptera and Diptera species are abundant in the streamside zones, R. rugosa could easily hunt Formicidae or Coleoptera on rocks or grassland at streamside. R. rugosa consume small sized ground-insects that are easily found rather than searching for the specific prey. Prey resource of urban stream may be not a limiting factor of R. rugosa inhabitation.