• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.347-356
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• 2007

The structure and dynamics of Korean red pine stands established in the riparian zone were studied in the Tsang stream in Mt. Seorak National Park, in east-central Korea. Pine stands were classified into four successional stages, the initial, establishing, competitive, and stabilizing stages, based on the age distribution of a dominant tree, Pinus densiflora, the vegetation stratification, and the microtopography of the riverine environment. The stages usually corresponded to disturbance frequencies, depending on the horizontal and vertical distances from the watercourse. Stands of the initial and establishing stages lacked tree or subtree layers, or both. As stands progressed through the developmental stages, soil particle size became finer and moisture retention capacity was improved. The stand ordination reflected the developmental stage, and the species ordination differentiated species specializing in relatively dry and wet habitats. The results of the analysis of vegetation dynamics provided ecological information which will be useful for understanding the developmental processes of vegetation established in riparian zones. Species diversity indices usually increased across developmental stages, following the typical pattern for successional processes. We discuss the importance and necessity of riparian vegetation in Korea, where most riparian forests have disappeared due to excessive human land use.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.222-233
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• 1997

Riparian zone occupies not more than 5% of the total watershed area and can be considered in between the terrestrial and aquatic ecology as that does not fall under both of them. Unlike to common terrestrial plant that can e seen on other land, the riparian vegetation that exist in riparian zone can be classified into various groups because of their peculiar living form. The recognition of importance of terrestrial environment has considered the importance of natural river due to which even today, the movement throughout the world to retrograde the river development is taking place customarily. In this research, noticing the actual condition of the river management reality, the original capacity of river landscaping of Han river has been quantified grasping the actual condition of riparian vegetation from distribution area surveying and analysis. The objective of the research is to find out the river retrogression and maintenance methods based on the ecological environmental quality around the river by maintaining the river plants having high natural capacity and river planning method based on the harmony between conservation of river environment and use of riparian zone.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.113-116
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• 2000

Different phenological patterns of leaf and fruit fall among native and non-native riparian species provide a spatially and temporally heterogeneous series of alternative food resources for detritivores. Relatively little is known about qualitative differences among these different riparian species. Rates of litter inputs, decomposition, and retention for different sources of riparian litter require long-term documentation. Species of freshwater shrimps, crabs. insects. and gastropods are known to consume a wide range of litter inputs but how these dynamic food webs function under changing climatic and land-use conditions is unknown, especially in tropical streams. On-going studies in the Luquillo Experimental Forest. Puerto Rico provide an example of how inputs of fronds and fruits from palms (Prestoea montana) serve as important foods and microhabitat for species of freshwater crabs and shrimp. Native riparian species such as Prestoea montana are commonly distributed in the Luquillo Mountains especially along steep slopes and stream banks. After tropical storms with high winds, the large fronds from these native riparian trees provide important inputs of leaf litter to the stream food web. In some streams, the input of ripe fruit from non-native trees such as Java plum (Syzigium jambos) also provides a major source of detrital food resources, especially during periods when fruit fall from native species of palms may be limited.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.273-280
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• 2001

We investigated the flora and vegetation structure of exotic plants along stream geomorphology and disturbance factors in the riparian zone of Seunggi stream, Incheon. Total 53 exotic plant species were found in the riparian corridors of Seunggi stream. The percentage of exotics ranged from 25% to 33% of total species richness, and its mean value was 24% in the whole riparian area. The percentage of exotics reflected the vulnerability of riparian zones to plant invasions by disturbances, and it could be used as an indicator of riparian system dysfunction. The distinct distribution patterns of exotic plants did not found in the lateral topographic features of the stream. Invasion and proliferation of the exotic plants were somewhat remarkable at terraces and bank slopes of the stream. Among various disturbance factors, plowing and trampling were important on the invasion of exotic plant species of Seunggi stream.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.62-73
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• 2001

The riparian environments of urban streams in Korea have been disturbed through the channelization for flood control and artificial land use as well as water pollution and flow decrease due to industrialization and urbanization. The flora and vegetation structure were investigated and an implication of stream restoration was discussed for the conservation of biodiversity in the riparian area of the Seunggi stream in Incheon. Naturalized plants and ruderal plants were widely distributed in the riparian area which was disturbed from cultivating, trampling, dumping etc. Submerged and floating hydrophytes were not found in the stream due to channelization and water pollution. Some halophytes were remained in downstream and reservoir after reclamation and embankment. The communities of Humulus japonicus, Panicum dichotomiflorum, Digitaria sanguinalis, Artemisia montana, Amaranthus retroflexus, and Aster pilosus were distributed in the disturbed area of bank slope and floodplain in the stream. As a natural potential vegetation, Phragmites australis in the wet meadow, Typha latifolia, Typha angustifolia, Oenanthe javanica, Persicaria thunbergii, and Penthorum chinense in the marsh, and Salix babylonica and Salix matsudana for. tortuosa in the woodland appeared in the floodplain. The topography in the stream played an important role on the distribution of riparian vegetation in the Seunggi stream. Appropriate methods for conservation and restoration of the riparian ecosystems must be planned on the basis of the actual vegetation in the disturbed urban stream.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.62-71
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• 2020

Understanding vegetation structure and the relationship with environmental factors has been crucial for restoration and conservation of riparian zones. In this study, we conducted field survey in a riparian zone of Namhan River in South Korea both before and after flooding in order to understand temporal and spatial variations of riparian vegetation. There were significant temporal and spatial variations in species composition, and distribution patterns of vegetation were different along a gradient of elevation above the water level. At low elevation, Zizania latifolia was dominant throughout the field survey periods, and Bidens frondosa began to grow late and dominated both in post-flooding 1 and 2. Prior to flooding, Scirpus radicans and Polygonum thunbergii were widely distributed at middle elevation, while Artemisia vulgaris, Phragmites australis, and Miscanthus sacchariflorus were dominant at high elevation. After flooding, P. thunbergii was dominant at middle elevation with most other species decreasing, and more invasive or pioneer plants, including Artemisia princeps, H. scandens, and Sicyos angulatus, were observed at high elevation. Species composition and distribution patterns were homogeneous at low elevation, whereas dynamic variations of vegetation were observed both temporally and spatially at higher elevations. Elevation and distance from the water front were the most principal factors governing vegetation structure. Furthermore, soil physicochemical properties were also found to determine species composition and distribution patterns. These results indicate that vegetation structure in the riparian zones is formed by the combined effects of hydrological regime and soil physicochemical properties, inherent characteristics of species, and interspecific competition. Understanding of temporal and spatial variations of riparian vegetation may provide useful insights into ecological restoration and conservation of the vegetation within the riparian zones.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.173-184
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• 2014

Riparian areas are significant functional grounds for inhabiting ecological system on the river such as the self-regulation of the water quality and the foundation of important corridors. For such functional device to operate, consecutive land purchase scheme that prioritizes targeted areas with high pollutant load rate imposes sustainable development of the ecological riparian belt. The purpose of this study is focused on measuring the methodology for selecting land purchse order before establishing riparian belt in accordance with pollution loading estimation and the basin approach. The Yeongsan and Seomjin river which includes targeted areas of the land purchase have been classified into the large-medium-small(standard basin) influence areas based on their catchment rage, which than sub-divided the research area of Juam lake by 38 small basins and 223 units. Small basins with the high pollution load rates have been assessed as the first prioritized targets. For the second priority, the condition of the point pollutant sources, original area of the targets, original restored area were concerned. The final decision of the land purchase order targeted only those within 50 meter range from the basin. To validate the accumulated data, the on-site investigation went along the targeted zones, which the result shows that all prioritized areas included both point and non-point pollutant sources, and had not a small originally restored areas.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.207-211
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• 2016

This study focuses on the categorization of the phenomenon of vegetative recruitment on riparian channels, so called, the phenomenon from "white river" to "green river", and proposes for the corresponding research direction. According to the literature review and research outputs obtained from the authors' previous research performed in Korea within a limited scope, the necessary and sufficient conditions for the recruitment and retrogression of riparian vegetation may be the mechanical disturbance (riverbed tractive stress), soil moisture (groundwater level, topography, composition of riverbed material, precipitation etc.), period of submergence, extreme weather, and nutrient inflow. In this study, two categories, one for the reduction in spring flood due to the change in spring precipitation pattern in unregulated rivers and the other for the increase in nutrient inflow into streams, both of which were partially proved, have been added in the categorization of the vegetative recruitment and retrogression on the riparian channels. In order to scientifically investigate further the phenomenon of the riparian vegetative recruitment and retrogression and develop the working riparian vegetative models, it is necessary to conduct a systematic nationwide survey on the "white to green" rivers, establishment of the categorization of the vegetation recruitment and retrogression based on the proof of those hypotheses and detailed categorization, development of the working mathematical models for the dynamic riparian vegetative recruitment and retrogression, and adaptive management for the river changes.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.320-329
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• 2022

Urban areas in watersheds increase the impervious surface, and agricultural areas deteriorate the water quality of rivers due to the use of fertilizers. As such, anthropogenic land use affects the type, intensity and quantity of land use and is closely related to the amount of substances and nutrients discharged to nearby streams. Riparian vegetation reduce the concentration of pollutants entering the watershed and mitigate the negative impacts of land use on rivers. This study analyzes the data through correlation analysis and regression analysis through point data measured twice a year in spring and autumn in 21 selected damaged tributary rivers within the Han River area, and then uses a structural equation model to determine the area land use. In the negative impact on water quality, the mitigation effect of riparian vegetation was estimated. As a result of the correlation analysis, the correlation between the agricultural area and water quality was stronger than that of the urban area, and the area ratio of riparian vegetation showed a negative correlation with water quality. As a result of the regression analysis, it was found that agricultural areas had a negative effect on water quality in all models, but the results were not statistically significant in the case of urban areas. As a result of the model estimated through the structural equation, BOD, COD, TN, and TP showed a mitigation effect due to the accumulation effect of river water quality through riparian vegetation in agricultural areas, but the effect of riparian vegetation through riparian vegetation was found in urban areas. There was no These results were interpreted as having a fairly low distribution rate in urban areas, and in the case of the study area, there was no impact due to riparian forests due to the form of scattered and distributed settlements rather than high-density urbanized areas. The results of this study were judged to be unreasonable to generalize by analyzing the rivers where most of the agricultural areas are distributed, and a follow-up to establish a structural equation model by expanding the watershed variables in urban areas and encompassing the variables of various factors affecting water quality research is required.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.76-84
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• 2014

This study was performed to monitor the effects of water level change on changes of landscape, vegetation community, and species diversity of riparian forest. Hantan river dam, study area, has been constructed in the area of Chansoo-myeon, Pocheon-si and Yeoncheon-eup, Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do, which is a dam for flood control only in flooding season. Landscape changes were notable after the construction of coffer dam, and the changes were caused by water level increase in areas of riparian forests which consisted of mainly withered willow as a dominant species in the flooding season. It changed vegetation communities of riparian forest from Phragmites japonica and Salix koreensis to Phragmites japonica. Species diversity index was lowest in 2010 when the coffer dam was constructed and showed an increasing trend later. Thus, this study is well in agreement with a previous report that plants of the genus Salix wither by muddy water during flooding and also suggests, controlling water level of river and prediction of water level change's effects should be considered when any facilities are planned.