• Journal of agriculture & life science
• /
• v.46 no.5
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2012

This study analyzed on the characteristics of vegetation structure, species composition and DBH class distribution in order to conservation and effective management for Taxus cuspidata community in Mt. Seorak, Mt. Balwang, Mt. Taebaek, and Mt. Odae. The vegetation in upper, subtree and shrub layer was consist of 11, 22, 33 species in Mt. Seorak, 15, 21, 33 species in Mt. Balwang, 10, 23, 36 species in Mt. Taebaek, and 14, 30, 32 species in Mt. Odae. As a result of importance value at all study sites, T. cuspidata and Abies nephrolepis in upper layer, T. cuspidata, A. nephrolepis and Acer komarovii in subtree layer, and Tripterygium regelii in shrub layer were high, respectively. Species diversity in upper and subtree layer at all study sited were ranged 0.834~1.234 and 1.125~1.329, respectively. According to the DBH class of major three species, T. cuspidata in Mt. Odae site showed a reverse J-shaped curve, which was estimated that T. cuspidata community of this site might be maintained continuously as a stable state.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
• /
• v.43 no.1
• /
• pp.69-79
• /
• 2013

We investigated the flora of Mt. Namdeogyu, southern regions of Deogyusan National Park, from April of 2011 to September of 2012. The number of vascular plants in this area were summarized as 507 taxa, including 102 families, 296 genera, 444 species, 8 subspecies, 49 varieties, 6 forms. Among the recorded taxa, Korean endemic plants were 9 species and the floristic regional indicator plants were 80 taxa including 3 taxa in grade V, 3 taxa in grade IV, 19 taxa in grade III category. The rare and endangered plants which was designated by Korea Forest Service were 15 taxa comprising 1 endangered species (EN) of Rhododendron tschonoskii, 5 taxa of vulnerable (VU) such as Cynanchum inamoenum, Lilium cernuum, Gastrodia elata, Bupleurum euphorbioides, Paeonia japonica, and 9 least concerned (LC). In addition, the subalpine plants of the region were summarized as 24 taxa, and Mt. Deogyu area inclunding the Mt. Namdeogyu was suggested as the north most limits line of the distribution for 2 taxa, Abies koreana and Rhododendron tschonoskii, and as the south most limit of the distribution for Bupleurum euphorbioides.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.565-577
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this study was to understand the factors influencing the decline and the patterns of changes in Abies nephrolepis populations on Mt. Seorak. We installed permanent quadrats in the areas of the Gwittagicheongbong (peak), Gwanmoneungseon (ridge), and the Seorak Falls and have monitored the community structure, population dynamics, radial growth, and vitality in the quadrats since 2009. Excluding the Seorak Falls, the three research sites showed a three-layer structure in which the low-tree layer forms the canopy. Major tree species were Khingan fir, Korean arborvitae, Mongolian oak, Erman's birch, and Korean maple. The significance of Khingan fir in Seorak Falls decreased from 45.3% in 2009 to 36.8% in 2018. The number of shoots ($DBH{\geq}5cm$) was highest at 1,800 individuals/ha and 1,700 individuals/ha at the Gwittagicheongbong 2 and the Gwanmoneungseon, respectively. The mortality rates over the past 10 years were very high, at 38.3% and 35.3%, respectively, in the Gwittagicheongbong 1 and Seorak Falls. The most stable inverse J-shaped distribution in the Gwittagicheongbong 1 area was shown in the size-frequency distribution of the Khingan fir populations. The average annual ring growth of the Khingan fir was 0.96 ~ 1.73 mm/year, and the ring growth tended to decrease in the areas of Gwittagicheongbong 1, Gwanmoneungseon, and Seorak Falls, where the vitality was low. If the monitoring process continues, it will be possible to obtain basic data for the conservation and management of subalpine vegetation.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.300-311
• /
• 2013

Subalpine species, Sorbus pohuashanensis in the Korean peninsula, which is assumed to be evolved from hybridization between S. commixta and an unknown species based on the flavonoids data. Morphometric analysis was conducted on the basis of 19 leaf and flower (or fruit) characters. A total of 721 samples in 13 populations of Sorbus pohuashanensis and S. commixta from Korea and additional specimens of S. commixta, S. pohuashanensis, and S. wilsoniana from Japan and China were examined to reveal the hybridization patterns and morphological differences. We found a preliminary evidence where Korean mountain rowan is more related to a Chinese inland taxon, S. wilsoniana, rather than Northeastern Chinese S. pohuashanensis in terms of flavonoids. The current morphological structure of the Korean mountaion rowan, however, which is more similar to S. commixta, was neither associated with that of S. wilsoniana nor that of S. pohuashanensis. This indicates that this morphological variation represents an intermediate of S. commixta and S. wilsoniana via a more ancient hybridization event in terms of qualitative characters, such as stipules, buds, and carpels. These morphometric differences together with other distinguishing characteristics suggest that the Korean mountain rowan should be considered as a conspecific species of S. commixta, although this demonstration of hybridization with the current phenetic species concept contradicts longstanding historical species concept.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.284-294
• /
• 2011

This study was conducted to investigate the flora of habitats distributed with Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum populations in the South Korea. The vascular plants were surveyed 4 times from March 2009 to June 2010. The flora of studied area was listed as 214 taxa; 64 families, 142 genus, 181 species, 2 subspecies, 30 varieties, 1 forma. According to the specific plant species by classes, class I has 17 taxa; 15 families, 16 genus, 15 species, 2 varieties. Class II has 16 taxa; 13 families, 16 genus, 15 species, 2 varieties. Class III has 20 taxa; 16 families, 19 genus, 18 species, 2 varieties. Class III has 20 taxa; 16 families, 19 genus, 18 species, 2 varieties. Class IV has 23 taxa; 20 families, 23 genus, 19 species, 4 varieties. Class V has 2 taxa; 2 families, 2 genus, 2 species. Rare plant was 12 taxa; 9 families, 11 genus, 10 species, 2 varieties. Endemic plant was 21 taxa; 17 families, 19 genus, 18 species, 3 varieties. Endangered plant was not present in study area. It was considered that the ecosystem was probably stabilized for nothing of naturalized species and ecosystem disturbance species there. The characteristics of growth environments in the habitats with Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum were considered to be related to valley species and subalpine species such as Actinidia polygama, Cornus controversa, Rhododendron brachycarpum and Sorbus commixta.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.313-322
• /
• 2018

To investigate the changing patterns of sub-alpine forest vegetation due to climate change requires accumulation of contiguous reference data and continuous monitoring. Furthermore, it is crucial to monitor short-term ecological change of lower level vegetation to understand the trend of long-term vegetation change. Therefore, this study carried out a vegetation survey and tree diameter measurement in 36 plots of Mt. Jiri inhabited by Abies koreana species from 2015 to 2017 to examine the short-term dynamics of Abies koreana seedling and the change of vegetation distribution according to altitude. We analyzed the importance value and MIV (mean importance value) of major species by each stratum as well as the importance value and species diversity index of major species and the change of seedling population by altitude. The results showed that Abies koreana had the highest importance value on tree layer, Rhododendron schlippenbachii on shrub layer and Tripterygium regelii on herb layer. MIV was high in the order of Abies koreana, Rhododendron schlippenbachii and Acer pseudosieboldianum. Regarding the species composition and species diversity index (H') along the altitudinal gradient, Sasa borealis showed high MI and low H' in the elevation less than 1,500 m, and IV of Tripterygium regelii and H' of herb layer were high in the elevation of 1,700 - 1,800 m. Abies koreana seedling decreased by 22.4% from 1,250 n/ha in 2015 to 970 n/ha in 2017 (p <0.05) throughout the investigated area. The decline rate along seedling and sapling height were 22.9% in less than 10 cm, 3.4% in 10-30 cm, 8.9% in 30-50 cm, 39.3% in 50-100 cm, and 55.1% more than 100 cm. Few of A. koreana seedlings appeared due to the dominance of Sasa borealis in the elevation of 1,500 m or less and due to the dominance and high species diversity of Tripterygium regelii in the elevation of 1,700-1,800 m. On the other hand, many of A. koreana seedlings appeared in the elevation of 1,600-1,700 m due to no distribution of S. borealis and T. regelii species in that altitude range. Therefore, we concluded that those seedlings and saplings of A. koreana could be more stable in the altitude of 1,600-1,700 m.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.132-144
• /
• 2011

We studied the forest environment and characteristics of bird community between April and September of 2010 on the Hyangjeokbong area(A), Baekryunsa area(B) and Anseong area(C), all in the Deogyusan National Park. Hyangjeokbong area of the high latitude ridge was characterized by the Taxus cuspidata and Abies koreana etc., and deciduous broadleaf forest species, such as the Quercus mongolica, with abundance of subalpine zone coniferous trees, the Hemerocallis fulva and the Rhododendron schlippenbachii, while the areas Baekryunsa and Anseong were primarily characterized by deciduous broadleaf forests, with the valleys showing Fraxinus mandshurica colonies. In terms of the DBH(diameter at breast height) of trees, between 11 and 20cm showed the highest frequencies, while over 30cm was the highest in Baekryunsa area and the lowest in Hyangjeokbong area. Furthermore, in terms of coverage in relation to layers, in Hyangjeokbong area, the coverage volume of the lower layer was very high, in Baekryunsa area, the coverage volume of the middle layer between 8 and 12m was the highest, and in Anseong area, the coverage volume of the upper layer over 18m was the highest. A total of 53 bird species were observed during the study period at the Deogyusan National Park. The numbers of species and density of areas were 25 species and 45.20 Ind./km for Hyangjeokbong area, 50 species and 58.63 Ind./km for Baekryunsa area and 35 species and 66.89 Ind./km for Anseong area, with Baekryunsa area showing the highest number of species and Anseong area showing the highest level of density. In terms of dominant species, in Hyangjeokbong area, Cettia diphone, along with species which inhabit in grassland and shrubs, were the dominant species, and species which live in the canopy layer, including the Aegithalos caudatus, were found to be dominant in Baekryunsa and Anseong areas. For guild structure, bush nesting guild and bush foraging guild species were the highest in all areas, and the hole nesting guild and the air foraging guild species showed the lowest proportion. This seems to be the result of the low number of trees with diameter at breast height of over 30cm, which results in the lack of nesting grounds for hole nesting guild species.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.16 no.11
• /
• pp.1257-1269
• /
• 2007

This study was performed to get more knowledge on the flora and their life form spectrum in the Hallasan Natural Reserve. The vascular plants include 83 species 35 genera 12 families of pteridophytes, 5 varieties 5 species 3 families of gymnosperm, 100 taxa in 2 varieties 98 species 58 genera 8 families of monocotyledon and 362 taxa in 3 forma 10 varieties 349 species 186 genera 65 families of dicotyledon in Hallasan Natural Reserve. The total of vascular plants is 550 taxa in 3 forma 11 varieties 536 species 284 genera 88 families. Among these, 204 species in total including 19 species of pteridophytes, 2 species of conifers, 45 species of monocotyledon and 138 species of dicotyledon are found only in the Hallasan Natural Reserve. The pteridophyte-quotient is 4.52 and floristic richness is 1.94. In the analysis of life form spectrum, there are 190 species (34.5%) of hemicryptophytes and 122 species (22.2%) of geophytes so that two life forms take large portions, 312 species (56.7%) of the vegetation in Hallasan Natural Reserve. Megaphanerophytes and microphanerophytes take 14.5% including 80 species followed by 83 species (15.1%) of nanophanerophytes, 42 species (7.6%) of chamaephytes, 29 species (5.3%) of therophytes, 24 species (4.4%) of hydrophytes and 18 species (3.3%) of epiphytes. According to the life form spectrum hemicryptophytes dominated high portions, which suggests Hallasan Natural Reserve has hemicryptophytic climate and similar to middle parts in the Korean Peninsular. The differences, however, were noticed by that it has more chamaephytes and less therophytes than that of the Peninsular and partially shows the characteristics of artic or subalpine climate.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.49 no.3
• /
• pp.236-243
• /
• 2016

It was a case study to use as a basic data for efficient the preservation and management of subalpine coniferous forest in national parks. It is based on inhabitation condition of 210 individuals of Abies koreana Wilson that was found through local investigation in the sub-alpine zone of Jirisan National Park and Songnisan National Park. It analyzed the effect of the geographical location and topographical features, which are the basics of location environment, on the growth of A. koreana. The variables related to the growth of A. koreana are tree height and diameter at breast height. Topographical features include geographical longitude, altitude above sea level, slope of the mountains, aspect that describes the direction in which a slope faces and topographical wetness index. Topographical features were extracted through GIS spatial analysis. It used canonical correlation analysis to estimate whether the two variables groups have related to each other and how much they are related, if any, and estimated the effect of the geographical and topographical features on the growth structure of A. koreana using multiple regression analysis. The tree height and diameter at breast height that represent the growth structure of A. koreana show greater relation to geographical latitude distribution than topographical feature and the geographical and topographical factors show greater relation to diameter at breast height than tree height. The growth structure's variable and geographical and topographical variable of A. koreana have meaningful relation and the result shows that geographical and topographical variables explain 18.1% of the growth structure. The variables that affect the diameter at breast height of A. koreana are geographical latitude, topographical wetness index, aspect and altitude, which are put in order of statistical significance. The higher the latitude is, the smaller the diameter at breast height. Depending on the topographical feature, it becomes bigger. The variable that affects the tree height is topographical wetness index, which was the only meaningful variable. Overall, the tree height and diameter at breast height that are related to the growth structure of A. koreana are affected by geographical and topographical feature. It showed that the geographical feature affected it the most. Especially the effect of water among the topographical features is expected to be bigger than the other topographical factors. Based on the result, it is expected that geographical and topographical feature is an important factor for the growth structure of A. koreana. Even though it considered only the geographical and topographical features and used spatial analysis data produced by GIS, the research results will be useful for investigating and researching the growth environment of coniferous forest inhabiting in sub-alpine zone of national parks and are expected to be used as basic data for establishing measures to efficiently manage and preserve evergreen needleaf tree such as A. koreana.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.388-408
• /
• 2022

This study was conducted to select the indicator species (plant) according to the topographical characteristics in the Picea jezoensis forests, endangered subalpine coniferous trees. In South Korea and China (close to Baekdusan), the southern tree line limit of Picea jezoensis has meaningful geographical and latitudinal values for analyzing the ecological characteristics of P. jezoensis forests. Latitude greatly affects the geographical values of plant ecology, and the difference in latitude and habitat affects the change in species composition in forests. With prolonged environmental change, the habitat of subalpine plants will become smaller, and the plants may become extinct. As the P. jezoensis forests of South Korea and China, in particular, are in danger of disappearing without protection, it is important to monitor the population and develop a conservation strategy. Eighty-seven circular plots were established in P. jezoensis forests in South Korea and China. Through processes such as MRPP-test and NMS ordination, indicator species were selected based on this, and basic data for biodiversity assessment were presented. As a result of the Indicator Species Analysis (ISA), 5 taxa were selected from the upperstory vegetation and 18 taxa from the understory vegetation at the altitude(p<0.05). Indicator species by aspect were analyzed as 3 taxa for upperstory vegetation and 16 taxa for understory vegetation (p<0.05). In the case of indicator species according to the slope, 6 taxa for upper vegetation and 24 taxa for understory vegetation were selected(p<0.05). As for the indicator species according to their habitat, 8 taxa in upper vegetation and 65 taxa on understory vegetation were selected. As a result of MRPP-test, it was analyzed that the species composition was heterogeneous in the group of understory vegetation than that of upperstory vegetation. As a result of NMS ordination, the correlation with environmental factors of indicator species was analyzed by rock exposure for upperstory vegetation and latitude for understory vegetation (cut off level=0.3).