• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.355-361
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• 2008

Pollen is very important causing factor for allergy such as allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and asthma, and pollen allergy has a remarkable clinical impact all over Korea. The main pollination period covers about half the year, from spring to autumn, and the distribution of airborne pollen taxa of allergological interest is related to pollen season dynamics. Korean academy of pediatric allergy and respiratory diseases (KAPARD) has evaluated the pollen characteristics and nationwide pollen count for over 10 years since 1997. Airborne particles carrying allergens were collected daily from nationwide 8 stations (Seoul, Guri, Cheongju, Daegu, Kwangju, Busan, Kangneung, and Jeju) by using 7 days-Burkard sampler (Burkard Manufacturing Co Ltd, Hertfordshire, UK) in South Korea (July 1, 1997-June 30, 2007). They were counted and recorded along with the meteorological factors daily. Tree pollen is a major airborne allergen in spring, grass is most common in summer, and weed pollen is major pollen in autumn in Korea. There has two peak seasons for pollen allergy, as summer and autumn. There is some evidence suggesting that the prevalence of allergic diseases in Korea has been on the increase in the past decade. However, recent findings of the phase I and II studies of the international Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) study showed the absence of increases or little changes in prevalence of asthma symptoms and diagnosis rates in Korea, whereas the prevalence of allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis were increased. We reported the evidence that sensitization rate to weed pollen has been increased yearly since 1997 in childhood. Climate change and air pollution must be the major causing factors for the increase of pollen counts and sensitization rate to pollen. Climate change makes the plants earlier pollination and persisting pollination longer. In conclusion, data on pollen count and structure in the last few years, the pathogenetic role of pollen and the interaction between pollen and air pollutants with climate change gave new insights into the mechanism of respiratory allergic diseases in Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.216-227
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• 2016

Biological control agents (BCAs) from different microbial taxa are increasingly used to control bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. However, a quantitative research synthesis has not been conducted on the role of BCAs in disease suppression. Therefore, the present study aimed to meta-analyze the impacts of BCAs on both Ralstonia wilt disease suppression and plant (host) growth promotion. The analysis showed that the extent of disease suppression by BCAs varied widely among studies, with effect size (log response ratio) ranging from -2.84 to 2.13. The disease incidence and severity were significantly decreased on average by 53.7% and 49.3%, respectively. BCAs inoculation also significantly increased fresh and dry weight by 34.4% and 36.1%, respectively on average. Also, BCAs inoculation significantly increased plant yield by 66%. Mean effect sizes for genus Pseudomonas sp. as BCAs were higher than for genus Bacillus spp. Among antagonists tested, P. fluorescens, P. putida, B. cereus, B. subtilis and B. amyloliquefaciens were found to be more effective in general for disease reduction. Across studies, highest disease control was found for P. fluorescens, annual plants, co-inoculation with more than one BCA, soil drench and greenhouse condition were found to be essential in understanding plant responses to R. solanacearum. Our results suggest that more efforts should be devoted to harnessing the potential beneficial effects of these antagonists, not just for plant growth promoting traits but also in mode of applications, BCAs formulations and their field studies should be considered in the future for R. solanacearum wilt disease suppression.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.222-246
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• 2012

Present paper is an outcome of a four-year floristic survey work carried out in Upper Siang district of eastern Himalayan region in India which is also recognized as one of the 39 known 'Biodiversity Hot-Spots' of the world. We present here with a vegetation analysis of this area along with a checklist of 1,003 taxa belonging to 110 families, 529 genera, 994 species, 1 subspecies and 8 varieties of the angiosperms. Besides, one new species, 3 new records to India and 82 endemic species were also recorded. The diversity of herbs and shrubs were found higher than the tree species. Orchidaceae was found the most dominant family followed by Poaceae and Fabaceae. Many threatened plants have also been reported from the area. However, rapid urbanization and Jhum cultivation are imposing direct threat to the natural vegetation. We suggest some conservation measures that could help protecting this natural heritage.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.102-107
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• 2017

Background: The present study was conducted to investigate the fatty acid content and habitat conditions of Glehnia littoralis in the Korean midwest region. Methods and Results: The emergence area of G. littoralis was 36.1 m from the coastline at an elevation of 4.2 m and slope of 4.3%. The soil of the habitat was sandy, the pH was 8.4, organic matter content was 0.4%, $P_2O_5$ content was 9.1 mg/kg and the content of K, Ca, Mg and Na were 0.09, 9.31, 0.43 and $0.23cmol^+/kg$, respectively. Other plants growing in this area with G. littoralis included 16 taxa. Plant with high coverage and frequency were Carex kobomugi, Elymus mollis, Imperata cylindrica var. koenigii, Lathyrus japonicus, Calystegia soldanella and Carex pumila. In the seeds of G. littoralis, the maximum fatty acid content was 65.5% oleic acid, 28.7% linoleic acid, 4.3% palmitic acid, 1.5% stearic acid, and 0.2% linolenic acid. Conclusions: In G. littoralis of Korean midwest, the scope of collection and cultivation for medicinal purposes was broad, because differences in associated vegetation, soil composition, and fatty acid content owing to habitat conditions was low.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 1994

The understory vegetation of a Chamaecyparis obtusa plantation is relatively sparse at a valley in Sangkwan-my6n, Wanju-gun, Chiinbuk, Korea, and that of the pure C. obtusa plantation is more sparse than in the C, obtusa-Larix leptolepis plantation. In order to investigate the causes of this difference, this study was carried out both in the field and in the laboratory. Total of 109 taxa, comprising 90 genera and 53 families, were identified in the plantation. But the average number of species above 10% frequency was only 27, and both the number of species and plants per quadrat in the pure C. obtusa plantation were lower than those in the C, obtusa-L. leptolepis plantation. Light intensity, soil pH, and the difference of soil minerals were supposed to be parts of the causes. Soils, litter extracts of C. obtusa and L. leptolepis, and leachates collected by vermiculite beneath C. obtusa canopy for 1 year were tested for the effect on germination and seedling growth of both inside species and outside species in the laboratory. Germination and seedling growth of outside species were more suppressed than those of inside species. Therefore it was found that allelopathic effect of C. obtusa would be responsible for the sparse understory vegetation in the C. oblusa plantation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.47-64
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to present the basic data for the management of National Park by surveying and analysing the change of vegetation of forest fire damaged area in Sogeumgang District, Gyeongju National Park. The covergae ratio, a number of species and dominant species changed overall in forest fire damaged area. The final result of the change is as follows. In case of coverage ratio in the shrub layer, Site 1 was 30%, 40% in Site 2, 50% in Site 3, 60% in Site 4 and 30% in Site 5. In the herb layer, Site 1 was 90%, 80% in Site 2, 90% in Site 3, 60% in Site 4 and 20% in Site 5. In case of the number of species in the shrub layer, Site 1 was 11 species, 8 species in Site 2, 6 species in Site 3, 10 species in Site 4, 7 species in Site 5, and in the herb layer, Site 1 was 22 species, 25 species in Site 2, 12 species in Site 3 and Site 4 each and 11 species in Site 5. In the dominant species, the shrub layer was Lespedeza maritima(Site 1, 2), Quercus serrata(Site 3), Quercus serrata and Lespedeza bicolor(Site 4) and Styrax japonicus(Site 5), the herb layer was Miscanthus sinensis var. purpurascens(Site 1, 3), Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum and Carex humilis var. nana(Site 2), Quercus serrata(Site 4) and Carex humilis var. nana andS tyrax japonicus(Site 5). The number of vascular plants was summarized as 91 taxa including 35 families, 69 genera, 78 species, 2 subspecies, 10 varieties and 1 form.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.219-227
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• 2023

The US National Science Foundation's National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a continental-scale program intended to provide open data, samples, and infrastructure to understand changing ecosystems for a period of 30 years. NEON collects co-located measurements of drivers of environmental change and biological responses, using standardized methods at 81 field sites to systematically sample variability and trends to enable inferences at regional to continental scales. Alongside key atmospheric and environmental variables, NEON measures the biodiversity of many taxa, including microbes, plants, and animals, and collects samples from these organisms for long-term archiving and research use. Here we review the composition and use of NEON resources to date as a whole and specific to biodiversity as an exemplar of the potential of national research infrastructure to contribute to globally relevant outcomes. Since NEON initiated full operations in 2019, NEON has produced, on average, 1.4 M records and over 32 TB of data per year across more than 180 data products, with 85 products that include taxonomic or other organismal information relevant to biodiversity science. NEON has also collected and curated more than 503,000 samples and specimens spanning all taxonomic domains of life, with up to 100,000 more to be added annually. Various metrics of use, including web portal visitation, data download and sample use requests, and scientific publications, reveal substantial interest from the global community in NEON. More than 47,000 unique IP addresses from around the world visit NEON's web portals each month, requesting on average 1.8 TB of data, and over 200 researchers have engaged in sample use requests from the NEON Biorepository. Through its many global partnerships, particularly with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, NEON resources have been used in more than 900 scientific publications to date, with many using biodiversity data and samples. These outcomes demonstrate that the data and samples provided by NEON, situated in a broader network of national research infrastructures, are critical to scientists, conservation practitioners, and policy makers. They enable effective approaches to meeting global targets, such as those captured in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

• ALGAE
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2022

Cyanobacteria are distributed worldwide, and many new cyanobacterial species are discovered in tropical region. The Nostoc-like genus Amazonocrinis has been separated from the genus Nostoc based on polyphasic methods. However, species diversity within this genus remains poorly understood systematically because only one species (Amazonocrinis nigriterrae) has been described. In this study, two novel strains (NUACC02 and NUACC03) were isolated from moist rice field soil in Thailand. These two strains were characterized using a polyphasic approach, based on morphology, 16S rRNA phylogenetic analysis, internal transcribed spacer secondary structure and ecology. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences confirmed that the two novel strains formed a monophyletic clade related to the genus Amazonocrinis and were distant from the type species A. nigriterrae. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (<98.1%) between novel strains and all other closely related taxa including the Amazonocrinis members exceeded the cutoff for species delimitation in bacteriology, reinforcing the presence of a new Amazonocrinis species. Furthermore, the novel strains possessed unique phenotypic characteristics such as the presence of the sheath, necridia-like cells, larger cell dimension and akinete cell arrangement in long-chains and the singularity of D1-D1', Box-B, V2, and V3 secondary structures that distinguished them from other Amazonocrinis members. Considering all the results, we described our two strains as Amazonocrinis thailandica sp. nov. in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi and Plants.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.257-270
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• 2012

The taxonomic relationship of 3 taxa in $Carex$ sect. $Siderostictae$ were revealed by morphological and molecular studies. The morphological characteristics of Korean $Carex$ siderosticta Hance, which is a type species of sect. $Siderostictae$, was first reviewed in comparison with previous records in order to identify the difference. Then the distribution map of this species was formulated through previous floral literatures and voucher specimens. Although the leaf shape which is represented by length/width ratio showed a great variation depending on habitat condition, the rhizome creeping patterns, the presence of hair on the surface leaf margin and perigynium were shown to be good diagnostic characters to define delimitation of species level. The results from molecular study supported $C.$ $ciliatomarginata$ Nakai should be ranked independently on species level.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.577-587
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• 2007

Single-copy chloroplast loci are used widely to infer phylogenetic relationship at different taxonomic levels among various groups of plants. To test the utility of chloroplast loci and to provide additional data applicable to hybrid evolution in Musa, we sequenced two introns, rpl16 and ndhA, and two intergenic spacers, psaA-ycf3 and petA-psbJ-psbL-psbF and combined these data. Using these four regions, Musa acuminata Cola(A)- and M. balbisiana Colla (B)-containing genomes were clearly distinguished. Some triploid interspecific hybrids contain A-type chloroplasts (the AAB/ABB) while others contain B-type chloroplasts (the BBA/BBB). The chloroplasts of all cultivars in 'Namwa' (BBA) group came from the same wild maternal origin, but the specific parents are still unrevealed. Though, average sequence divergences in each region were little (less than 2%), we propose that petA-psbJ intergenic spacer could be developed for diversity assessment within each genome. This segment contains three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and two indels which could distinguish diversity within A genome whereas this same region also contains one SNP and an indel which could categorize B genome. However, an inverted repeat region which could form hairpin structure was detected in this spacer and thus was omitted from the analyses due to their incongruence to other regions. Until thoroughly identified in other members of Musaceae and Zingiberales clade, utility of this inverted repeat as phylogenetic marker in these taxa are cautioned.