• Hwankyungkyoyuk
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.137-147
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• 2002

The progress of environmental science and technology in the developed countries has been rapid in recent years. Particularly remarkable has been the advancement of various pollutant control measures, which have brought the pollution of inorganic factors such as air and water under control. In contrast, diversity of the ecosphere, of which man is a part, is being steadily Impoverished and the biological community is getting unvaryingly uniform. These phenomena were brought about by the expansion of artificial environment such as new industrial complexes, transportation facilities and urban development. Man has constructed uniform and artificial environment, believing in the premise of confrontation with nature, to such a scale that the natural environment and biological community have lost their balance. This will increasingly endanger the soundness of the biotic environment of nature, which constitutes the potential foundation both for the survival environment of man as biological entity and for the development of human civilization. In order to guarantee the soundness of man's body, intelligence and sensitivity as wholesome gene Pool on the earth and for the future of man, primarily important environmental education is the understanding of how man can everlasting exist in and with the survival environment. In view of this reality, it is vitally important to create ecologically diverse and well-balanced environment with living materials, i.e., vegetation in order to secure lasting survival environment for man. This task is urgently required in highly artificial environment where non-biological materials have forced the impoverishment of the biological community. Therefore, environmental education for the future should not be totally oriented to technology as that in the past nor it is limited to the medical aspect where well-being of human is the sole object of concern. That is to say, environmental education for the future should be one that provides knowledge that human can understand his place based on the ecological concept and thereby make him to have ethical consciousness that he can control his behavior within the reasonable level for ecological niche who he is located.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.248-256
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• 2004

Dendropanax morbifera Lev.(Araliaceae), Korean endemic and evergreen small tree is a component of evergreen forest and mainly distributed in sourthern region and islands in Korea. The ecological characteristics of 4 natural stands of D. morbifera.(Sundol, Suak, Hannam, and Sangho populations in Cheju island) were studied. In most of the D. morbifera natural stands, the following tree species appeared predominantly: Castanopsis cuspidata var. sieboldii, Carpinus laxiflora, D. morbifera, Quercus glauca, Quercus myrsinaefolia, Camellia japonica, and Acer pseudo-sieboldianum. Two tree species, such as C. cuspidata var. sieboldii and C. laxiflora appeared in the all investigated stands. D. morbifera occupied 17.2% of the upper story, 12.9% of the middle story, and 10.3% of the lower story, respectively. The distribution patterns by Morisita' s Index showed that D. morbifera was distributed randomly in the three stories. The frequency distribution of DBH D. morbifera species showed reverse J-shaped, therefore it seems to remain as a dominant species.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.83-99
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• 1982

In this study, thirty-two stands in Kwangnung forest located in the central part of Korea were preferentially selected. In each stand, all stems for trees and shrubs were recorded by species and their girths were measured down to 5cm. In addition, several enviromental factors such as field soil pH, field soil moisture, soil compressibility, depth of soil, thickness of litter layer, elevation and basal area were measured. Three soil cores were sampled and various physical and chemcial properties was determined. The vegetational data were subjected to three kinds of multivariate ordination(PO, PCA, RA). The results suggested that Kwangnung forest was consisted of three forest types: coniferous, mixed and broad leaved forest communities. The relation between the stand scores of ordination and several environmental factors were investigated in terms of correlation analysis in order to examine the relationships between the vegetation and certain environmental factors. As a result of this analysis, the amount of sand content in A1 horizon decreased frm the coniferous to broad leaved forest, while maximum field capacity, pore space, exchangeable cations, loss on ignition, soil pH nad the amount of total nitrogen had a tendancy to increase significantly. However, easily soluble phosphorus appeared to have little to do with the forest types. The result of species ordination of centered-standardized PCA suggested that the major successional pathway in Kwangnung forest was; Pinus densifloralongrightarrowQuercus mongolica, Q. serrata, Q. alienalongrightarrowCarpinus laxifloralongrightarrowC. erosa in sequence. This trend is in good agreement with the past studies. In three kinds of ordination (centered PCA, centered-standardized PCA and RA) based on nineteen species and twenty-five stands, the total variances accounted for the first three axes were 77%, 46% and 63% respectively. The estimated beta diversity in Kwangnung forest assumed as a coenocline, was 1.5~1.8 HC. Increasing the effect of the sampling errors on ordination perfermance, this low heterogeneity seems to cause the poor concentration of the total variance. The results from the four kinds of ordination were in good agreement with each other, especially between PO, centered-standardized PCA and RA appeared robust. It seems to be worthy of applying multivariate method for analyzing other forest communities in Korea.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.170-179
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• 2021

Hulunbuir steppe, one of the four largest steppes in China, has experienced rapidly progressing desertification partly due to overgrazing by livestock. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of various vegetation recovery methods, including the selection of unpalatable plants less affected by grazing livestock. To determine livestock grazing preferences at Hulunbuir restoration sites, we used DNA barcoding methods to analyze fecal materials of horses and cattle grazing on four restored plants: two trees (Pinus sylvestris L. var. mongolica and Populus canadensis) and two shrubs (Caragana microphylla and Corethrodendron fruticosum). Neither of the two tree species were detected in livestock feces, whereas both shrub species were detected at lo w frequencies. There were no significant differences in compositions of species consumed by horses and cattle except that Asteraceae species were more often consumed by cattle. Our results showed that the four plants used for restoration may be classified as unpalatable or less palatable species in the Hulunbuir restoration area. Our results may help inform restoration strategies implemented in restoration areas, especially regarding negative effects of livestock grazing during the initial stage of restoration in Hulunbuir.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.293-302
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• 2018

This study was carried out to provide basic information on efficient preservation and management of an Abies koreana forest through analyzing the ecological characteristics by slope in Seseok, Mt. Jirisan. Soil moisture content at southern and northern slopes was 29.9% and 21.7%, respectively, and there was no significant difference among soil properties between southern and northern slopes. The importance value of A. koreana in the southern and northern slopes was high for tree and subtree layers, respectively. It is noteworthy that many seedling and saplings of A. koreana were present on the southern slope. The species diversity was 0.413 for the tree layer, 0.632 for the subtree layer, and 0.609 for the shrub layer on the southern slope and 0.396 for the tree layer, 0.783 for the subtree layer, and 1.215 for the shrub layer on the northern slope. Evenness and dominance ranged from 0.371 to 0.609 and 0.629 to 0.391 on the southern slope and from 0.380 to 0.968 and 0.620 to 0.032 on the northern slope, respectively. The mortality of A. koreana was 9.6% on the southern slope and 24.4% on the northern slope, a distinct difference between the slopes. The mortality type at two slopes was the highest proportion of standing dead. Annual mean tree ring growth of A. koreana on the southern slope (1.76 mm/yr) was higher than that on the northern slope (1.64 mm/yr).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.25-36
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• 2021

The honey bee has a crucial ecological status for maintaining the natural ecology system. Pollination mediations by honey bees are recognized as an efficient way to enhance the quality of biological diversity and green areas in the nature and the urban ecological system. However, the population of bee around the world is decreasing and we do not know exactly how bees react to the physical environment in the urban area. This study is a basic research for the improvement of pollination services in the Korean urban ecological system. It aims to induce and review environmental variables which have high relations with the activities of pollination mediation insects in the urban area. The study established a Maxent model using five urban environmental variables that reflect the ecology of Bombus ignitus and the place information where Bombus ignitus appears in 18 spots of Seoul city, and compared with previous research results on Apis millifera. Bombus ignitus preferred places with more natural environments such as mountain forest areas and vicinities of streams. They preferred Stratified Tree Area the most among the vegetation types existing in the urban area. Comparing chicken models, both species saw their response value drop as the building coverage rose. In the case of Apis millifera and Bombus ignitus variables, the response value of both species was high in 10 out of 20 types. The result of this study is expected to provide basic information for improving the pollination services in the Korean urban area and to be utilized as the basic materials for the future urban planning.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.735-741
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• 2022

Global warming affects forests and their ecology. Diversity in the forest is a buffer that reduces the damage due to global warming. Mixed forests are ecologically more valuable as versatile habitats and are effective in preventing landslides. In Korea, most forests were created by simple afforestation with trees of evergreen species. Typically, evergreen trees are shallow-rooted, and deciduous trees are deep-rooted. Mixed forest tree roots grip the soil effectively, which reduces the occurrence of landslides. Therefore, improving the distribution of tree types is essential to reduce damage due to global warming. For this improvement, the investigation of tree types of the forest is needed. However, determining the tree type distribution of forests that are spread over wide areas is labor-intensive and time-consuming. This study suggests effective methods for determining the distribution of tree types in a forest that is spread across a relatively wide area. Using normalized difference vegetation index and RGB images from unmanned aerial vehicles, each evergreen and deciduous tree, and grassland area can be distinguished. The distinguished image determines the distribution of tree type. This method is effective compared to directly determining the tree type distribution in the forest by the use of manpower. The data from these methods could be applied to plan a mixed forest or to prepare for future damage due to global warming.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.28-42
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• 2023

Seed dispersal supports community structure, maintains genetic connectivity across fragmented landscapes, and influences vegetation assemblages. In the Philippines, only two seed dispersal studies have compared different dispersal agents. We examined the seed dispersal patterns of water, wind, birds, and bats in the Caliraya Watershed, Philippines. We aimed to determine the floral species that were dispersed and how the forest characteristics influenced seed dispersal. By running seed rain traps and drift litter collection from March to June 2022, we analyzed 14,090 seeds in a privately owned study site within the watershed. Water did not exclusively disperse any species and acted as a secondary disperser. Seed density (seeds/trap) was significantly higher for bird-dispersed (n=166) and bat-dispersed (n=145) seeds than for wind-dispersed (n=79) seeds (One-way analysis of variance [ANOVA]: F_2,87=16.21, P<0.0001). Species number (species/trap) was significantly higher for bird-dispersed (n=3.7) and bat-dispersed (n=3.9) seeds than for wind-dispersed (n=0.2) seeds (One-way ANOVA: F_2,87 =16.67, P<0.0001). Birds dispersed more species because they are more diverse and access a wider variety of fruits, unlike bats. Birds and bats target different fruits and provide separate seed dispersal services. Generalized linear model analyses revealed that the number and basal area of fleshy fruit trees most strongly influenced the bird seed dispersal patterns. Therefore, we recommend a three-way approach to restoration efforts in the Caliraya Watershed: (1) ensure the presence of fleshy fruit trees in restoration zones, (2) assist the establishment of mid-successional and wind-dispersed trees, and (3) intensify the conservation efforts for both flora and faunal diversity.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.264-271
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• 2023

Environmental crises caused by climate change and human-induced disturbances have become urgent challenges to the sustainability of human beings. These issues can be addressed based on a data-driven understanding and forecasting of ecosystem responses to environmental changes. In this study, we introduce a long-term ecological monitoring system in Korean Long-Term Ecological Research (KLTER), and a plan for the Korean Ecological Observatory Network (KEON). KLTER has been conducted since 2004 and has yielded valuable scientific results. However, the KLTER approach has limitations in data integration and coordinated observations. To overcome these limitations, we developed a KEON plan focused on multidisciplinary monitoring of the physiochemical, meteorological, and biological components of ecosystems to deepen process-based understanding of ecosystem functions and detect changes. KEON aims to answer nationwide and long-term ecological questions by using a standardized monitoring approach. We are preparing three types of observatories: two supersites depending on the climate-vegetation zones, three local sites depending on the ecosystem types, and two mobile deployment platforms to act on urgent ecological issues. The main observation topics were species diversity, population dynamics, biogeochemistry (carbon, methane, and water cycles), phenology, and remote sensing. We believe that KEON can address environmental challenges and play an important role in ecological observations through partnerships with international observatories.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.384-395
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• 2018

This study was carried out to investigate the environment factors including community structure and soil characteristics in the wild habitats of Cephalotaxus koreana, and offers the basic information for habitats conservation and restoration. Most of the wild habitats were located at altitudes between 148~835 m with inclinations ranged as $12{\sim}32^{\circ}$. The average soil pH was 4.7~5.9, soil organic matter was 5.72~15.99%, cation exchange capacity was $14.1{\sim}19.9cmolc/kg^{-1}$ and exchangeable $K^+$, $Ca^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$ was 0.25~0.48 cmolc/kg, 0.79~6.68 cmolc/kg, 0.31~1.73 cmolc/kg, respectively. The dominant species of tree layer were found to be dominated by Quercus dentata in Jekbo-san (C1), Acer pictum in Bogae-san (C2), Acer pseudosieboldianum in Geumwon-san (C3), Q. serrata in Jiri-san (C4), Zelkova serrata in Baegun-san (C5), and Q. acutissima in Duryun-san (C6). The Species diversity (H') was 0.854~1.234, evenness (J') was 0.654~0.993, and dominance (D) was found to be 0.067~0.346. Correlation coefficients analysis based on environmental factors, community structure and value of species diversity shows that growth of Cephalotaxus koreana is correlated with species diversity and evenness. This result show that Cephalotaxus koreana habitats located in mature stands.