• Animal cells and systems
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.27-40
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• 2006

Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima Swingle) as an invasive alien plant, appeared usually in the disturbed locations such as road-side, incised slope, and trampling path-side. They appeared abundantly in the trampling pathside but they did not appear or were rare in the interior of forest. Density and importance value of tree of heaven were proportionate to the relative light intensity measured according to distance from the trampling path toward forest interior and closely related to the breadth of trampling path as well. They were associated with annual, other exotic species or ruderal plants well. Distributional pattern of mature trees of them in the study area and its surrounding environments implied that they were introduced intentionally. Size class distribution of them showed that they are in expansion and artificial interferences such as, installing physical training space and developing hiking course functioned as trigger factors in their invasion and expansion. The results support the facts known generally in relation to invasion and expansion of the invasive alien plants. In this viewpoint, we suggest a management plan that applies ecological restoration principles to address ecosystems infected with tree of heaven by restoring the integral feature of the degraded nature and conserving the remained nature more thoroughly.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.50-54
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• 2024

On August 21, 2023, the National Institute of Ecology reported the sighting of an invasive slug resembling Limax maximus Linnaeus, 1758. near Bambat Tree Frog Park, Suwon-si, Korea. This slug is known for its aggressiveness. Specimens were collected around the park and from nearby farms. Through barcoding analysis and sequence comparison, it was identified as L. maximus, confirming its presence in Republic of Korea, alongside two previously identified Limax species, Limax flavus Linnaeus, 1758 and Lehmannia marginatus O. F. Müller, 1774. This study represents the first documented report of L. maximus in the country.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.123-130
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• 2009

Fragmentation due to land developments causes disturbances and changes of composition in forest vegetation. The purpose of the study was to develop the impact assessment model for quantitative distance or degree of disturbance by land developments. This study conducted a survey about structure and composition of forest vegetation to determine degree of impact from land developments. The results of field survey, there was a difference in structure and composition of forest vegetation such as tree canopy, herbaceous cover, and number of vine and alien species the distances from edge to interior area such as 0m, 10m, 20m, 40m, and over 60m. To assess the disturbance of forest vegetation, the factors selected were the rate of vine's cover and appearance of alien species. The impact assessment model about vine species explained by a distance, forest patch size, type of forest fragmentation, and type of vegetation ($R^2$=0.44, p<0.001). The other model about alien species explained by a distance, type of forest fragmentation, type of vegetation, and width of road (85.9%, p<0.005). The models applied to Samsong housing development in Goyang-si, Gyunggi-do. The vines and alien species in the study area have had a substantial impact on forest vegetation from edge to 20 or 40m. The impact assessment models were high reliability for estimating impacts to land developments. The impact of forest vegetation by development activities could be minimized thorough the adoption of the models introduced at the stage of EIA.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.21 no.5_3
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• pp.589-602
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• 1998

Mt. Nam (265m), a city park of Seoul, was originally covered with a typical deciduous broad-leaved forests in Central Korea. However, the park forests have been changed the development for various purpose such as the construction of castle wall, road way, broadcasting station, theater, hotel and apartments, in addition, to thoughtless plantation or alien plant introduction. Human population growth from ca. 100 thousands persons less in that time established Seoul as the capital of choseon dynasty in 1394 to ten millions over persons at present, accelerated the vegetational changes of the park. mt. Nam boundary in those days of sunjong (1908) also was much shrinked as much the range of 300 m distance in the northern most to 700 or 800m distance in some places. The actual vegetation of Mt. Nam largely can be classified by floristic composition into two plant communities of Quercus mongolica community and Pinus densiflora community, four plantations of Pinus rigida, Robinia pseudo-acacia, Populus tomentiglandulosa and other tree species, and on mixed forest with native and alien tree species in secondary succession stage (Yim et al. 1987). The restoration movement of Mt. Nam toward to the natural condition of forest or biodiversity is moving now. However, in the movement there are some problems such as the lack of ecological consideration and the undesirable decision of priority in the practice. A warning should be given, especially, on the undesirable plantation of non-native tree species restricting the forest succession, as in the case of southern slope of Mt. Nam. First of all, the most importance in Mt. Nam management is that the restoration for natural forest and biodiversity should be carried on the basis of integrated ecological principles based on the site evaluation.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.76-81
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• 2021

With continuous decline of Philippine forest cover, sustainable forest management and restoration are essential to restore destroyed forest ecosystems. Unfortunately, of ten most planted trees in reforestation projects in the Philippines, eight are exotic species, with large leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) being the most dominant. In this study, effect of Swietenia macrophylla in reforestation projects on native tree species was evaluated. Effects of S. macrophylla leaf litter, frequency, and canopy closure on the growth of the Philippine native species Pterocarpus indicus were investigated. Results showed that S. macrophylla leaf litter significantly inhibited the growth of P. indicus seedlings based on root collar-to-shoot height. The standardized growth rate of seedlings in plots without S. macrophylla leaf litter was significantly higher than the growth rate of seedlings in plots with leaf litter. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the standardized growth rate of seedlings between plots without leaf litter and a control plot. On the contrary, S. macrophylla tree frequency and canopy closure showed no significant effect. These results attest to the negative effect of widely planted S. macrophylla to a valuable Philippine native tree P. indicus. With accumulating scientific evidence about negative effects of S. macrophylla on native trees, discontinued use in tree planting and reforestation efforts with active management of restoration sites previously planted with large leaf mahogany are needed.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.90-97
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• 2020

Background: Natural forests are generally considered to be less prone to biological invasions than other modified ecosystems, particularly when canopy cover is high. Few decades of management of degraded forests by local communities in Nepal has increased canopy cover and altered disturbance regimes. These changes might have reduced the abundance of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) in forests. To understand the status of IAPS in such forests, we studied two community managed Shorea robusta forests (Sundari and Dhusheri) of Nawalpur district in central Nepal. In these two forests, vegetation sampling was done using circular plots 10 m radius at forest edge, gaps, and within canopy. Variation of IAPS richness and cover across these microhabitats were compared, and their variation with tree canopy cover and basal area analyzed. Result: Altogether 14 IAPS were recorded in the study forests; among them Chromolaena odorata, Ageratum houstonianum, and Lantana camara had the highest frequency. Mikania micrantha was at the early stage of colonization in Sundari Community Forest (CF) but absent in Dhuseri CF. Both IAPS cover and richness was higher at forest edge and gap than in canopy plots and both these attributes declined with increasing canopy cover and tree basal area. Conclusion: The results indicate that increase in canopy cover and closure of forest gaps through participatory management of degraded forests can prevent plant invasions and suppress the growth of previously established IAPS in Shorea robusta forests of Nepal. This is the unacknowledged benefit of participatory forest management in Nepal.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 2021

Desmodium paniculatum (Fabaceae), native to North America and an alien plant in Japan, was newly found in Hwaseong-si and Daejeon-si, Korea. This species is distinguished from Korean-related taxa based on certain morphological features. Specifically, it is a perennial herb, with a 4-5 jointed loment, and with the basal suture moderately incised between the articles. In the field, D. paniculatum grows around rivers and roadsides, suggesting that it is likely to have been introduced through river improvement work and road construction. On the phylogenetic tree based on an internal transcribed spacer, Korean individuals forms a clade with a Japanese individual. Here, we report a morphological description, photographs, an illustration, and the locality of D. paniculatum.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.100-108
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• 2022

We found Urtica dioica L., an unrecorded alien plant, in the Han River basin of Korea. U. dioica is considered to be native to Europe, much of temperate Asia and western North Africa. This plant has been introduced to many other parts of the world. In Particularly, it reported as an invasive species from East Asia (Japan), Oceania and South America. This species is distinguished from related Korean taxa of the genus by its unisexual flower and dioecious plant species. In the Neighbor-Joining tree, U. dioica samples from the Han River Park (Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul) and Yangjaecheon Stream (Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul) clustered into a clade consisting of a U. dioica s.s. Here, we provide a precise description, illustrations, a key to the related taxa, and photographs of its habitat.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.604-619
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• 2012

According to the concept of woodland aesthetic in Germany and forest design in United Kingdom, artificial forest should be restore ecologically step by step in National Park, Korea. This study was carried out to provide the density criterion of thinning for the inducement of the ecological succession by analysing of vegetational structure in Artificial Forest, National Parks. Eleven plots(size is $20m{\times}20m$) were set up in the artificial forest such as Pinus koraiensis forest, Abies holophylla forest, Chamaecyparis obtusa forest, Populus tomentiglandulosa forest, and Larix kaempferi forest and in the natural forest such as Pinus densiflora community, Pinus densiflora-Quercus serrata community, and Quercus serrata community in Chiaksan, Songnisan, Deogyusan, and Naejangsan National Parks, Korea. We classified the artificial forest into undeveloped type of succession, type of alien young trees developing, and early phase type of succession based on the vegetational structure. According to the index of Shnnon's diversity(unit: $400m^2$), undeveloped type of succession was ranged from 0.9681 to 1.1323, type of alien young trees developing was ranged from 1.0192 to 1.1870, early phase type of succession was ranged from 1.3071 to 1.3892, and natural vegetation was ranged from 1.2202 to 1.3428, therefore early phase type of succession forest and natural vegetation are more higher than simple-layered artificial forest with one needle leaf tree species. The limit for the step-by-step thinning was in the range of 30~60%. In case of undeveloped type of succession, we should thin out from large trees throughout three phases, because alien species dominated high value 88~90% in canopy layer. In case of type of alien young trees developing, we should thin out from alien young trees such as Populus tomentiglandulosa throughout one or two phases, because alien species dominated high value 60~97% and young trees with saplings growing up in understory and shrub layer. In case of early phase type of succession, we should thin out from alien trees that compete with native species throughout one or two phases, because alien species dominated less than value 30%.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.93-102
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• 2016

An invasive disturbance species has caused harm to biodiversity and ecosystem. To address the issue, identifying the characteristics of a habitat for invasive disturbance species is considered for forest management. This study analyzed a status of plant species by field survey based on belt transect method in the capital areas and established a predictive model for invasive disturbance species by logistic regression. As results of the study, the number of herb, vine, and invasive disturbance species and a canopy cover of tree would decrease from the forest edge to core areas (p<0.001). The predictive model was derived with variables of altitude, Topographic Wetness Index, distance to forest edge, and canopy cover of tree. It can be useful in estimating the presence or absence of species and predicting its spatial distribution. Further studies are needed to identify the pathway of introduction, spread, and possibility of germination for understanding the status of invasive disturbance species in more depth.