• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.101 no.3
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• pp.488-500
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• 2012

The present study was carried out to evaluate arthropod predators (Araneae, Carabidae, Staphylinidae, and Formicidae) as bioindicator for forest disturbance. We selected 12 study sites according to disturbance intensities caused by fire intensity and recovery methods at Goseong, Gangneung, and Samcheok in Gangwondo. Intensities of disturbance were characterized as follows: 0 (no fire), 1 (surface fire), 2 (crown fire), and 3 (crown fire followed by reforestation). Arthropod predators were captured using pitfall trap. Species richness and abundance of Araneae, Carabidae, Staphylinidae, and Formicidae were not different along disturbance intensities. However, species richness and abundance of grassland ants significantly increased in higher disturbance intensities. Abundance of grassland ants such as Formica japonica and Camponotus japonicas linearly decreased along litter depth. Furthermore, ant communities were clustered along disturbance intensities. In a one-time survey, ants may be most useful as bioindicator for forest disturbance among the four predator taxa, because ants actively forage for long seasons.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.155-164
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• 2016

In this study we analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution and preferred habitat type of the Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) based on the 3rd National Ecosystem Survey. Kentish plovers were observed in 97 maps out of a total 842 maps (11.8%) between 2006 and 2012, mainly along the western and southern coasts of Korea. They were also observed in the eastern coast of Korea, inland rivers (Han, Geum, Nakdong, Seomjin, and Yongsan River), the western and eastern coast of Jeju island, and Daecheong Island in the Yellow Sea. The observations were mainly made during the spring breeding season and migration seasons in spring and autumn. The occurrence of kentish plovers was positively influenced by the area of water and wetland according to the middle classification level of land cover type analysis and the area of coastal wetlands in the detailed classification level of land cover types. Most (90%) of the kentish plovers recorded maps had coastal wetlands. Kentish plovers were known to be susceptible to change of habitat. As the occurrence of kentish plovers could be associated with the habitat-change of coastal wetlands and it is possible to estimate the number of individuals, it is recommended that kentish plovers be used as a bioindicator species for the ecological assessment of ecosystem in intertidal zones.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2009

Heavy reliance on organosynthetic chemical methods to control agricultural pest tends to deteriorate and lower fertility of soil. We studied annual occurrence of earthworm in environment-friendly agroecosystem and attempted to determine the degree of soil contamination. Candidate bioindicators of earthworm in agroecosystem were selected through analysis of earthworm diversities. Depending on the degree of pesticide use, the fields were devided into conventional, less-pesticide, pesticide free, and organic fields. A nearby field not in agricultural use was chosen as a control. This study was carried out in the greenhouses (lettuce and grape) in 2006 and in orchards (apple, pear, peach, citrus and grape) in 2007. Earthworm was collected from 50 $\times$ 50 $\times$ 10 cm$^3$ of respective soil. We found 11 species from 5 genera and 3 families, and 12 species from 4 genera and 3 families in the greenhouses and in orchards, respectively. The contents of organic matter in soil in the greenhouses were variable but quite less so in orchards. Amynthas heteropodus occurred most frequently in both sites suggesting that it could be adopted as a bioindicator in agroecosystem in Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.79-89
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• 2012

This study was conducted with the intention of clarifying the effects of land-use types on a species of ground beetle's richness, abundance, and composition; the study focused on urban landscapes. We also selected the potential bioindicators classifying land-use types; eleven sites were selected from an urban landscape in Korea. Overall, land-use types in urban landscapes did not appear to cause significant decrease in species richness or the abundance of total ground beetle assemblage. According to habitat preferences, several land-use types and distances from the forest significantly affected the species richness and abundance, while the open-habitat species were not affected by these variables. Land-use types were classified into two major groups, forest and non-forest areas, based on ground beetle assemblage; several indicators, such as $Dolichus$ $halensis$ $halensis$ and subfamily Carabinae species, were of particular consideration. In conclusion, environmental change by anthropogenic disturbance can cause different effects on ground beetle assemblages, and forest specialists can be negatively affected.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.1 s.89
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• pp.1-8
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• 2000

Four cyclopoids were tested for laboratory culture. Among these animals, only Eucyclops serrulatus was successfully cultured in the laboratory. Under the laboratory culture condition, nine kinds of diets were tested for the suitability of nauplius development. Development and reproduction of E. serrulatus were also investigated. Chlamydomonas reinhardii was the only one which could induce complete development from nauplii to adults. It was found that E. serrulatus had relatively short generation time, could produce lots of progenies, and could be handled easily, allowing to obtain many individuals during a short period. With these characteristics, this species may be a candidate for a good test organism for evaluating freshwater pollution.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.202-207
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• 2010

The most useful criteria and selection procedures of biological indicators have been developed in Korea because they have taken into account local and national concerns on biological responses against climate change. On the basis of these criteria and selection procedures, 100 climate-sensitive biological indicator species were selected to predict biodiversity distribution shift by climate change and manage biological resources integratedly at the national level. It is expected that selection and monitoring of biological indicators by climate change will provide significant information to prepare protective strategies of vulnerable species against climate change and adaptive policies under the changing environment in Korea. In this paper, we have reviewed what kinds of criteria were considered in selecting bioindicators to assess responses of biological organisms against climate change. Definition and selection steps of bioindicators were proposed, and the 100 species of climate- sensitive biological indicators were selected out of 33,253 taxa reported in Korea.

• ALGAE
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.301-316
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• 2022

The red alga Compsopogon caeruleus can generally be found in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. In addition to its natural habitats, this species may be found in waters that receive abnormally hot water, e.g., from powerhouses. To date, the presence of C. caeruleus has not been observed in thermally polluted lacustrine ecosystems in Poland, which has a moderate climate. The thalli of this red alga were found growing on Vallisneria spiralis in Lichenskie Lake. Importantly, this paper presents a previously unknown relationship between the temperature (20, 25, 30, 35, and 40℃) and oxygen requirements of C. caeruleus (based on ex situ measurements of O₂ consumption by thalli). Surprisingly, 35℃ can be the optimum temperature for C. caeruleus, and this temperature is higher than the values reported by some previous thermal analyses by approximately 10℃. Additionally, we reviewed and mapped the distribution of this nonnative and mesophilic red alga in natural / seminatural water ecosystems in Europe. Finally, we propose that the occurrence of C. caeruleus mature thalli can be a novel, simple and easy-to-recognize bioindicator of artificially and permanently heated waters in moderate climate zones by a regular discharge of postindustrial water.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.16-25
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• 2019

Anthropogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are formed by the incomplete combustion of fuels and industrial waste. PAHs can be widely exposed to the environment (water, soil and groundwater). PAHs are potentially toxic, mutagenic and/or carcinogenic. Fundamental studies such as biota uptake (e.g., earthworm and plant) of PAHs are highly needed. It is necessary to develop alternative ways to evaluate bioavailability of PAHs instead of using living organisms because it is time-consuming, difficult to apply in the field, and also exaction method is tedious and time-consuming. In this study, sorption behaviors of phenanthrene were evaluated to predict the fate of PAHs in soils. Moreover, bioaccumulation of PAHs in an artificially contaminated soil was evaluated using pea plant (Pisum sativum) as a bioindicator. A novel passive sampler, organic-diffusive gradient in thin-film (o-DGT) for PAHs was newly synthesized, tested as a biomimic surrogate and compared with plant accumulation. Sorption partitioning coefficient (K_P) and sorption capacity (K_F) were in the order of natural soil > loess corresponding to the increase in organic carbon content (f_oc). Biota-to-soil accumulation factor (BSAF) and DGT-to-soil accumulation factor (DSAF) were evaluated. o-DGT uptake was linearly correlated with pea plant uptake of phenanthrene in contaminated soil (R²=0.863). The Tenax TA based o-DGT as a biomimic surrogate can be used for the prediction of pea plant uptake of phenanthrene in contaminated soil.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.389-396
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• 2006

A quantitative survey of the protozoa microfauna at two advanced wastewater treatment plants has been carried out on a weekly basis. The abundance of the protozoa were compared with operating parameters and effluent quality using statistical procedures. The protozoa distribution indicated it seemed the composition of the influent wastewater and operating conditions of plant influenced the structure of protozoa in the plant. In statistical analysis, the distribution of protozoa showed the present operating condition of plant and predicted near-future effluent qualify. Enough data concerning protozoa, operating parameters and effluent has been gathered, the operator has a valuable tool for predicting plant performance and near-future data of effluent based on microscopic examination. Perhaps more importantly it can be used to actually control the plant to adjust the operating conditions to obtain the protozoal populations that have been shown to provide the best effluent quality.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.277-284
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• 2006

The genetic toxicity of environmental pollutants, namely, nonylphenol (NP), bisphenol A (BPA) and chloropyriphos (CP) was investigated in aquatic sentinel species, freshwater crustacean, Daphnia magna, and larva of aquatic midge, Chironomus tentans, using Comet assay. Physiological effect of such pollutants was also investigated by studying the specimens' rates of reproduction, growth and survival. Acute toxicity results showed that, as expected, Daphnia was more sensitive than Chironomus to chemical exposure. The order of acute toxicity was CP > NP > BPA in D. magna and NP > CP > BPA in C. tentans. BPA may exert a genotoxic effect on D. magna and C. tentans, given that DNA strand breaks increased in both species exposed to this compound, whereas NP- and CP-induced DNA damage occurred only in C. tentans. In vivo genotoxic data obtained in aquatic sentinel species could provide valuable information for freshwater quality monitoring. The experiments with NP-exposed D. magna showed that the pollutant has long-term effects on reproduction, whereas no short-term effect on DNA integrity was found, being an example of a false-negative result from the biomarkers perspective. This result could be interpreted that other mechanism than genetic alteration might be involved in NP-induced reproduction failure in D. magna. False-positive results from the genotoxic biomarker obtained in BPA-exposed D. magna and in NP-exposed C. tentans make it difficult to use DNA integrity as an early warning biomarker. However, as the mere presence of genotoxic compounds, which are potentially carcinogenic, is of high concern to human and ecosystem health, it could also be important to rapidly and effectively detect genotoxic compounds in the aquatic system in ways that do not necessarily accompany a higher level of alteration. Considering the potential of D. magna and C. tentans as bioindicator species, and the importance of genotoxic biomarkers in ecotoxicity monitoring, DNA damage in these species could provide useful information for environmental risk assessment.