• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.32-48
• /
• 2024

Background: Longitudinal connectivity in river systems strongly affects biological components related to ecosystem functioning, thereby playing an important role in shaping local biodiversity and ecosystem health. Environmental DNA (eDNA)-based metabarcoding has an advantage of enabling to sensitively diagnose the presence/absence of species, becoming an efficient/effective approach for studying the community structure of ecosystems. However, little attention has been paid to eDNA-based biomonitoring for river systems, particularly for assessing the river longitudinal connectivity. In this study, by using eDNA we analyzed and compared species diversity and composition among artificial barriers to assess the longitudinal connectivity of the fish community along down-, mid- and upstream in the Hotancheon from the Geum River basin. Moreover, we investigated temporal variation in eDNA fish community structure and species diversity according to season. Results: The results of species detected between eDNA and conventional surveys revealed higher sensitivity for eDNA and 61% of species (23/38) detected in both methods. The results showed that eDNA-based fish community structure differs from down-, mid- and upstream, and species diversity decreased from down to upstream regardless of season. We found that there was generally higher species diversity at the study sites in spring (a total number of species across the sites [n] = 29) than in autumn (n = 27). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling and heatmap analyses further suggest that there was a tendency for community clusters to form in the down-, mid- and upstream, and seasonal variation in the community structure also existed for the sites. Dominant species in the Hotancheon was Rhynchocypris oxycephalus (26.07%) regardless of season, and subdominant species was Nipponocypris koreanus (16.50%) in spring and Odontobutis platycephala (15.73%) in autumn. Artificial barriers appeared to negatively affect the connectivity of some fish species of high mobility. Conclusions: This study attempts to establish a biological monitoring system by highlighting the versatility and power of eDNA metabarcoding in monitoring native fish community and further evaluating the longitudinal connectivity of river ecosystems. The results of this study suggest that eDNA can be applied to identify fish community structure and species diversity in river systems, although some shortcomings remain still need to be resolved.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.298-310
• /
• 2007

This study compared the correlation between the accumulated copper content in earthworms and the copper concentration rate of soil measured using several methods to extract heavy metals from soil. For the experiment, a microcosm soil test was carried out using copper contaminated soil from the vicinity of copper-roofed buildings and earthworms (Eisenia fetida). Soils from the study area were used to produce 6 treatments; control, 1C (contamination level with the lowest treated copper concentration rate), 2C, 4C, 8C, and 16C (contamination level with the highest treated copper concentration rate). Microcosm soil test using the 6 treatments proved that as the copper content in soil and the experiment time increased, the growth rate of and the accumulated copper concentration rate in earthworms increased as well. The degree of the increase corresponded to the order of the treated copper concentration levels in microcosm soils. Standard method of the ministry of environment and EPA method 3051 were used to obtain the copper concentration in soil and the total copper content in soil, respectively. The correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9875~0.9993 between the copper content extracted by the standard method and the total copper content shows high positive correlation. The correlation coefficient of the copper content in soil extracted by the standard method and the accumulated copper content in earthworms, and the correlation coefficient of the total copper content in soil and the accumulated copper content in earthworms were ranged from 0.9193 to 0.9728 and from 0.9282 to 0.9844, respectively, showing highly significant positive correlation. Due to the high correlation between the copper concentration in soil and the accumulated copper content in earthworms, it is concluded that earthworms are suitable to be used as biological indicator species or for bio-monitoring against copper contamination of soil.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.53 no.3
• /
• pp.229-240
• /
• 2020

In this study, the results of fish assemblage survey for 16 reservoirs in the Yeongsan·Seomjin-River watershed were presented with fish assemblage characteristics analysis in relation to reservoir size. The survey method including number of sampling sites was followed the "Biomonitoring survey and assessment manual" of the Ministry of Environment/National Institute of Environmental Research (MOE/NIER), and the reservoirs were categorized as three size groups, small, medium or large reservoirs, based on the MOE/NIER as well. Total 13 family classified into 44 species were collected from 2018 (7 reservoirs) to 2019 (9 reservoirs), and the dominant and subdominant species were Hemiculter eigenmanni (Relative abundance, RA, 32.9%) and Lepomis macrochirus (RA, 31.4%), respectively. As a result of the analysis in relation to the reservoir size, the average (±standard deviation) number of species of the small, medium and large reservoirs were 11±2.9, 14.3±2.1, 22.7±0.6, respectively, which showed positive correlation with the reservoir size. Total 6 fish assemblage characteristics(number of species, number of individuals, richness index, herbivorous fish ratio, carnivorous fish ratio, exotic fish ratio) showed significant differences between the each reservoir size groups (P<0.05). As a result of cluster analysis, 16 reservoirs were clustered into 5 groups with 60% similarity, and the each reservoirs seems to be clustered depends on the distance from each other, watershed and their historical geology rather than size. These results are baseline information for the understanding of fish assemblage in Korean reservoirs, important for establishing management policy of reservoirs in the Yeongsan·Seomjin-River watershed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.89 no.1
• /
• pp.77-84
• /
• 2000

In order to understand the chemical binding forms of Cd in terms of its binding strength in wood, the radial distribution of it through dendroanalysis and its different chemical fractions in trunk wood of mature red pine(Pinus densiflora L.) trees grown in a relatively unpolluted area, in Kangwon-Province, were examined. Total Cd concentration in stem wood was determined by dry digestion and $H_2O$ and 0.01 M solutions of citric acid, malic acid, $CaCl_2$, $MgCl_2$, $Na_2EDTA$ were used as extracting solutions for Cd. Extracting efficiencies of applied solutions were expressed as % of Cd concentration extracted by $Na_2EDTA$ which extracted all Cd instead of Cd total concentration. Total concentration of Cd decreased from the innermost rings near pith towards the the outermost rings near cambium. Especially through the transition zone this tendency was observed clearly. $H_2O$ was the least effective extractant of Cd, then extracting efficiency increased in the order $MgCl_2$ < $CaCl_2$ $Na_2EDTA$ (extracted all Cd). According to the radial position, extracting efficiency of Cd was ranging from 7 to 30% by $H_2O$ and even from 60 to 95% by citric acid. The Cd extracting efficiencies of $H_2O$ and organic acids increased continuously from the stem center to outermost annual rings, whereas salts showed somewhat different tendency, suddenly decreasing near the outermost ring. The results are discussed with regard to the different chemical binding forms of Cd and the mobility of Cd in wood and comparable with ones in previous studies on Pinus sylvestris and Quercus patraea. According to the results, usefulness of radial distribution pattern of Cd in pine tree trunks for retrosective biomonitoring is questioned.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.385-393
• /
• 2007

Benthic macroinvertebrate communities were studied after a small dam removal from the mid-section of the Gyeongan stream in Gyeonggi-do, Korea. Quantitative sampling was conducted at immediately upstream (upper) and downstream (lower) sites from the dam as well as at the site where the dam was located (dam site: middle) using a Surber sampler (50$\times$50 cm, mesh 0.25 mm), four times (November 2004, May 2005, January 2006, and May 2006) after the dam removal. As a result, 46 species of benthic macroinvertebtates, belonged in 35 genera, 27 families, 11 orders, 5 classes, and 4 phyla, were sampled from the stream sites, but the number of species that occurred at each sampling trial was different (ranged 3$\sim$17 spp.) according to the seasons and sites. Approximately one year after the dam removal, the species number has in-creased and taxa composition has changed as the microhabitat became more heterogeneously due to a riffle formation in the upstream site. Chironomid larvae and tubificid worms, which are common in Korean urban streams, were the dominant species, while Hydropsyche kozhantschikovi was the 2nd dominant species at some sampling trials. In general, McNaughton's dominance indices decreased and Shannon species diversity indices increased approximately one year after the dam removal. Compositions of collector-filterers, clingers, and swimmers increased as hydropsychid caddisflies, heptageniid mayflies, and baetid mayflies increased, respectively, in the upstream site. The group pollution index and the ecological score using benthic macroinvertebrates both indicated that water environment has been improved in the upstream site after the dam removal.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.39 no.11
• /
• pp.613-625
• /
• 2017

For two agricultural reservoirs that are rented for fishing spots, benthic nutrient fluxes experiment were performed two times with two sediments from fishing-effective zone and one sediment from fishing-ineffective zone using laboratory core incubation in oxic and anoxic conditions. During benthic nutrient fluxes experiment, the changes in DO, EC, pH, and ORP in the supernatant were not significantly different between fishing-effective zone and fishing-ineffective zone, and were similar to the sediment-hypolimnetic diffused boundary layer in agricultural reservoir. Except for $NO_3{^-}-N$, more benthic nutrient fluxes of $NH_4{^+}-N$, T-P, and $PO{_4}^{3-}-P$ from sediment to hypolimnetic was measured in anoxic than in oxic conditions (p<0.05). As the DO concentration in hypolimnetic decreases, the microorganism-mediated ammonification is promoted, the nitrification is suppressed, and finally the $NH_4{^+}-N$ diffuses out from sediment to hypolimnetic. Also, the diffusion of T-P and $PO{_4}^{3-}-P$ from sediments to hypolimnetic is accelerated through the dissociation of the phosphorus bound to both organic matters and metal hydroxides. The difference in the benthic nutrient diffusive fluxes between fishing-effective zone and fishing-ineffective zone was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Therefore, it was found that fishing activities did not increase the benthic nutrient diffusive fluxes to a statistically significant level. Due to the short fishing activities of 10 years and the rate-limited diffusion of the laboratory core incubation, the contribution of fishing activities on sediment pollution is estimated to be low. No significant correlation was found between the total amount of nutrients in sediment and the benthic nutrient diffusive fluxes in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Therefore, nutrients input from various nonpoint sources of watersheds are considered to be a more dominant factor rather than fishing activities in water quality deterioration, and both aeration and water circulation in hypolimnetic were required to suppress the anoxic environment in agricultural reservoirs.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.53 no.4
• /
• pp.365-373
• /
• 2020

Biomonitoring Survey and Assessment Manual for lake ecosystem suggest zooplankton collection methods to compare relatively the number of species, population density, and community indices, taking into account the convenience of the field sampling according to the sites' water depth. In this study, the oblique towing and 20 m vertical towing methods presented in the manual were respectively compared with the whole water column-vertical towing and we analyzed the differences and characteristics of zooplankton community information gathered by each collection method. For community indices, there was no difference in the comparison of oblique/vertical towing methods in the shallow lake, but in the deep lake, the diversity and richness indices increased when vertically towing through whole water column rather than when limiting the towing depth to 20 m. In addition, the total zooplankton density collected by the oblique/20 m vertical towing methods was about three times higher than the whole water column-vertical towing method, which means that the density of zooplankton community can be overestimated depending on the collection methods. It appears to be results of differences in the zooplankton density by water layer arising from their vertical distribution and in filtered raw water quantity according to the towing depth/distance. Hence, for zooplankton community information to be used as a functional quantitative indicator representing the entire lake, it would be more appropriate to apply the whole water column-vertical towing method with considering the distribution of zooplankton density by depth and contribution rate of each water layer when converting total zooplankton density.