• Animal cells and systems
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2000

Soil samples were collected in thirteen Manitoba boreal forest sites. Spatial distribution of chytrids from diverse boreal forest microhabitats was investigated by baiting with jack pine pollen. After baiting, the pollen was surveyed for chytrids for 8 ten day period and individual species were counted. Total infestations of pollen by chytrids ranged from 5.8% to 90.2% from various soils. Each site with high infestation was characterized by litter with high needle content while mineral soil or soil with limited organic matter yielded low levels of pollen infestation. Species diversity tended to be higher in soils with higher pollen infestation and lower in soils with lower pollen infestation. Lower diversity was generally observed in mineral soils or soils with a limited organic horizon comprised, in part, of broad leaf litter. Based on coefficients of association and species in common among species across the collection sites, it was possible to relate dominant species assemblages in site groups. These species assemblages in the site groups suggest that the chytrids are distributed by litter and soil types. It can be concluded that the substratum characteristics of litter types and availability of litter may be important in describing chytrid distribution in boreal forest sites.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.169-173
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• 2000

Seasonal distribution of ectomycorrhizal associations in various types of forest in a boreal forest in Manitoba. Canada was investigated. Alsohe relationship between ectomycorrhizal growth and pine pollen nutrients was examined. In four different forest stands, ectomycorrhizas tended to be lower in the spring than in the summer and fall samples. In addition. a mature jack pine (Pinus banksiana) stand showed higher mycorrhizal activities than a young jack pine stand. Growth of Suillus brevipes hyphae wa ts stimulated by additions of pollen representing mean pollen deposition in Mistik Creek study area after 30 and 70 days of growth with dextrose availability. This result suggests that the peak ectomycorrhizal activity is followed by pollen deposition in the study region and therefore, addition of pine and spruce pollen in early or middle of June in the boreal forest can be an important seasonal nutrient source for ectomycorrhizal growth.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.34-36
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• 2003

In boreal conifers in China's Northeast area, maximum latewood density (MXD) of tree-ring varies in response to growing season temperature. Forest net productivity can be estimated using the Normalized-difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) calculated from satellite sensor data. MXD from the Mohe site in this area was compared with estimates of NPP for 1982-1999 produced by the NDVI model, which was established based on the relationship of leaf area index (LAI) and NDVI. The result shows that the MXD series correlated significantly with the NDVI model estimates series, suggesting that MXD appeared to be an appropriate index for productivity or canopy growth in region where forest productivity is strongly temperature-related.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.419-428
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• 2018

Spatial point-patterns analyses were conducted to provide insight into the ecological process behind competition and mortality in two lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) stands, one in the Lower Foothills, and the other in the Upper Foothills natural subregions in the boreal forest of Alberta, Canada. Spatial statistical tests were applied to live and dead trees and included Clark-Evans nearest neighbor statistic (R), nearest neighbor distribution function (G(r)), and a variant of Ripley's K function (L(r)). In both lodgepole pine plots, the results indicated that there was significant regularity in the spatial point-pattern of the surviving trees which indicates that competition has been a key driver of mortality and forest dynamics in these plots. Dead trees generally showed a clumping pattern in higher density patches. There were also significant bivariate relationships between live and dead trees, but the relationships differed by natural subregion. In the Lower Foothills plot there was significant attraction between live and dead tees which suggests mainly one-sided competition for light. In contrast, in the Upper Foothills plot, there was significant repulsion between live and dead trees which suggests two-sided competition for soil nutrients and soil moisture.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.81-98
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• 2013

Mercury (Hg) dynamics in the boreal environment have been a subject of concern in recent decades, due to the exposure of local populations to the contaminant. Land use, because of its impact on mercury inputs, has been highlighted as a key player in the sources and eventual concentrations of the heavy metal. In order to evaluate the impact of watershed disturbances on Hg dynamics in frequently fished, large boreal lakes, we studied sediment cores retrieved at the focal point of eight large lakes of Qu$\acute{e}$bec (Canada), six with watersheds affected by land uses such as logging and/or mining, and two with pristine watersheds, considered as reference lakes. Using a Geographical Information System (GIS), we correlated the recent evolution of land uses (e.g., logging and mining activities) and morphological characteristics of the watershed (e.g., mean slope of the drainage area, vegetation cover) to total Hg concentrations (THg) in sedimentary records. In each core, THg gradually increased over recent years with maximum values between 70 and 370 ng/g, the lowest mercury concentrations corresponding to the pristine lake cores. The Hg Anthropogenic Sedimentary Enrichment Factor (ASEF) values range from 2 to 15. Surprisingly, we noticed that the presence of intense land uses in the watershed does not necessarily correspond to noticeable increases of THg in lake sediments, beyond the normal increment that can be attributed to Hg atmospheric deposition since the beginning of the industrial era. Rather, the terrestrial Hg inputs of boreal lakes appear to be influenced by watershed characteristics such as mean slopes and vegetation cover.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.98 no.5
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• pp.609-617
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• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate ecological indicators of forest degradation after forest fire and clear-cutting in the Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) stand of Mongolia. The species abundance and biodiversity indices were higher in burned and clear-cut stands than those of reference stand, but boreal understory species, such as Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Pyrola incarnata, Linnea borealis and Maianthemum bifolium, completely disappeared and was replaced by sedge species, such as Carex duriuscula, C. lanceolata, C. pediformis, Poa attenuata and P. pratensis. During the research period, temperature increased by an average of $1.6^{\circ}C$ in burned stand and $1.7^{\circ}C$ in clear-cut stand compared to reference stand, but RH sharply decreased up to 15.7% in clear-cut stand. This result indicates that Larix sibirica stand became warmer and drier after forest fire and clear-cutting, and contributed to the abundance of sedge and grass species in the understory. Moreover, intense occupation of tall sedge grass after forest fire and clear-cutting had a vital role as obstacle on natural regeneration of Larix sibirica. The similarity of species composition between reference and burned stands was higher (73.6%) than between reference and clear-cut stands (63.8%). Soil moisture significantly decreased after forest fire and clear-cutting, and the extent of decrease was more severe in the clear-cut stand. The chemical properties at soil organic layer were significantly affected by forest fire and clear-cutting but not the mineral horizons. Inorganic nitrogen of the forest floor significantly decreased in the clear-cut stand ($1.1{\pm}0.4mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$) than that of the burned ($4.5{\pm}2.3mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$) and reference stands ($5.0{\pm}2.3mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$). Available P of the forest floor significantly increased after fire, whereas it decreased after clear-cutting. These results indicate that existence of boreal understory vegetation, and changes in soil moisture and available P are distinct attributes applicable as ecological indicators for identifying forest degradation in Mongolia.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.97 no.2
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• pp.187-195
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• 2008

Picea jezoensis (Sieb. et Zucc.) Carriere is one of the major and widespread components of the cold-temperate and boreal forests in Russian Far East, northeast China, Korea, and Japan. However, it is restricted to a highly fragmented range in South Korea with small populations. Mean expected heterozygosity $(H_e)$ based on 22 loci in 11 isozyme systems was 0.077 for four sampled populations that covered the whole distribution range of P. jezoensis in South Korea. This value is within the range reported for conifers, but it is very low compared to that of other spruce species as well as that of P. jezoensis populations in Russian Far East. Most populations had a slight excess of heterozygotes and the Wright's $F_{IS}$ (-0.019) was comparable to that previously reported for other spruce species. In all of the four populations, the Wilcoxon sign-rank test indicated no greater heterozygosity than that expected for populations at mutation-drift equilibrium, suggesting that the populations have not been bottlenecked recently. Despite a fragmented range and isolated populations, population differentiation was not high $(F_{ST}=0.047)$ and the number of migrants per generation was 5.09. Nei's genetic distances were also small $({\bar{D}}=0.005)$ but strongly related to geographic distances between populations, suggesting an Isolation by Distance. The northernmost isolate, Mt. Gyebang population was genetically distinct from the other three populations. Implications for the conservation of genetic variation of P. jezoensis in South Korea were discussed.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.259-272
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• 2022

Background: The Korean Peninsula exhibits a characteristic graded floral distribution, with northern (Manchurian flora) and southern (China-Japan-Korea flora) lineage species coexisting according to climatic and topographical characteristics. However, this distribution has been altered by climate change. To identify ecosystem changes caused by climate change and develop appropriate measures, the current ecological status of the entire Korean Peninsula should first be determined; however, analysis of the current floral distribution in North Korea has been hampered for political reasons. To overcome these limitations, this study constructed a database of floral distributions in both South and North Korea by integrating spatial information from the previously established National Ecological Survey in South Korea and geocoding data from the literature on biological distributions published in North Korea. It was then applied to analyze the current status and distribution characteristics of Manchurian and China-Japan-Korea plant species on the Korean Peninsula. Results: In total, 45,877 cases were included in the Manchurian and China-Japan-Korea floral distribution database. China-Japan-Korea species were densely distributed on Jeju-do and along the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula. The distribution density decreased as the latitude increased, and the distributions reached higher-latitude regions in the coastal areas compared with the inland regions. Manchurian species were distributed throughout North Korea, while they were densely distributed in the refugia formed in the high-elevation mountain regions and the Baekdudaegan in South Korea. In the current distribution of biomes classified according to the Whittaker method, subtropical and endemic species were densely distributed in temperate seasonal forest and woodland/shrubland biomes, whereas boreal species were densely distributed in the boreal forest biome Korean Peninsula, with a characteristic gradation of certain species distributed in the temperate seasonal forest biome. Factor analysis showed that temperature and latitude were the main factors influencing the distribution of flora on the Korean Peninsula. Conclusions: The findings reported herein on the current floral distribution trends across the entire Korean Peninsula will prove valuable got mitigating the ecological disturbances caused by ongoing climate change. Additionally, the gathered flora data will serve as a basis for various follow-up studies on climate change.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.192-205
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• 2012

The effects on birch (Betula spp.) of elevated carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) and ozone ($O_3$), which are both increasing in the troposphere, are surveyed in detail based on the literature. Birches establish themselves in the open field after disturbances, and then become dominant trees in temperate or boreal forests. Ecophysiological approaches include the measurement of photosynthesis, biomass, growth, and survival of seedlings and trees. Elevated $CO_2$ levels give rise to a net enhancement of the growth of birch trees, whereas high $O_3$ generally reduces growth. Although the effects of the two are opposed, there is also an interactive effect. Basic physiological responses of the single genus Betula to $CO_2$ and $O_3$ are set out, and some data are summarized regarding ecological interactions between trees, or between trees and other organisms.

• Atmosphere
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.227-235
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• 2009

Global climate warming induced by long-lived greenhouse gases is expected to cause increases in wildfire frequencies and intensity in boreal forest regions of mid- and high-latitudes in the future. Siberian forest fires are one of important sources for air pollutants such as ozone and aerosols over East Asia. Thus an accurate quantification of forest fire influences on air quality is crucial, in particular considering its higher occurrences expected under the future warming climate conditions. We here use the 3-D global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) with the satellite constrained fire emissions to quantify Siberian fire effects on ozone concentrations in East Asia. Our focus is mainly on spring 2003 when the largest fires occurred over Siberia in the past decade. We first evaluated the model by comparing to the EANET observations. The model reproduced observed ozone concentrations in spring 2003 with the high $R^2$ of 0.77 but slightly underestimated by 20%. Enhancements in seasonal mean ozone concentrations were estimated from the difference in simulations with and without Siberian fires and amounted up to 24 ppbv over Siberia. Effects of Siberian fires also resulted in 3-10 ppbv incresases in Korea and Japan. These increases account for about 5-15% of the ozone air quality standard of 60 ppbv in Korea, indicating a significant effect of Siberian fires on ozone concentrations. We found however that possible changes in regional meteorology due to Siberian fires may also affect air quality. Further study on the interaction between regional air quality and meteorology is necessary in the future.