• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.275-281
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• 2019

One key step in the plant restoration process is the collection of seeds from the field. For the selection of source populations of target plant species for translocation purposes (reintroduction or reinforcements), several approaches are possible. A practical method involves the use of data from reciprocal transplant studies. If no direct data are available, knowledge of population genetics and the phylogeography of the target species can serve as an alternative. In this short review, we briefly propose guidelines for those collecting seeds for plant species restoration based on population genetics theory, focusing on two main questions: Where does the plant material come from and how are sources designated, and how are seeds efficiently collected from local populations? While genetic data on a larger scale (phylogeography and population genetics) are needed to form a reply to the first question, similar data on a smaller scale (fine-scale genetic structures within populations) are necessary to shed light on the second issue.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.136-139
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• 2017

The genus Iksookimia (Actinopterygii: Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) is a bottom-dwelling freshwater loaches, which are well-known as their endemism and high geographic variation. However, population genetic relationships among Iksookimia spp. have remained unclear due to a shortage of genetic markers that can be applied generally in the genus. Here, we developed high-resolving microsatellite markers using I. koreensis and I. longicorpa as representatives of Iksookimia species because of their wide distribution range and phylogenetic position. Ten of polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated from Iksookimia koreensis and were successfully cross-amplified in I. longicorpa. The mean number of observed alleles per locus was about 10.4 (range, 2-17) for I. koreensis and about 13.2 (range, 2-24) for I. longicorpa. The loci, IK03 and IK08, deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in I. koreensis, after applying the Bonferroni correction. The microsatellite markers obtained in the present study will be useful to evaluate population genetic structure and to establish conservation strategies for I. koreensis and related Iksookimia species.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.637-647
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• 2022

A spotted scat, Scatophagus argus, has a high nutritional value and is among Asia's most widely consumed fish species. Thua Thien Hue's consumption market considers this species to be of high economic value and requires protection and conservation of the population. However, the studies on the identification and genetic diversity of S. argus distributed in Vietnam are still lacking. Therefore, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene was utilized to distinguish different populations and investigate the genetic diversity of two populations of S. argus from Tam Giang lagoon, Thua Thien Hue province (n = 31) and Ca Mau province (n = 14). The sequencing results indicated 13 distinct haplotypes among 45 sequences. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms were observed to distinguish Hue spotted scat population. The S. argus population in Ca Mau province was higher haplotype diversity (Hd) and nucleotide diversity (π) than those of Thua Thien Hue province, which demonstrates that there are minor differences between haplotypes. There were genetic distances ranging from 0%-4% within the populations and 6.67% between the two populations. In addition to the sequencing, the comparison of morphology, biology, culture, and the growth rate was sufficient to distinguish the spotted scat S. argus in Thua Thien Hue from Ca Mau.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2022

Halenia coreana is an endangered, endemic species that is distributed in only a few locations in Korea, such as Mts. Hwaaksan and Daeamsan. It has been recently segregated from H. corniculata, broadly distributed in cold temperate regions that include northern Japan, the Russian Far East, northeastern China, Mongolia, and eastern Europe, where population sizes are usually large. To examine the genetic diversity of H. coreana and evaluate the level of genetic differentiation of the species compared with that of H. corniculata, we surveyed 183 candidate simple sequence repeats (SSR) motif markers for H. coreana and H. corniculata from sequence data of amplified fragments of a specific length in the genome. A total of 17 genomic-SSR markers were selected to examine the levels of genetic diversity and differentiation using 17 samples of H. coreana and 60 samples of three populations of H. corniculata. The results here suggest that the genetic diversity of H. coreana is very low with a high frequency of inbreeding within its population. We found that H. coreana is genetically differentiated from H. corniculata, supporting the recognition of the geographically isolated H. coreana as a distinct species.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.148-156
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• 2023

Hibiscus hamabo (Malvaceae) is a deciduous shrub mainly found in northeast Asia, including China, Japan, and Korea. Due to its limited distribution on Jejudo Island and at several sites in Jeollanam-do in Korea, H. hamabo has been designated as an endangered species by the Ministry of the Environment and has been the subject of several restoration programs. In this study, we quantified genetic variations using double-digestion restriction-associated DNA sequencing technology in 96 individuals of H. hamabo from 13 distinct populations in Korea. We determined 3,352 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism loci after stringent filtering processes and analyzed the level of genetic variation within and among populations as well as the population differentiation and genetic ancestry with various assumptions pertaining to the population origin. Our results indicated weak differentiations among populations surveyed in this study but clearly suggested that most of the H. hamabo populations maintain a relatively high level of genetic diversity as evidence of frequent genetic exchanges among populations via outcrossing or sequential gene flows. For a more detailed analysis of the origin of Korean H. hamabo and its demographic history, it will be necessary to expand sampling in China and Japan.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.548-557
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• 2021

Cypripedium japonicum Thunb. is an endemic plant in East Asia, distributed only in Korea, China, and Japan. At the global level, the IUCN Red List evaluates it as "Endangered Species (EN)," and at the national level in Korea, it is evaluated as "Critically Endangered Species (CR)." In this study, we investigated the characteristics of the age structure and the sustainability of the population based on the data obtained by demographic monitoring conducted for seven years in the natural habitat. C. japonicum habitats were observed in 7 regions of Korea (Pochoen, Gapyeong, Hwacheon, Chuncheon, Yeongdong, Muju, Gwangyang), and 4,356 individuals in 15 subpopulations were identified. The population size and structure differed from region to region, and artificial management had a very important effect on the size and structural change of the population. Population viability analysis (PVA) based on changes in the number of individuals of C. japonicum showed a very diverse tendency by region. And the probability of population extinction in the next 100 years was 0.00% for Pocheon, 10.90% for Gwangyang, 24.05% for Chuncheon, and 79.50% for Hwacheon. Since the above monitored study sites were located within the conservation shelters, which restricted access by humans, unauthorized collection of C. japonicum, the biggest threat to the species, was not reflected in the individual viability. So, the risk of extinction in Korea is expected to be significantly higher than that estimated in this study. Therefore, it is necessary to reflect population information in several regions that may represent various threats to determine the extinction risk of the C. japonicum population objectively. In the future, we should expand the demographic monitoring of the C. japonicum population known in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.48-67
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• 2021

Plant species exhibit current characteristics as a result of interactions with environmental conditions. The plants of Viola sp. have selected chasmogamous flowers with vigorous vegetative propagation or development of cleistogamous flowers as an adaptation strategy. Viola websteri is distributed on the Korean peninsula and the eastern part of Jilin Province, China. The center and edge of the distribution are expected to exhibit different population-dynamics. It is necessary to investigate the cause of its current limited distribution even though V. websteri has a mixed-mating strategy. Firstly, We examined the vegetation environment of habitats and evaluated its characteristics. Growth characteristics were examined through plant phenology. We then evaluated the population structure, characteristics of chasmogamous flowers, and productivity of cleistogamous flowers. Moreover, we compared population sizes between 2014 and 2018. Most habitats were located in deciduous broadleaf mixed forests adjacent to valleys. V. websteri produced chasmogamous flowers with self-incompatibility in April-May and cleistogamous flowers in June-September. The cleistogamous flower production is a strategy ensuring seed production under uncertain environmental fluctuations; these were approximately twice as numerous as chasmogamous flowers. The population structure was distinguished into stable and very unstable regions. There were sites where the population experienced a sharp decline in the 2018 compared to that of 2014. This large decline was found in the edge populations. The habitats had different microsites depending on the natural disturbances of drought and the matrix constituting the habitat, thus supporting various plants. Ensuring the production of seeds through cleistogamous flowers, it was determined that rapid seedling re-establishment and population replenishment were possible when the natural disturbance factor was removed. Environmental factors did not equally affect all populations or individuals. Therefore, it was expected that it would be able to persisted in a long time, despite the rapid decrease in the number of individuals in the population regionally. Local extinction and re-establishment are likely to repeat according to environmental change. We propose the additional population investigation based on this works are required. We also suggest a need to assess the long-term population dynamics and the genetic characteristics of chasmogamous flowers and cleistogamous flowers to establish and implement effective conservation strategies.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.400-402
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• 2002

We collected seeds of Solidago virgaurea plants growing at different altitudes on the Mt Hakusan area in Japan and cultivated them in a naturally-lit green house. Three-week-old seedlings were irradiated with supplemental UV-B for 12 h each day for 1 and 2 weeks. After a week of itradiation the seedlings of the population collected from the higher altitude at Oh-nanjiho (ON) had accumulated more anthocyanins than those from the lower altitude at Bettoh-deai (BD). Levels of anthocyanins in the ON seedlings were highly correlated with the dose of UV-B radiation and the correlation was also observed after 2 weeks. The growth of the third leaves was retarded by UV-B radiation in both populations. The extent of growth retardation in the third leaves was correlated with the dose of UV -B radiation in both populations. However, no significant difference in the extent of leaf area growth was observed between the ON and BD populations. The increase in plant fresh weight was extensively inhibited in the ON seedlings after 1 week of UV-B radiation. The inhibition was recovered to those in the BD population by 2 weeks irradiation. These results indicate that these populations respond differentially to supplementary UV -B radiation during the first week. Because flavonoids such as anthocyanins play an important role in protection against UV-B radiation in many plants, populations growing at higher altitude may be better able to adapt to increased global levels of UV-B radiation.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.660-670
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• 2014

The Korean plum yew (Cephalotaxus koreana Nakai) is a shade-tolerant, coniferous shrub. The seeds have been used as a folk medicine in Korea, and an alkaloid extract (HTT) is known to have anticancer properties. We estimated the genetic diversity of 429 trees in 16 populations in South Korea using 194 polymorphic amplicons from seven combinations of AFLP primer-restriction enzymes. The average number of effective alleles and the percentage of polymorphic loci were 1.37 and 79.4%, respectively. Shannon's diversity index and the expected heterozygosity were 0.344 and 0.244, respectively. We divided 16 populations into four groups on the UPGMA dendrogram and the PCA biplot. The first two principal components explained 84% of the total genetic variation. Genetic differentiation between populations explained 14% of total genetic variation, and the remaining 86% came from difference between individuals within populations, as determined by an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). However, the genetic differentiation did not correlate with the geographic distance between populations from the Mantel test. The Bayesian statistics, which are comparable to Wright's $F_{ST}$ and Nei's $G_{ST}$, were ${\theta}^I=0.406$ and ${\theta}^{II}=0.172$, respectively. The population genetic diversity was slightly lower, and the strength of genetic differentiation was much weaker, than the average of those plants having similar life histories, as assessed using arbitrary marker systems. We discuss strategies for the genetic conservation of the plum yew in Korea.