• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.94 no.2 s.159
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• pp.117-120
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• 2005

This study was conducted to estimate population size and investigate habitat characteristics for the conservation and management of Amur goral Nemorhaedus caudatus raddeanus in DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) of Gangwon Province in South Korea from November 2003 to May 2004. The Amur gorals counting were carried out by assistance of military soldiers who guards the southern boundary of DMZ. Four hundred sixty individuals were estimated as total population size in DMZ of Gangwon Province. Deciduous forest, rocky area and coniferous forest were dominant land cover types in habitat of Amur goral. DMZ and its vicinity of Gangwon Province are very important areas for the conservation of this species. It is needed to establish management plan for the conservation of Amur goral and their habitats in DMZ.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1519-1523
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• 2003

Glehnia littoralis Fr. Schmidt (Umbelliferae) is a short-lived herbaceous species that are mostly distributed throughout East Asia. Although G. littoralis has been regarded as ecologically important one, there is no report on population structure in Korea. Starch gel electrophoresis was used to investigate the allozyme variation and genetic structure of Korean populations of this species. A high level of genetic variation was found in G. littoral is populations. Nine enzymes revealed 18 loci, of which 12 were polymorphic (66.7%). Genetic diversity at the species and population levels were 0.159 and 0.129, respectively. The sexual and asexual reproduction, high fecundity, and colonization process are proposed as possible factors contributing to genetic diversity. An indirect estimate of the number of migrants per generation (Nm = 1.45) indicated that gene flow was not extensive among Korean populations of this species. It is suggested that the ability of vegetation and artificial selection may have played roles in shaping the population structure of this species. we recommend that a desirable conservation population should be included at least 30 plants per population and especially those with high variation.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.153-164
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• 1997

This study was conducted to develop the new Environmental Impact Assessment techniques for the grading of rareness in plant. 17 EISs which were submitted in 1996 were analyzed to know the problems in existent EIA techniques for the conservation of rare plants. Category of rare plant was reevaluated and evaluation technique for the grading of rareness in plant was developed. The results obtained from this study were as follows: 1. The evaluation technique of rareness in plant was not reflected in the current preparation provision for EIS. And t his fact also appeared in most of the EIS which were reexamined in this study. 2. The category of rare species which have been considered as the subject of protection in EIA have to be enlarged to more than legally protected species designated by MOE. 3. The taxonomic characteristics and status of species, characteristics of population, geographical characters, extent of threat and its possibility by man resulted from the habitat loss were investigated. Each item was endowed scores from 1 to 5 and all the scores were summed, and then this value was used to evaluate the order of conservation. 4. Conservation measures for the rare plants have to be applied according to the levels of rareness grade, and they are absolute conservation, in situ conservation, transplanting and ex situ conservation, post observation and none by the levels from A to E. 5. Considering the phenology of rare plants, investigation for the rare plants have to be made a1 least three times. 6. Size of the MVP(Minimum Viable Population), pollination ecology also have to be considered for the conservation of rare plants. And in the case of adopting ex situ conservation measure, the site and methods for the conservation of rare plants have to be proposed in detail.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.377-389
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• 2010

Understanding the factors relevant to endangerment and the patterns of habitat locations in relation to protected areas is critically important for the conservation of rare species. Although 64 plant species have recently been listed as endangered species in Korea, this information has, until now, not been available, making appropriate management and conservation strategies impossible to devise. Thus, we collected information on potentially threatening factors, as well as information on the locations in which these species were observed. The potentially threatening factors were classified into seven categories. National parks, provincial parks, ecosystem conservation areas, and wetland conservation areas were defined as protected conservation areas. Korean digital elevation model data, along with the maps of all protected areas were combined with the maps of endangered plant species, and analyzed via Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Excluding the category of "small population", endangered plant species in Korea were associated more frequently with extrinsic factors than intrinsic factors. Considering land surface only, all conservation areas in Korea totaled 4.9% of the land, far lower than International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)'s 10% coverage target. At the species level, 69% of the endangered plant species were detected in conservation areas, mostly in national parks. However, this result demonstrates that 31% of endangered species inhabit areas outside the conservation zones. Furthermore, at the habitat level, a large proportion of endangered species were found to reside in unprotected areas, revealing "gaps" in protected land. In the face of rapid environmental changes such as population increases, urbanization, and climate changes, converting these gap areas to endangered species' habitats, or at least including them in habitat networks, will help to perpetuate the existence of endangered species.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.512-523
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• 1995

The central theme of Habital heterogeneity is to provide animals with habital complexity or structural diversity and to allow resource partitioning among individuals. In turn, the leads to population stability because prey can escape more easily with more hiding places causing less population fluctuation. Species diversity is characterized due to more potential niches both horizontally and verticall. Empirically, in homogeneous habitats population was less abundant, reproduction and survival were lower, spacing behavior, competition and dispersal were higher than in heterogeneous habitats. The results imply that diversity and conservation of species can be maintained through providing heterogeneous habitats.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2017

The population status of Hydrangea luteovenosa Koidz. in Korea was investigated, with an emphasis on its genetic diversity. From field surveys, we obtained the only locality record for a wild population in Jeju Island, which contained 285 individuals in total. Genotyping was performed using five microsatellite markers for the all extant plants in Korea. Three Japanese populations were also genotyped for the comparative analyses. The genotyping result showed that the Jeju population consisted of only two multilocus genotypes, including identical heterozygous genotypes at two loci; it had been maintained mostly by vegetative reproduction; and although the Jeju population is geographically far from Japanese populations, all alleles observed in the Korean population were shared with Japanese populations, suggesting the possibility that H. luteovenosa in the Jeju Island had been recently migrated or introduced from Japan. Future ecological and genetic studies associated with negative effects of low genetic variation will be essential for determining the conservation direction of the threatened Korean population of this species.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.566-575
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• 2008

Twenty-five chipmunk species occur in the world, of which only the Siberian chipmunk, Tamias sibiricus, inhabits Asia. To investigate mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence variations and population structure of the Siberian chipmunk in northeastern Asia, we examined mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences (1140 bp) from 3 countries. Analyses of 41 individuals from South Korea and 33 individuals from Russia and northeast China resulted in 37 haplotypes and 27 haplotypes, respectively. There were no shared haplotypes between South Korea and Russia - northeast China. Phylogenetic trees and network analysis showed 2 major maternal lineages for haplotypes, referred to as the S and R lineages. Haplotype grouping in each cluster was nearly coincident with its geographic affinity. In particular, 3 distinct groups were found that mostly clustered in the northern, central and southern parts of South Korea. Nucleotide diversity of the S lineage was twice that of lineage R. The divergence between S and R lineages was estimated to be 2.98-0.98 Myr. During the ice age, there may have been at least 2 refuges in South Korea and Russia - northeast China. The sequence variation between the S and R lineages was 11.3% (K2P), which is indicative of specific recognition in rodents. These results suggest that T. sibiricus from South Korea could be considered a separate species. However, additional information, such as details of distribution, nuclear genes data or morphology, is required to strengthen this hypothesis.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.21 no.sup1
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• pp.29-37
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• 2009

The tiny fragment of freshwater body is providing home for huge biodiversity and resources for the existence of human. The competing demand for freshwater have been increased rapidly and it caused the declination of biodiversity in recent decades. Unlike the natural process of extinction in gradual progress, the current species extinction is accelerated by human activity. As a result many fish species are already extinct or alive only in captivity in the world and about fifty eight animal species are in endangered in Korea including eighteen freshwater species. Conservation of biodiversity is the process by which the prevention of loss or damage is attained, and is often associated with management of the natural environment. The practical action is classified into in-situ, or ex-situ depending on the location of the conservation effort. Recovery means the process by which the status of endangerment is improved to persist in the wild by re-introduction of species from ex-situ conservation population into nature or translocation of some population. However there are a lot of restrictions to complete it and successful results are known very rare in case. In this article the authors explore some strategies for conservation and restoration of freshwater fish species conducted in Korea for few years. The major causes are discussed in relation with the decline of freshwater fish diversity during few decades and some strategies are evaluated to advance the process of conservation. A study on the Korean bullhead, Pseudobagrus brevicorpus, is introduced as a case for ex-situ conservation and restoration in freshwater ecosystem.

• Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.213-220
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• 2017

Production of spring wheat, the major crop in Mongolia, accounts for 98% of the cultivated area. Understanding genetic variability in existing gene bank accessions is critical for collection, conservation and use of wheat germplasms. To determine genetic diversity and population structure among a representative collection of Mongolian local wheat cultivars and lines, 200 wheat accessions were analyzed with 15 SSR markers distributed throughout the wheat genome. A total of 85 alleles were detected, with three to five alleles per locus and a mean genetic richness of 5.66. Average genetic diversity index was 0.69, with values ranging from 0.37-0.80. The 200 Mongolian wheat accessions were mainly divided into two subgroups based on structure and phylogenetic analyses, and some phenotypes were divergent by the subgroups. Results from this study will provide valuable information for conservation and sustainable use of Mongolian wheat genetic resources.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.48-53
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• 2012

The tiger population that once inhabited the Korean peninsula was initially considered a unique subspecies (Panthera tigris coreensis), distinct from the Amur tiger of the Russian Far East (P. t. altaica). However, in the following decades, the population of P. t. coreensis was classified as P. t. altaica and hence forth the two populations have been considered the same subspecies. From an ecological point of view, the classification of the Korean tiger population as P. t. altaica is a plausible conclusion. Historically, there were no major dispersal barriers between the Korean peninsula and the habitat of Amur tigers in Far Eastern Russia and northeastern China that might prevent gene flow, especially for a large carnivore with long-distance dispersal abilities. However, there has yet to be a genetic study to confirm the subspecific status of the Korean tiger. Bone samples from four tigers originally caught in the Korean peninsula were collected from two museums in Japan and the United States. Eight mitochondrial gene fragments were sequenced and compared to previously published tiger subspecies' mtDNA sequences to assess the phylogenetic relationship of the Korean tiger. Three individuals shared an identical haplotype with the Amur tigers. One specimen grouped with Malayan tigers, perhaps due to misidentification or mislabeling of the sample. Our results support the conclusion that the Korean tiger should be classified as P. t. altaica, which has important implications for the conservation and reintroduction of Korean tigers.