• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.63-72
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• 2020

In this study, to discuss on the applicability of eDNA as a new method to investigate fish diversity at streams, we applied eDNA at 4 streams (Geum River, Ji Stream, Hwangji Stream, Seomjin River), where endangered species are inhabits, with conventional survey (cast net and kick net). The average (±standard deviation) number of species investigated by eDNA were 19 species (±4.4), and it was relatively higher than average of conventional survey, 10 species (±4.8). Most of case, in this study, eDNA was more efficient than conventional survey. However, there were errors on species identification of Korean endemic species and aliied species from eDNA, and it seems the universal primer (MiFish primer set) is not suitable for them. Furthermore, some of endangered species, caught by conventional method, was not detected by eDNA. As the present universal primer is not suitable for identify the every freshwater fish species in Korea, the complementing or development of universal primer is needed, and the eDNA application after species specific marker development for detecting specific species like endangered species should be considered. In conclusion, if the manual for field survey method by eDNA is developed, we expect applicability enlargement for water ecosystem survey.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.311-318
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• 2014

PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) is one of the perflourinated organic compound, which persist as a residual compound in the coastal environments. Intertidal mud crab Macrophthalmus japonicus mainly inhabits in coastal and bay ecosystems in Indo-Pacific region including Korea and reflects to environmental changes. In the present study, M. japonicus were exposed to different concentrations of PFOS and various ecotoxicological end-points such as survival rate, elimination of appendages, changes of the crust and internal organ color changes were investigated. Interestingly, the PFOS exposure showed concentration-dependent decrease of survival rate. High PFOS exposure ($30{\mu}gL^{-1}$) showed a low survival rate of 24% at 168 hours. Further, in comparison with the controls, the rate of elimination of appendages was also considerably increased in a time dependent manner upon PFOS exposure. Notably, with progression of time, an increased exposure to PFOS, test species showed whitening effect in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas the crab crust color was unchanged in the control. In addition, change in internal organs color and their visibility (clarity) observed in PFOS exposed crabs compared to control. Taken together, we suggest, eco-toxicology end-points of M. japonicus exposed to PFOS gave important biological information which could be useful to identify toxic contamination in the marine benthic environments.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.508-523
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• 2017

This study monitored the changes before and after restoration of ecological stream focusing on the places which are applied Sustainable Structured wetland Biotop (SSB) system and ecological Fish-way for restoration of Maeno stream. A total of 11 species and 191 individuals of fishes were founded out which were not verified inhabitation before restoration at SSB wetlands. Especially, it was could identified that micro habitat and healthy Fish-way was created because the restored target species, Microphysogobio yaluensis and Iksookimia koreensis were identified that habitation was monitored in SSB wetland. Amphibian have been restored to a number of Rana nigromaculata found in and around wetlands at the time of the third survey, which is highly active after restoration. Specified endangered species class 1 and natural monuments designated by the Ministry of Environment, Lutra lutra lutra, as a Mammalian, uses the wetlands and ecological Fish-way as habitat areas, and the his habitat is restored. In the case of Flora, vascular plants emerging in the survey area were increased to 7 and 13 species before restoration and 15 and 19 species directly after restoration, and 22 species and 33 species after restoration. Vegetation after restoration was found to be a basic producer of various ecosystems and a plant community that contributes to the purification of water quality such as Phragmites japonica communities. As the result of water quality monitoring, the average of treatment efficiencies were BOD 64.3%, T-N 47.2%, T-P 80.7%. Successful treatment of the nonpoint pullution source, which is a limiting factor to disturb the ecosystem, creatively restored the target species in the water quality class I, II.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.103-115
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to analyze fish fauna and species compositions along with trophic guilds, tolerance indicators, and fish community conditions before weir construction (BWC) and after weir construction (AWC) in the Yeongsan River watershed. Total 45 and 44 fish species were sampled in BWC and AWC, respectively without any distinct differences through weir constructions. Fish fauna analysis revealed that the dominant species was the same, Zacco platypus with 24.3% and 20.8% in BWC and AWC, respectively. However, the subdominant species were Carassius auratus with 8.9% in BWC but Opsarichthys uncirostris amurensis with 20.3%, almost identical that of the dominant species AWC. This phenomenon showed the distinct modification of species composition in the watershed. We sampled the $1^{st}$ class endangered species, Liobagrus obesus in tributary stream as previously reported. Also Culter brevicauda was sampled in the mainstream of Yeongsan River watershed and this was the first sampled record in this watershed. One of the most important features were an increase of exotic species, such as Micropterus salmoides and Lepomis macrochirus, with 3.2% BWC vs. 10.2% AWC as well as the increase in tolerant species with 49.2% BWC vs. 73.7% AWC, indicating ecological degradation through weir construction. Overall, our results indicated that fish fauna and composition analyses showed distinct ecological degradations related to increases of exotic and tolerant species AWC. Further long-term studies of fish monitoring should be conducted in the future to configure existent status of river conditions and to provide key information in order to conserve the healthy ecosystem.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.217-226
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• 2019

Optimum engineering methods for bank protection were classified based on steepness of bank slope and an existence of waterfront facility in the floodplain, and a new concept of eco-hybrid rolling mat method which could be applicable for the unfitted cases with previously developed countermeasures was suggested in this study. The eco-hybrid rolling mat method can be constructed while maintaining the river environment and ecosystem that does not interfere with the ground and slopes, when bank erosion occurs, it is an economical and efficient construction method that can protect the revetment and the bank slope immediately. The developed eco-hybrid rolling mat method was verified for the designed structure, system, function and effect based on large-scale river experiments including field exposure and decomposition test. As a result, the normal operation and effect of the rolling mat ted under low and high velocity conditions were confirmed with respect to bank protection. The effect of bank erosion prevention was quantitatively validated by sediment concentration monitoring and analysis, and the product specification of the eco-hybrid rolling mat was presented based on the standardized mat applied in real-scale tests.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.227-235
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• 2019

This study monitored Daecheong 1-bo, Daecheong-stream, which carried out the project in 2014, from 2015 to 2016. The technology applied to the stream was evaluated using Periphytic Algae to check contamination indicators and ecological health of the area with an integral river-bed protection using non-toxic materials. The water quality of the monitoring section was confirmed to be above the river environment standard (II), and it was confirmed that the Saproxenic taxa of the river bed protection were higher than the upper and downstream sections. The TDI, which is an index of attachment algae, was shown in the average 51.03 and 52.15 for the pilot project sections in 2015 and 2016, confirming that the index is of the "normal" grade. This is the other sections in the upstream and downstream sections showed higher than "bad", which is thought to have a positive effect on the habitat of the river ecosystem components, especially the microbial population in river bed protection.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.101-109
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• 2003

The study area, Kwangneung Experiment Forest (KEF) is located on the west-central portion of Korean peninsula and belongs to a cool-temperate broadleaved forest Bone. At the old-growth deciduous forest near Soribong-peak (533.1 m) in KEF, we have established a 1 ha permanent plot ($100m{\times}100m$) and a flux tower, and the site was registered as a KLTER(Korean long-term ecological research network) and DK site of KoFlux. In this site, we made a stemmap of trees and analyzed forest stand structure and physical and chemical soil characteristics, and estimated carbon budgets by forest components (tree biomass, soils, litter and so on). Dominant tree species were Quercus serrata and Carpinus laxiflora, and accompanied by Q. aliena, Carpinus cordata, and so on. As a result of a field survey of the plot, density of the trees larger than 2 cm in DBH was 1,473 trees per ha, total biomass 261.2 tons/ha, and basal area $28.0m^2$/ha. Parent rock type is granite gneiss. Soil type is brown forest soil (alfisols in USDA system), and the depth is from 38 to 66 cm. Soil texture is loam or sandy loam, and its pH was f개m 4.2 to 5.0 in the surface layer, and from 4.8 to 5.2 in the subsurface layer. Seasonal changes in LAI were measured by hemispherical photography at the 1.2 m height, and the maximum was 3.65. And the spatial distributions of volumetric soil moisture contents and LAIs of the plot were measured. The carbon pool in living tree biomass including below ground biomass was 136 tons C/ha, and 5.6 tons C/ha is stored in the litter layer, and about 92.0 tons C/ha in the soil to the 30 cm in depth. Totally more than about 233.6 tons C/ha was stored in DK site. These ground survey and monitoring data will give some important parameters and validation data for the forest dynamics models or biogeochemical dynamics models to predict or interpolate spatially the changes in forest ecosystem structure and function.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2014

Aromatic hydrocarbons are toxic environmental pollutants that are detrimental to the ecosystem and human health. Among them, chlorotoluene and nitrotoluene are toxic to hydrobios and irritate the skin, eyes, and respiratory organs of humans. We herein report the development of recombinant microbial biosensors for cheap and rapid monitoring of chlorotoluene and nitrotoluene compounds. Plasmids were constructed by inserting the xylR regulatory gene for BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) degradation into upstream of Po' (the DmpR activator promoter Po with the deletion of its own upstream activating sequences) or Pu (the cognate promoter of XylR)::lacZ (the ${\beta}$-galactosidase gene) and transformed into Escherichia coli $DH5{\alpha}$. In the presence of inducers, the biosensor cells immobilized in agarose developed a red color in 1-2 h due to the hydrolysis of chlorophenol red ${\beta}$-D-galactopyranoside (CPRG), a substrate of ${\beta}$-galactosidase that was expressed by the inducers. Among BTEX, high responses were specifically observed with o-, m-, p-chlorotoluene ($0.1{\mu}M-100 mM$) and o-, m-, p-nitrotoluene (0.1 mM-100 mM). Po' demonstrated higher responses than those with Pu. The biosensors immobilized in agarose showed good stability after 21 days' storage at $4^{\circ}C$, and responses in untreated wastewater spiked with chlorotoluene and nitrotoluene, suggesting they can be used to detect compounds in wastewater.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2011

A study on the occurrence and movement of marine debris is required for protecting the marine environment and ecosystem from marine pollution. The aim of this study is to show annual production and movement characteristics through analysis for the flow path, composition and the sources of marine debris. This study analyzed the distribution and characteristics of marine debris collected in the region of $100\;m{\times}20\;m$($=2,000\;m^2$) at the Daekwang Beach in the Yellow Sea. During the collection period from 2008 to 2010, the total weight of the marine debris was 1,445 kg in this site. The most marine debris was plastic amounting to 46.5% of the whole collection; the rest were styrofoam(20%) and wooden material(12.6%). The amount of marine debris mused from foreign country observed 155.5 kg, more than 90% of them was plastic came from China such as buoys. Additionally, this study analyzed seasonal change if marine environment to understand occurrence amount change if marine debris. 2009 and 2010 was high occurrence ratio in season that the north wind is very strong and the occurrence rate appeared highest by 40% in the summer(July) of 2008 that appeared westbound tidal current. Overall, marine Debris mused from foreign country was high occurrence ratio in January, May and then November has a lot of quantity secondly. While, occurrence ratio was the highest by 46% summer(July) in 2008, but in 2009 and 2010 showed the lowest rate to 4%.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.327-349
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• 2010

This study was carried out to investigate the distribution of vascular plants and their use from 2007 to 2009 in Mt. Unmum(Cheongdo-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-Do). The vascular plants were summarized as 605 taxa including 98 families, 304 genus, 514 species, 3 subspecies, 68 varieties, and 20 forma. Among the investigated 605 taxa, 21 rare and endangered plants, 29 Korean endemic plants were included. Based on the list of specially designated plants by Ministry of Environment, 70 taxa included Iris odaesanensis and Gastrodia elata were recorded in the investigated area. The naturalized plants were identified as 23 taxa and the percent of naturalized index(NI) was 3.8% of total 605 taxa vascular plants. Usage of 605 taxa were consists of 225 taxa(37.2%) of edible plants, 191 taxa(31.6%) of medicinal plants, 64 taxa(10.6%) of ornamental plants, 46 taxa(7.6%) of pasture plants, 18 taxa(3.0%) of timber plants, 14 taxa(2.3%) of fiber plants, and 3 taxa(0.5%) of industrial plants. To management of natural resource, we suppose that it is required to establish an ecological learning area to minimize human disturbance and an effective managemet strategy by continuous monitoring for ecosystem change.