• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.421-426
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• 2019

Background: Wolbachia are among the most prevalent endosymbiotic bacteria and induce reproductive anomalies in various invertebrate taxa. The bacterium has huge impacts on host reproductive biology, immunity, evolution, and molecular machinery. However, broad-scale surveys of Wolbachia infections at the order scale, including the order Coleoptera, are limited. In this study, we investigated the Wolbachia infection frequency in 201 Coleopteran insects collected in Korea. Results: A total of 26 species (12.8%) belonging to 11 families harbored Wolbachia. The phylogenetic trees of based on partial 16S rRNA gene sequences and partial Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) gene sequences were largely incongruent to that of their hosts. This result confirms that Wolbachia evolved independently from their hosts, Conclusion: Phylogenetic trees suggest that complex horizontal gene transfer and recombination events occurred within and between divergent Wolbachia subgroups.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.509-517
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• 2016

Previous studies have investigated the similarity between the development of evolutionary explanations and students' conceptual developments on evolution. However, the validity and reliability of the assessment method reflecting the similarity have not been quantitatively examined yet. In addition, no study has examined the conceptual progressions of evolution concept based on contexts although literature has addressed the contextual difference of evolutionary explanation in the history of science. This study examined the validity and reliability of history-of-science-based evolution concept assessment using ordered multiple choice (OMC) methods and Rasch analysis and explored conceptual progression by three contexts (e.g., human, animal, and plant). The evolution concept assessment developed by Ha (2007) was used to examine 1711 elementary, middle, and high school students, and pre- and in-service science teachers' (biology majors and non-majors) evolution concepts. Internal consistency reliability and item response fitness of the OMC method that provide 0- to 4-point scores to creationism, teleology, intentionality, use/disuse, and natural selection respectively met the benchmark based on the Cronbach alpha and MNSQ indices of Rasch analysis. The level of elementary and middle school students' evolution concepts were located between intentionality and use/disuse while the level of high school and non-biology science teachers' evolution concepts were located between use/disuse and natural selection. The conceptual progressions of evolution concepts were differentiated according to three contexts. This study provided the quantitative evidence for the similarity between the development of evolutionary explanations and students' conceptual developments on evolution and suggest new analysis methods (i.e., OMC) of evolution concept assessment.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.179-190
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• 2023

Grapevine downy mildew, caused by Plasmopara viticola, significantly damages vineyards and is one of the most devastating diseases affecting cultivated grapes worldwide. In this study, we characterized the phenotypic and molecular traits of 11 P. viticola isolates from four grape-growing regions in South Korea. Additionally, we investigated the diversity of pathogenicity among these isolates and conducted an assay to evaluate the response of grape cultivars to P. viticola infection. Lemon-shaped sporangia were identified in the collected isolates, which released zoospores into the suspension at room temperature. Within a few hours of inoculation, the zoospores developed germ tubes. We tested 11 P. viticola isolates for pathogenicity in 845 grape cultivars to screen for grape host resistance to downy mildew infection. Among the tested isolates, JN-9 showed the highest virulence. Grape cultivars displayed varying phenotypic reactions to P. viticola infection: approximately 7% were highly susceptible, 41% were susceptible, 20% were moderately susceptible, 8% were resistant, and 24% exhibited extreme resistance. Phylogenetic analysis based on four genomic regions (internal transcribed spacer 1 [ITS1], actin, beta-tubulin, and cytochrome c oxidase II) revealed a close evolutionary relationship among all the Korean isolates, forming a single monophyletic lineage. Notably, these isolates showed greater similarity to European isolates than to American isolates. This comprehensive study contributes to a deeper understanding of the identity and behavior of P. viticola, which is crucial for developing effective resistance strategies against this pathogen in grape cultivars cultivated in South Korea.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.129-148
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• 2016

Plant species on oceanic islands comprise nearly 25% of described vascular plants on only 5% of the Earth's land surface yet are among the most rare and endangered plants. Conservation of plant biodiversity on islands poses particular challenges because many species occur in a few and/or small populations, and their habitats on islands are often disturbed by the activity of humans or by natural processes such as landslides and volcanoes. In addition to described species, evidence is accumulating that there are likely significant numbers of "cryptic" species in oceanic archipelagos. Plant systematists, in collaboration with others in the botanical disciplines, are critical to the discovery of the subtle diversity in oceanic island floras. Molecular data will play an ever increasing role in revealing variation in island lineages. However, the input from plant systematists and other organismal biologists will continue to be important in calling attention to morphological and ecological variation in natural populations and in the discovery of "new" populations that can inform sampling for molecular analyses. Conversely, organismal biologists can provide basic information necessary for understanding the biology of the molecular variants, including diagnostic morphological characters, reproductive biology, habitat, etc. Such basic information is important when describing new species and arguing for their protection. Hybridization presents one of the most challenging problems in the conservation of insular plant diversity, with the process having the potential to decrease diversity in several ways including the merging of species into hybrid swarms or conversely hybridization may generate stable novel recombinants that merit recognition as new species. These processes are often operative in recent radiations in which intrinsic barriers to gene flow have not evolved. The knowledge and continued monitoring of plant populations in the dynamic landscapes on oceanic islands are critical to the preservation of their plant diversity.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.295-300
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• 2004

In the breeding colony of black-tailed gull, as nests of conspecific neighbors are very closely located, chicks are permanently exposed by sound and visual stimuli produced by adult conspecifics approaching their nests. The chicks, therefore, may need to learn ways to appropriately respond to their parents approach. In this study we experimentally manipulated sensory stimulation that is potentially provided by the parents to the offspring. Chicks incubated in the laboratory were exposed to a mew call of the conspecific adult. Then they were tested in three situations differing in sensory stimulation: 1) visual stimulation only, 2) auditory stimulation only, and 3) Simultaneous visual and auditory stimulations. We observed occurrence of different response of the chicks, which were categorized into three behaviors (begging call response, chirirah call and pecking behavior). We also investigated intensity of the chicks call in response to the different stimulations and the degree of response with age. The chicks exposed to only auditory stimulation made significantly more chirirah calls. The intensities (dB) of the mew call and chicks chirirah call were directly correlated. On the other hand, when chicks just saw the stuffed adult gull, they responded significantly more with a begging call and pecking behavior. In the situation of costimulation, the chicks responded with a begging call and pecking, but less frequently than visual stimulation only. The results suggest that young black-tailed gulls use call repertories to properly respond to parents behavior. Such results suggest an evolutionary process for uncreasing their survival rate in a group breeding site.

• ALGAE
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.269-278
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• 2018

Ocean warming can have significant negative impacts on population genetic diversity, local endemism and geographical distribution of a wide range of marine organisms. Thus, the identification of conservation units with high risk of extinction becomes an imperative task to assess, monitor, and manage marine biodiversity for policy-makers. Here, we surveyed population structure and genetic variation of the red seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla along the coast of China using genome-based amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) scanning. Regardless of analysis methods used, AFLP consistently revealed a south to north genetic isolation. Populations at the southern coast of China showed unique genetic variation and much greater allelic richness, heterozygosity, and average genetic diversity than the northern. In particular, we identified a geographical barrier that may hinder genetic exchange between the two lineages. Consequently, the characterized genetic lineage at the southern coast of China likely resulted from the interplay of post-glacial persistence of ancestral diversity, geographical isolation and local adaptation. In particular, the southern populations are indispensable components to explore evolutionary genetics and historical biogeography of G. vermiculophylla in the northwestern Pacific, and the unique diversity also has important conservation value in terms of projected climate warming.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.335-342
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• 2005

We cloned seven genes encoding chitin synthases (CHSs) by PCR amplification from genomic DNAs of four strains of the genus Sporobolomyces and of Bensingtonia subrosea using degenerated primers based on conserved regions of the CHS genes. Though amino acid sequences of these genes were shown similar as 176 to 189 amino acids except SgCHS2, DNA sequences were different in size, which was due to various introns present in seven fragments. Alignment and phylogenetic analysis of their deduced amino acid sequences together with the reported CHS genes of basidiomycetes separated the sequences into classes I, II and III. This analysis also permitted the classification of isolated CHSs; SgCHS1 belongs to class I, BsCHS1, SaCHS1, SgCHS2, SpgCHS1, and SsCHS1 belong to class II, and BsCHS2 belongs to class III. The deduced amino acid sequences involving in class II that were discovered from five strains were also compared with those of other basidiomycetes by CLUSTAL X program. The bootstrap analysis and phylogenetic tree by neighbor-joining method revealed the taxonomic and evolutionary position for four strains of the genus Sporobolomyces and for Bensingtonia subrosea which agreed with the previous classification. The results clearly showed that CHS fragments could be used as a valuable key for the molecular taxonomic and phylogenetic studies of basidiomycetes.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.165-171
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• 2013

The distribution patterns of estuarine copepods were investigated in the Seomjin River estuary of southern Korea after heavy rains in August 2006. Tidal influence extended 16 km from the estuary mouth. Each estuary zone (Oligohaline salinity <5, mesohaline salinity 5~18, polyhaline salinity >18) changed within a range of about 5~6 km between low and high tides. A total of ten species were recorded, of which Pseudodiaptomus koreanus, Sinocalanus tenellus, and Tortanus dextrilobatus were predominant in the oligohaline zone; Acartia ohtsukai and Acartia forticrusa in the mesohaline zone; and A. erythraea, Calanus sinicus, Centropages dorsispinatus, Labidocera rotunda and Paracalanus parvus s. l. in the polyhaline zone. Their density was fastly reduced in the other zones. In particular, the oligohaline species migrated and aggregated into deeper water during ebb tides in order to retain their populations, while the same tendency was weaker for polyhaline species, suggesting that evolutionary traits primarily control population retention behaviors in estuarine environments.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.339-345
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• 2020

The Earth contains billions of microbial species, although the vast majority cannot be cultured in laboratories and are thus considered unidentified and uncharacterized. Extremophiles are microorganisms that thrive in extreme conditions, including temperature, salinity, and pH. Extremophilic microorganisms have provided important insights for biological, metabolic, and evolutionary studies. Between 2017 and 2019, as part of a comprehensive investigation to identify bacterial species in Korea, eight bacterial strains were isolated from marine and non-marine environments in Jeju Island. These strains were cultured under extreme salinity or pH conditions. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S ribosomal RNA(rRNA) gene sequencing indicated that all eight strains belonged to the phyla Gammaproteobacteria, Bacilli, and Alphaproteobacteria. Based on their high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities(>98.7%) and the formation of strong monophyletic clades with their closest related species, all isolated strains were considered as an unrecorded strain, previously unidentified species. Gram stain reaction, culture conditions, colony and cell morphology, biochemical characteristics, isolation source, and National Institute of Biological Resources(NIBR) IDs are described in this article. The characterization of these unrecorded strains provides information on microorganisms living in Korea.

• Mycobiology
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.331-340
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• 2020

The family Peronosporaceae, an obligate biotrophic group of Oomycota, causes downy mildew disease on many cultivated and ornamental plants such as beet, cucumber, grape, onion, rose, spinach, and sunflower. To investigate the diversity of Peronosporaceae species in Korea, we performed morphological analysis for dried plant herbariums with downy mildew infections by two largest genera, Peronospora and Plasmopara. As a result, it was confirmed that there are five species of Peronospora and two species of Plasmopara, which have been so far unrecorded in Korea, as well as rarely known in the world; Pl. angustiterminalis (ex Xanthium strumarium), Pl. siegesbeckiae (ex Siegesbeckia glabrescens), P. chenopodii-ambrosioidis (ex Chenopodium ambrosioides), P. chenopodii-ficifolii (ex Chenopodium ficifolium), P. clinopodii (ex Clinopodium cf. vulgare), P. elsholtziae (ex Elsholtzia ciliata), and P. lathyrina (ex Lathyrus japonicus). In addition, their phylogenetic relationship was inferred by molecular sequence analysis of ITS, LSU rDNA, and cox2 mtDNA. By rediscovering the seven missing species and barcoding their DNA sequences, this study provides valuable insights into the diversity and evolutionary studies of downy mildew pathogens.