• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.759-766
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• 2017

In order to identify the species composition and distribution pattern of larval fish assemblages in the southern coastal waters of Korea, monthly samples were taken using an RN80 net which was towed horizontally in three different regions (Yeosu, Namhae and Tongyoung) between May to September 2016. A total of fifty taxa were collected during the study. Among these, Engraulis japonicus, which accounted for 56.8 % of the total population, was the most dominant species, followed by Sillago japonicus, Parablennius yatabei, Gobiidae Type A, Parablennidae sp., and Omobranchus elegans as dominant taxa, that accounted for 87.5% of the total number of individuals. ANOSIM results revealed that regional groups were not separated, but seasonal groups were clearly divided with statistical significance, and these differences were caused mainly by water temperature variations identified by canonical analysis.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.148-155
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• 2020

In this study, we analyzed the effects of the presence or absence of weirs on fish assemblages in wadeable streams (Stream order 1^st~4^th). More specifically, we investigated these effects by evaluating the differences in stream size. The results showed differences in the fish assemblages in third or higher order streams (PERMANOVA, P<0.005). The presence or absence of weirs mainly affected variables such as the number of species the individuals, and species richness index, whereas no difference was observed in the populations of exotic, endemic, and endangered species. A SIMPER analysis showed that the common species Zacco platypus, Zacco koreanus, and Pungtungia herzi are dominant in their corresponding streams (contribution>5%), and that these are the main contributors to differences among the fish assemblages. All these species showed high relative abundances at the sites with weirs. Altered environments by the presence of weirs provided these species with concentrated habitats. In summary, this study analyzed the effects of weirs on fish assemblages on a broad, nationwide, scale, and these results can effectively aid future studies on the specific effects of weirs.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2015

Abstract The purpose of study is to identify the relationship between stable isotope composition of reed stems in coastal and understand the structure of the fish community in 10 lagoons along the East Sea. The fish species composition (particularly, anadromous fish species) and relative abundance of trophic guilds was influenced by difference of geomorphic characteristics among lagoons. Reed stems ${\delta}^{13}C$ and ${\delta}^{15}N$ values ranged from $-28.40{\pm}0.11$‰ to $-26.87{\pm}0.25$‰ and $-1.09{\pm}1.45$‰ to $12.08{\pm}0.53$‰, respectively. The differences in reed stem ${\delta}^{15}N$ values might be associated with anthropogenic landuse and the geomorphic characteristics among lagoons. These results provide useful information to improve the conservation of fish habitats (biodiversity), preserve lagoon habitats and contribute to watershed management effect against anthropogenic pollution from watershed in these lagoon ecosystems.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.796-804
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• 2006

The objective of this research was to develop ecological multi-metric models using natural fish assemblages for a diagnosis of current stream health condition, and apply the model to nationwide lotic ecosystems of the Geum River, the Youngsan River, and the Sumjin River. The ecological stream health model was based on the index of biological integrity (IBI), which was originally developed in North American streams by Karr (1981), and the Rapid Bioassessment Protocol (RBP), which was scientifically established by the US EPA (1999). The metric numbers and metric attributes were partially changed for the regional applications, so the scoring criteria was modified for the assessment. Overall, metric values, based on the IBI calculations, reflected conventional water quality characteristics, based on nutrient regime, and agreed with results of staticeco-toxicity tests. Some stations impaired in terms of stream health were identified by the IBI approach, and also major key stressors affecting the stream health were identified by additional evaluations of physical habitats. Our preliminary results suggested that biological integrity in stream ecosystems was largely disturbed by habitat degradation as well as chemical pollutions. This new approach would be used as a key tool for ecological restorations and species conservations in the degraded aquatic ecosystems in Korea and applied for elucidating major causes of ecological disturbances. Ultimately, this approach provides us an effective management strategy of stream ecosystems through establishments of ecological networks in various watersheds.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.311-321
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate effect of stream channel naturalness on ecological health by using environmental factors and Fish Assessment Index (FAI) in the Han River of South Korea. These samples and data have been released from the research project titled Stream/River Ecosystem Survey and Health Assessment, which was conducted in 444 sites in the Han river watershed from 2008 to 2016. All samples were classified into five groups according to a degree of morphological changes of stream. Water chemistry analyses indicated a decline in water quality by decreasing stream channel naturalness, it is assumed that channelized stream was vulnerable to aquatic pollution compared to the natural meandering stream. In the result of frequency of dominant species, sensitive species and insectivore such as Zacco koreanus, Rhynchocypris kumgangensis and Pungtungia herzi were frequently dominated in the natural meandering stream while tolerant species and omnivores such as Carassius auratus and Cyprinus carpio were more dominated in the channelized streams. The FAI in the channelized stream shows decline to average of $46{\pm}25$ compared with that of the natural meandering stream ($80{\pm}20$). The decrease in FAI was highly influenced by changes in matrixes of fish assemblage structure such as number of sensitive species (M3), portion of omnivores (M5) and insectivores (M6). Moreover, annual average FAIs from 2008 to 2016 were significantly correlated with water chemistry, especially TN, TP and BOD ($r^2=0.59$, p<0.0001). Taken together, all the results suggest that the stream channelization could negatively impact on the water quality and fish assemblage structure, leading to degradation in aquatic ecosystem health.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.331-339
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• 2006

Inhabitant patterns of the legally protected species and the characteristics of fish fauna in the Pyeongchang River, Korea, were studied from April to July 2004 by selecting 6 sites. The number of fish samples in this period were 2,448 in 35 species of 9 families. A total of nineteen endemic species (54.29%) were presented and those were Hemibarbus mylodon and Acheilognathus signifer. The highest frequency was shown in Zacco korean us (34.84%) and Pungtungia herzi (10.25%) and Coreoleuciscus splendidus (6.86%) were the next. In addition, The highest biomass was found in Z. koreanus (5,580.2g) and Coreoperca. herzi (1.241.2g) and C. splendidus (1,207.0g) were the next. When comparing the distribution of the legally protected species in within the Han River system, the highesting distributions were determined in the Pyeongchang and Dong River (6 species). The ratio of individuals in the Pyeongchang River was shown to be higher (10.62%) than that of other lakes and streams. In conclusion, more precise protection and protective plans were needed in order to maintain the lake ecology in good status because the Pyeongchang River is relatively well protected from the anthropogenic disturbance in the legally protected species including the endemic species.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.495-502
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• 2007

Species biotic index (SBI), based on a fish assemblage, was applied to a stream assessment using long-term ecological fish data set (1996 to 2001) in Boryong dam area, which is located in the mainstream of Ungchun Stream of Chungnam province, Korea. According to the methods of Hilsenhoff (1988), the scores of tolerance guild assigned 10 classes to each species by its habitat and feeding guild, but modified current 7 criteria to 5 scoring standards due to unclear borderline among species. Relative abundance in the species number of upper stream guilds was only 7% of the total, whereas the abundance in the species number of middle to downstream upper stream guilds was 64%. Mean SBI, based on dataset in Site 1 during 1995-2001 averaged 5.10, which was judged as a "good" condition by the rank criteria of SBI. Before the dam construction, mean SBI in the Site 1 was 4.61, indicating a "good" condition, but after the dam construction, mean SBI was 5.60, indicating a "fair" condition. Trajectory analysis in the Site 1 showed significantly (One-way ANOVA, $F_{6,21}=3.26$, p=0.02) different among years, reflecting the changes of fish composition and population density by the dam construction, whereas Site 2 showed no significant changes ($F_{6,21}=1.00$, P =0.45) difference among years. Mean SBI prior to the dam construction in the Site 3 was 4.52 but after the construction, the value was 6.30, indicating a distinct difference between the pre- and post-dam construction. Trajectory analysis at the Site 3 supported this fact: Values of SBI showed significantly ($F_{6,21}$=14.37, p<0.01) different. Mean SBI was 4.67 in the Site 4, indicating a "good" condition in the health and the health rank was same as the sampling sites 1, 2, and 4. Trajectory in the Site 4 showed no significant ($F_{6,21}=2.35$, p=0.07) difference among the years. Overall, our trajectory analysis indicated that three of four sampling sites (sites 1, 3, 4) showed significant decreases (n=7, p<0.05) and that the proportions of sensitive species declined evidently in the sites 1 and 2 and the tolerant species increased in the dam sites. Our outcomes may be used as a key data for diagnosis of the long-term ecological impact in the future in the watershed.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.100-109
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• 2016

Species composition and distribution characteristics of fish were determined by monthly underwater visual census from September. 2013 to August, 2014 at Yeongunri off Tongyeong, Korea. The study area was divided into five habitat types by depth and substrate: (1) sand bottom as depth of 0~2 m, (2) seagrass bed of 2~5 m, (3) rocky outcrop of 0~2 m, (4) rocky bottom of 2~5 m, (5) sandy mud bottom of 5~8 m. A total of 1,673 individuals belonging to 43 species in 26 families were recorded during the study period. The number of species tended to decrease after October, 2013 and increase from March, 2014 showing the highest number in October (autumn), and lowest in January (winter). In terms of the number of species, Gobiidae was the most dominant family (7 species), followed by Scorpaenidae (4 species). Embiotocidae was the most abundant (26.1% in total number of individuals), followed by Scorpaenidae (19.9%) and Gobiidae (19.3%). The dominant species were Sebastes inermis (19.2%), Ditrema temminckii (13.1%), and Neoditrema ransonnetii (12.9%). The number of species and abundance were relatively high at the depth between 2 and 5 m on seagrass bed and rocky bottom, whereas they were lower at the depth between 0 and 2 m on the sand bottom, suggesting that seagrass beds and rocky bottoms provided the diverse habitats for various fish species in this sea.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.23-45
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• 2018

Moderately diverse, but very abundant trace fossils are found from the Late Pleistocene deposits of Jeju Island, Korea. Vertical I-, Y- and U-shaped domichnia of annelids or decapods are, over 2500, extremely abundant, 3D network domichnia of callianassids are, over 200, very abundant, and small sinuous trails of nematode repichnia are, over 50, abundant in number. Horizontal trails attributable to polychaete or worm-like animals are, less than 50, common, but horizontal spreiten burrows, fish traces and crab trackways are, less than 10, rare in occurrence. Of these trace fossils, Taenidium barretti, Undichna britannica and Undichna unisulca represent the first record from the Pleistocene in Asia. Psilonichnus upsilon is the second record in Asia. Crab trackways probably produced by underwater punting gait of sideway walking crabs may represent the first record in the world. In addition, diverse and very abundant footprints of more than 500 hominids, more than 200 birds and more than 1000 mammals are closely associated with these invertebrate trace fossils. Trace fossil assemblage integrated with sedimentary facies is interpreted to have been formed in the marginal marine foreshore to backshore environment corresponding to the Psilonichnus and Skolithos ichnofacies.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.39 no.2 s.116
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• pp.167-177
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• 2006

Both fish community and water quality in Lake Doam were investigated from September 2004 to August 2005. The turbidity of Lake Doam located in the upper region of the Songchun River in the South River system, Korea was high whole year due to the effects of distributed non point source pollutions in the watersheds. During the experimental periods, mean concentration of chlorophyll-a in epilimnetic layer (0 ${\sim}$ 5 m) was 18.5 ${\mu}g\;L^{-1}$ and transparency ranged from 0.3 m to 2.4 m. Average TP and TN concentrations were 111 ${\mu}g\;L^{-1}$ and 4.1 $mg\;L^{-1}$, respectively. Lake was classified as eutrophic state based on the nutrient concentrations suggested by U.S.EPA (1976). Total number of fish collected in Lake Doam was 9,600 individuals in 26 species of 6 family. Both dominant and subdominant species in the lake were P. herzi (34.9%) and Z. platypus (22.5%), respectively. Occurrence of water column species was high at upper region of the lake, whereas benthic type of species highly ,appeared in downstream area. The different fish assemblage between upper and lower area would be considered as the difference of bottom substrate and concentrations of suspended solids. In addition high appearance of Comat type of fish that is hybrid between gold fish (C, auratus) and C. auratus was found in the lake. It was unclear the reasons that high proportion of mutant species appeared in the lake. More researches are required in this area in future.