• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.377-383
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• 2016

We obtained a total of 36 GPS coordinates of the seven bat species of Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Myotis ikonnikovi, M. nattereri, M. petax, Murina ussuriensis, Plecotus auritus, and Pipistrellus abramus. Characteristics of forests (forest type, age class, DBH class and crown density), terrain (aspect, slope and distance from mountain stream) and disturbance factors (distance from human residential areas and distance from cultivated areas) that bats have used as their habitats were revealed from the GIS analysis based on GPS coordinates of the 36 positions that bats were found. The bats-preferred forest type is broad-leaf forests (43%) with the trees of the 2th (31%) and 5th (31%) age class, the trees of sapling (36%) and large DBH class (31%), and sparse crown density (67%). Bats prefer the slop direction of the east (39%), the gradient below $15^{\circ}$ (61%), the ranges within 200 m from the mountain streams (92%), the ranges within 200 m near roads (89%), the ranges of 200-400 m from human residential areas (28%), and the ranges within 200 m from cultivated areas (36%).

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.69-76
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• 2012

This study was conducted to examine how a low-head dam removal (partial removal) could affect benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a stream. Benthic macroinvertebrates and substrates were seasonally sampled before and after dam removal (March 2006-April 2007). Benthic macroinvertebrates and substrates were quantitatively sampled from immediately upstream (upper: pool) and downstream (lower: riffle) sites, the location of the dam itself (middle), and immediately above the impoundment (control: riffle). After the removal, species richness and density of benthic macroinvertebrates as well as the EPT group (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) increased to higher levels than those before the removal, while functional feeding groups and habitat orientation groups changed more heterogeneously at the upper site. At the lower site, species richness and density decreased somewhat immediately after dam removal, which was associated with an increase of silt and sand, but recovered after monsoon floods which helped to enhance substrate diversity at the upper site. Decreased dominance index and increased diversity index in both the upper and lower sites are evidence of positive effects from the dam removal. In conclusion, we suggest that even a partial removal of a dam, resulting in increased substrate diversity in the upper site, could sufficiently help rehabilitate lost ecological integrity of streams without major habitat changes.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.175-189
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• 2015

The objective of this study was to analyze characteristics of distribution of amphibian species and the affecting ecological factors. For the study, habitat environment factors were determined and applied to a habitat suitability model for the data collected from the Seom River in Hoengseong County and Wonju City, Gangwon Province, Korea between March 2013 to October 2013. The analyzed amphibian species were Rana nigromaculata, Hyla japonica, Rana dybowski, and Rana rugosa Temminck and Schlegel, and a logistic regression model was used with the pseudo-absence data. The result of the model analysis suggests that the major factors for Rana nigromaculata are distance to vegetation and rock and that for Hyla japonica is waterway. Rana dybowski and Rana rugosa Temminck and Schlegel have similar habitat characteristics, but the latter is shown to be dominant due to its wider habitat preference. According to the species richness model, the analyzed amphibian species are shown to have tendency to move between valleys or streams. This study quantitatively analyzed habitat environment characteristics using species distribution model, however, there is a limitation in terms of analysis on food factor and connectivity with other species. Combined with additional density or habitat analysis on birds or fish, this study can lead to more comprehensive analysis on biological environment factors.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.450-463
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• 2023

The objective of this study is to derive the core habitat of the Kirengeshoma koreana Nakai utilizing Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) and Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) models. Expert-based models have been criticized for their subjective criteria, while statistical models face difficulties in on-site validation and integration of expert opinions. To address these limitations, both models were employed, and their outcomes were overlaid to derive the core habitat. Five variables were identified through a comprehensive literature review and spatial analysis based on appearance coordinates. The environmental variables encompass vegetation zone, forest type, crown density, annual precipitation, and effective soil depth. Through surveys involving six experts, importance rankings and SI (Suitability Index) scores were established for each variable, subsequently facilitating the creation of an HSI map. Using the same variables, the MaxEnt model was also executed, resulting in a corresponding map, which was merged to construct the definitive core habitat map. Out of 16 observed locations of K. koreana, 15 were situated within the identified core habitat. Furthermore, an area historically known to host K. koreana but not verified in the present, Mt. Yeongchwi, was found to lack a core habitat. These findings suggest that the developed models exhibit a high degree of accuracy and effectively reflect the current ecological landscape.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.1077-1086
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• 2006

This study aims at analyzing relationships between land use and habitat types of winter wildbirds to provide basic understanding of ecosystem for preservation and restoration of urban ecosystem in the future. The research area is Hanam City. Researches on land use types showed Hanam City had 79.1% of greenspace and openspace, but intensive urban development has been taking place in greenspace that is adjacent to urban districts. This has brought the problems of lack of greenspace in urban districts and damages to cultivated areas and grassland. A total of 61 and 8,642 populations of winter wildbird species were observed in research areas. Paradoxornis webbiann(16.91), Passer montanus(11.93), Pica pica(6.88) were dominant species. When they were divided according to habitat types, 20 species of interior species, 8 species of interior-edge generalist species, 12 species of edge species and 3 species of urban species were observed. When which land use type was mostly served as wildbirds habitats was examined, urban species(3 species and 290 populations) was a dominant species in urban districts while in greenspace and openspaece, water species(19species and 3,075 populations) including winter migratory birds was. Among greenspace and openspaece, edge species was dominant in forest while urban species was a dominant species in cultivated areas. This shows there is a need to improve diversity of wildbirds through restoration of cultivated areas in the central part of Hanam City.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.113-129
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• 2017

This paper presents the initial findings of a ground-breaking two-year CTBUH-funded research project investigating the real environmental and social sustainability of people's lifestyles in a number of high-rise residential towers in downtown Chicago, and a comparable number of low rise homes in suburban Oak Park, Chicago - based on actual energy bills and other real data. The study is ground-breaking because, to date, similar studies have been mostly based on very large data sets of generalized data regarding whole-city energy consumption, or large-scale transport patterns, which often misses important nuances. This study has thus prioritized quality of real data (based on around 250 households in both high rise and low rise case studies), over quantity. In both urban and suburban cases, the following factors have been assessed: (i) home operational energy use, (ii) embodied energy of the dwelling, (iii) home water consumption, (iv) mobility and transport movements, (v) urban/suburban Infrastructure, and (vi) quality of life. The full results of this seminal study will be published in the form of a CTBUH Research Report publication in 2017. Presented below is an overview of the initial (and, currently, unverified) findings of the research, together with the limitations of the study that should be taken into account, as well as future plans for developing this important pilot study.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.285-292
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• 2021

We investigated habitat use and home range of a rescued and released white-naped crane using GPS tracking technology in Cheorwon, South Korea, from October 2016 to March 2017. Four types of roosting sites were identified: frozen reservoirs, paddy fields, rivers, and wetlands. Upon arrival, the white-naped crane preferred wetlands in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). In late wintering season, it showed a tendency to change main roosting sites in the following order: rice paddies, rivers, and frozen reservoirs. Among 14 sleeping places, Civilian Control Zone (CCZ) with various type of available habitats was more preferred than the DMZ. Places outside of CCZ were rarely used due to anthropogenic disturbances during the night. The tracked white-naped crane widely chose daytime feeding sites while moving around all over rice paddies in the CCZ. Mean diurnal movement distance was 10.5 km with a maximum of 24.8 km. Its home range measured with Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) and Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) was 172.30 km² with MCP, 159.60 km² with KDE 95%, 132.48 km² with KDE 90%, and 42.45 km² with KDE 50%. All estimated values of home ranges were higher in the early and later winter than those in the middle period.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.85-92
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• 2022

The amphibian breeding habitat is confirmed by mating call. In some cases, the researcher directly identifies the amphibian individual, but in order to designate the habitat, it is necessary to map the mating call region of the amphibian population. Until now, it has been a popular methodology for researchers to hear mating calls and outline their breeding habitats. To improve this subjective methodology, we developed a technique for mapping mating call regions using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The technology uses a UAV, fitted with a sound recorder to record ground mating calls as it flies over an amphibian habitat. The core technology is to synchronize the recorded sound pressure with the flight log of the UAV and predict the sound pressure in a two-dimensional plane with probability density. For a demonstration study of this technology, artificial mating call was generated by a potable speaker on the ground and recorded by a UAV. Then, the recorded sound data was processed with an algorithm developed by us to map mating calls. As a result of the study, the correlation coefficient between the artificial mating call on the ground and the mating call map measured by the UAV was R=0.77. This correlation coefficient proves that our UAV recording system is sufficiently capable of detecting amphibian mating call regions.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.334-344
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• 2020

A total of 24 families, 44 species, and 658 benthic macroinvertebrates were identified, and Ecdyonurus dracon Kluge (13%) was the dominant species in forested streams within the Yeonyeopsan (Mt.). A total of four habit categories (i.e., clingers (56%), burrowers (19%), swimmers (14%), and sprawlers (56%)) were identified, and clingers were the dominant habit at all survey points except point one (UP1). Habitat characteristics were depended on the hydraulic factors (e.g., flow velocity, depth, and substrates), water quality (e.g., DO and water temperature), and the habitat characteristics were differed in the riffle, which has a faster the flow velocity, compared by in the stagnant pool. In other words, in riffles, the clingers dominated in high flow velocity with the large maximum and median grain size for substrates in the habitats regardless of depth, but the burrowers and sprawlers were dominant in low flow velocity with the small maximum and median grain size for substrates in the habitats. Moreover, DO and flow velocity were in positive correlation (y = 0.6666x - 0.659, R² = 0.0851), and the habitat for burrowers was wider than that for sprawlers or clingers. The water depth was negatively correlated with water temperature (y = -26.397x + 283.87, R² = 0.1802) since the water temperature is more sensitive to insolation in shallow depth. pH was positively correlated with water temperature. The investigation of the habitat characteristics by separating the relations between pH and DO in upstream and downstream showed the low pH and high DO in the upstream with a high crown density of 68%, regardless of community composition. On the other hand, high pH and low DO in the downstream with a relatively low crown density of 51%. It was considered that the riparian forest played a role in suppressing the growth of attached algae and the controlling water temperature in headwater streams. Our findings identified the habitat characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrates in a headwater stream. We expected that the finding can provide reference data for suggesting conservation and management plans in a headwater stream and increasing academic value.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.578-586
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the change of spatial distribution of Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora Siebold & Zucc.) in Hallasan National Park by surveying the distribution and crown density and analyzing by the elevation, slope, orientation, and regional habitat in 2006 and 2015. The total area of the Korean red pine forest was 1,259.9 ha in 2015, which increased by 51.4 ha, or 4.1%, compared to 1,208.5 ha in 2006. For the past 10 years, the area of sparse density with crown density of 11% to 40% of Korean red pine increased by 59.8 ha, the area of moderate density with crown density of 41% to 70% increased by 59.0 ha, and the area of dense density with 71% or more crown density increased by 67.3 ha. In terms of the altitude above sea level, the Korean red pine forest area between 1,010 m and 1,400 m was the largest at 1,003.0 ha or 79.6% of the total area in 2015. The area between 1,100 m and 1,300 m increased, and the area of dense density decreased significantly while the areas of moderate density and sparse density increase. There was no notable change according to the land slope, and the area increased from 2006 regardless of the slope. By direction, 56.4% were distributed in the southwest and southeast directions centered on the south-facing slope with the increase of 27.8 ha over the 10 years while the northwest and northeast directions centered on the north-facing slope decreased by 7.6 ha. Regarding the distribution change of the Korean red pine forest by the region, the Yeongsil area showed an increase of 25.5 ha, or 49.6% of the total area increase, in 2006 while the Ibseog-oreum area including the right side on the Sanbeoleum mountain valley increased by 20.4 ha. The distribution in the Gaemideung area that includes Jogeundeule increased by 7.4 ha while that of Sogbat in Sungpanak Trail decreased by 1.9 ha. This study analyzed the changes in the distribution area and crown density of the Korean red pine forest according to the altitude, slope, direction, and regional habitat in Hallasan National Park. The expansion of Korean red pine forest distribution was limited to the areas where the grass and the shrub was the dominating vegetation structure, or the forest gap was created by the disturbance. On the other hand, the distribution area of the Korean red pine forest surrounded by deciduous broad-leaved forests or mixed vegetation structure is considered to result from the change in density more than the area due to competition with deciduous broad-leaved trees.