• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.15-24
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• 2015

The soil ecosystem is a complex system performing particularly complicated and varied functions, such as providing a habitat for organisms, acting as a medium for plant cultivation and growth, and functioning as a buffer against external materials in the environment. To assess whether these important functions of the soil ecosystem are executed appropriately, the concept of soil ecosystem health has been introduced, which is defined as the ability to perform the specific functions of the soil ecosystem. Understanding soil properties and soil indicators related to soil functions is essential to assess the soil health. In this study, systems, the indicators, and evaluation factors for assessing soil ecosystem health employed in a number of countries were investigated and discussed. In particular, it is necessary to introduce a technique for the evaluation of soil ecosystem health in Korea and to develop techniques and indicators appropriate to the soil ecosystem and status in Korea.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.196-201
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• 2003

Sessile organisms such as the oyster Crassostrea gigas have been given much attention as a potential biomonitoring indicator to assess the impact of toxicants on aquatic organism. In this study, we exposed cells isolated from gill of oyster (Crassostrea gigas) to hydrogen peroxide in vitro. In addition oysters were in vivo exposed to pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene at various concentrations for 2 weeks. Comet assay was used to detect DNA single strand breaks and to investigate the application of this technique as a tool for aquatic biomonitoring. Hydrogen peroxide increased DNA single strand break with increasing concentration after 30 minutes exposure in vitro. Pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene caused DNA damage only at very high concentration (100 $\mu\textrm{g}$/L or 1000 $\mu\textrm{g}$/L) at two week exposure in vivo. DNA damage was relatively higher at hemocyte than at gill. It suggested that metabolized PAHs are transferred to hemolymph from digestive gland which have a relatively high enzyme activity, and attacked the DNA of hemocyte, while gill accumulated PAHs without degrading them to their metabolites due to low enzyme activity at gill. Both in vitro and in vivo exposure experiments showed that the comet assay is an effective tool on screening whether the organism are exposed to genotoxic contaminants.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.202-207
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• 2010

The most useful criteria and selection procedures of biological indicators have been developed in Korea because they have taken into account local and national concerns on biological responses against climate change. On the basis of these criteria and selection procedures, 100 climate-sensitive biological indicator species were selected to predict biodiversity distribution shift by climate change and manage biological resources integratedly at the national level. It is expected that selection and monitoring of biological indicators by climate change will provide significant information to prepare protective strategies of vulnerable species against climate change and adaptive policies under the changing environment in Korea. In this paper, we have reviewed what kinds of criteria were considered in selecting bioindicators to assess responses of biological organisms against climate change. Definition and selection steps of bioindicators were proposed, and the 100 species of climate- sensitive biological indicators were selected out of 33,253 taxa reported in Korea.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.61-68
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the natural habitat of Hotaria unmunsana Doi, which was first discovered at Mt. Unmun also represents a landscape indicator species for Daegu and Gyeongbuk provinces, and Luciola lateralis Motschulsky, which is the object of experiential activation at festivals in some cities in the region. The spatial range of this study is limited by Daegu City and Gyeongbuk province, and is used to predict the preference of firefly for altitude, slope, direction, shaded relief, riparian buffer zone, river environment, and farmland to analyze the area that best matches the habitat of fireflies. As a result, fireflies are highly influenced by altitude and there may be no large-scale habitats in some areas through the Nakdong and the Baekdu mountain ranges, which occur at high altitude. In most of the cities, we found major habitats around the streams and wetlands. By region, the sites were widely distributed around the cities focused on Nakdong River, and many habitats emerged around the Nakdong River tributary and gentle slopes. In order to preserve and spread the habitat of fireflies, the physical environment as well as their relationship with food chains and symbiotic organisms should be established, and excessive use of pesticides and herbicides in agricultural areas should be avoided.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 2024

This note summarizes the application of zooplankton indices for water quality management and estimation based on main research topics of articles focusing on wetland ecosystems, topics that are remained poorly investigated in S. Korea. The aquatic ecosystem-based consists of indices that respond to different target environmental factors, including environmental disturbance. Among the major indicator species and biota, we reviewed that management strategy for the wetland environment has to be focused more on small-sizes, in terms of zooplankton ecology and indices. The ecology of zooplankton communities in freshwater ecosystem has been the focus of an increasing number of studies since 2019, and considerable progress has been made in understanding the major mechanisms involved in regulating their abundance, diversity and spatio-temporal patterns. Even though studies on the freshwater ecosystem in Korea have a long history, a few of studies on zooplankton biota were conducted at wetlands. We suggested the candidate zooplankton indices proposed by the U.S. EPA and EU to suit Korean conditions. In the step of selecting metrics, the best available metrics are species-related variables, such as composition and abundance, as well as richness and diversity. Overall, in spite of several limitations, the development of a plankton-based multivariate assessment method in Korea wetlands is possible using mostly field research data. Later, it could be improved based on qualitative metrics on zooplankton, and with the emergence of further survey data. The present information can be used as basic information for researchers who are dealing with aquatic environments and its interaction with organisms.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.54-61
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• 2024

The ecosystem provides a diverse array of environmental conditions for organisms, and only those that are capable of successfully adapting to these conditions within their habitats can endure, thrive, and proliferate. Further, the environmental conditions within these habitats can significantly affect the bioavailability of chemicals that are introduced therein, thus resulting in varied adverse impacts on the organisms. The present study aims to evaluate the sensitivity of Yuukianura szeptyckii - a species adapted to riparian - to heavy metals following ISO guideline 11276, with the objective of assessing its potential as an indicator species for ecotoxicological evaluations in riparian habitats. The findings revealed that cadmium and copper both had significant toxic effects depending on their concentrations. For cadmium, the LC₅₀ was 280 mg kg^-1, EC₅₀ was 66 mg kg^-1, and NOEC and LOEC were 25 and 50 mg kg^-1, respectively. For copper, the LC₅₀ was 911 mg kg^-1, EC₅₀ was 151 mg kg^-1, and LOEC was 50 mg kg^-1. Comparative analysis with previous results for the international standard species Folsomia candida and the domestic standard species Allonychiurus kimi indicated that Y. szeptyckii exhibited even greater sensitivity to toxicity values. The adverse effects on survival and reproduction were closely associated with the influx concentration of heavy metals in their bodies. Altogether, the results suggest that Y. szeptyckii is a sensitive species for ecotoxicological assessments in riparian habitats, thus making it suitable as an indicator species, particularly in riparian ecosystems that are characterized by relatively high humidity conditions.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.62 no.5
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• pp.682-691
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• 2020

Careful cleaning and disinfection of pigpens is essential to prevent disease spread and avoid the resultant economic losses. Hygiene in pigpens is generally evaluated by visual monitoring supplemented with bacteriological monitoring, which includes counting the total aerobic bacteria (TAB) and/or fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). However, these methods present drawbacks such as time and labor requirements. As adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is ubiquitous in all living organisms including microorganisms, this study aimed to directly compare the results of microbial assessment and ATP quantification, and to suggest possible detailed application methods of the ATP test for hygiene evaluation in pigpens of a farrowing unit. Before and after standard cleaning procedures, samples were collected from the floor corner, floor center, and feeding trough of four pigpens at different time points. No FIB were detected and both the TAB and ATP levels were significantly decreased in the floor center area after cleaning. FIB were continuously detected after cleaning and disinfection of the floor corners, and there was no significant ATP level reduction. The feeding trough did not show any significant difference in these values before and after cleaning, indicating insufficient cleaning of this area. The levels of TAB and ATP after cleaning were significantly correlated and the average ATP value was significantly lower in the absence of FIB than in their presence. In the absence of standard references, a more thorough hygiene management could be achieved evenly by supplementing cleaning or disinfection based on the lowest ATP results obtained at the cleanest test site, which in the present study was the floor center. Overall, these results indicate that the on-farm ATP test can be used to determine the cleanliness status, in addition to visual inspection, as an alternative to laboratory culture-based testing for the presence of microorganisms.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.41-51
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• 1974

A study of the sanitary quality of Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and growing waters associated with raft culture in Burley Lagoon, Washington was conducted. The study was sponsored by the Agency for International Development of the U.S. Department of State. The results obtained in this study are as follows: The average values of temperature, salinity and turbidity in the water showed that the values of bottom sample were slightly higher than top samples. The difference was about $0.3^{\circ}C$ for temperature, $0.5\%_{\circ}$ for salinity and 0.1 JTU for turbidity. The changes of temperature and salinity by tide generally followed the tide cycle pattern. Sanitary indicator microorganism concentrations in top water were generally higher than those in bottom water. In general, the levels of mean coliform and fecal coliform MPN's varied inversely with tide level indicating that the sources of these groups of microorganisms are the fresh water streams flowing into the estuary. The $35^{\circ}C$ plate counts were more stable at different tide levels. Mean values of coliform and fecal coliform MPN's in oysters demonstrated that levels in top oysters were generally higher than those in bottom oysters. However, mean values of $35^{\circ}C$ Plate count in oysters did not show this pattern. The mean levels of both coliform and fecal coliform MPN's in oysters also correlated inversely with tidal level. The accumulation ratios of oysters obtained during the study period ranged from 8.6 to 19.7 for mean coliform MPN and 16.9 to 44.3 for fecal coliform MPN. According to the results obtained from present study, one suggestion could be of considerable importance for the sanitary operation in hanging culture of pacific oysters. The results indicate that harvest of the oysters at high tide would result in lower levels of indicator organisms in the shellfish.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.76-81
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• 2008

The objective of this study is to evaluate the microbial safety of raw pork used to produce Korean pork jerky. The raw pork samples harbored large populations of microorganisms. In particular, mesophilic bacteria were found to be most numerous $(3.9{\times}10^2-3.9{\times}10^5cfu/g)$ in the samples. Spore-forming bacteria and coliforms were not detected below detection limit. Yeast and molds were detected at $3.8{\times}10^1-5.1{\times}10^2cfu/g$ in the raw pork. Ten samples of raw pork were analyzed for the presence of pathogenic bacteria. Bacillus cereus was isolated from samples B and J and Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from sample B. The B. cereus isolates from raw pork samples were identified with 99.8% agreement and S. aureus isolate was identified with 97.8% agreement according to the API CHB 50 kit.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.16-29
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• 2016

The total area of paddy field was estimated to be 55 % of the cultivated lands in South Korea, which is approximately 1 million hectares. Organisms inhabiting paddy fields if they are sensitive to environmental changes can be environmental indicator of paddy fields. Biological indicators such as phenology and distributional range are evaluated as intuitive and quantitative method to analyze the impact of climate change. This study aims to estimate flight time change of Hydrophilidae species' based on the RCP 8.5 climate change scenario. Unmanned monitoring systems were installed in Haenam, Buan, Dangjin and Cheorwon relative to the latitudinal gradient. In the three regions excepting Cheorwon, it was able to measure the abundance of flying Hydrochara affinis and Sternolophus rufipes. Degree-day for the flight time was determined based either on field measurement values and estimates of 2020s, 2050s and 2080s from KMA climate change scenario data. As a result, it is found that date of both species of initial flight becomes 15 days earlier, that of peak flight becomes 22 days earlier and that of final flight does 27 days earlier in 2080s compared to 2020s. The climate change impact on flight time is greater in coastal area, rural area and valley than inland area, urban area and plan. H. affinis and S. rufipes can be used as climate change indicator species.