• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.212-218
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• 2019

Background: Allelopathy has been suggested as one potential mechanism facilitating the successful colonisation and expansion of invasive plants. The impacts of the ongoing elevation in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) on the production of allelochemicals by invasive species are of great importance because they play a potential role in promoting biological invasion at the global scale. Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior), one of the most notorious invasive exotic plant species, was used to assess changes in foliar mono- and sesquiterpene production in response to CO₂ elevation (389.12 ± 2.55 vs. 802.08 ± 2.69 ppm). Results: The plant growth of common ragweed significantly increased in elevated CO₂. The major monoterpenes in the essential oil extracted from common ragweed leaves were β-myrcene, DL-limonene and 1,3,6-octatriene, and the major sesquiterpenes were β-caryophyllene and germacrene-D. The concentrations of 1,3,6-octatriene (258%) and β-caryophyllene (421%) significantly increased with CO₂ elevation. Conclusions: These findings improve our understanding of how allelochemicals in common ragweed respond to CO₂ elevation.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.256-263
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• 2020

Background: Ambrosia trifida is a highly invasive annual plant, but effective control methods have not been proposed. Among various eradication methods, cutting is a simple measure to control invasive plants, and sowing seeds of native plants may effectively increase biotic resistance to invasion. In this study, we conducted a field experiment with two treatments: cutting and sowing seeds of six native or naturalized plants. Results: We found a significantly lower A. trifida abundance after cutting than in the control (77% decrease). Sowing seeds of native species did not provide any additional benefit for the control of A. trifida, but increased the importance values and diversity of other native vegetation. The abundance of A. trifida was negatively correlated with that of other plant taxa based on plant cover, biomass, and density. However, biotic resistance of sown plants was not effective to control invasion because A. trifida was so competitive. Conclusions: We concluded that cutting is an effective measure to control Ambrosia trifida while sowing seeds of native plants can increase native plant diversity.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.239-246
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• 2014

To cope with the potential risks associated with invasive alien species, the Korean Government implemented the Biodiversity Act in 2014. Among the alien species not yet introduced into that country, 24 have been designated as alert species. These include mammals, birds, fish, mollusks, insects, and plants that may invade and cause serious harm to the ecosystem. Approval from the Ministry of Environment is required to import or carry any of them. Although these measures are more advanced than those from the previous legal framework, several terms still need to be improved. First, the category of alert species should cover not only those not yet introduced but also those that are being raised or cultivated at aquariums, botanical gardens, and zoos. Second, for applicants who intend to import or carry alert species, the government must provide them with detailed standards for the ecological risk assessment of alert species as well as guidelines for their safe use in Korea to prevent their unregulated release from confinement facilities into natural environments. Third, tools and protocols should be developed for early detection and rapid responses to those escapes.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.89-119
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• 2020

Species invasions have rapidly increased due to the substantial growth of global trade in the recent past. As the awareness of the negative effects on natural ecosystems derived from alien species has grown, many countries and lawmakers have enacted rules and policies on the conservation of indigenous plants. Unfortunately, in Korea, research on species invasion is seriously lacking despite the growing number of alien species. In the current study, we report alien plants that have intentionally and/or unintentionally been introduced in Korea and also presented a checklist of invasive plants found both in the literature and in field surveys. We reviewed all documented records of alien plants, i.e., scientific papers, illustrated books, and annual reports. We also categorized alien plants by origin, time of introduction, naturalization, and the rate of their spread. The results revealed that there are 619 alien plant taxa (96 families, 353 genera, 595 species, 6 subspecies, 11 varieties, 1 forma, and 6 hybrids) occurring in Korea. Among these, 30 taxa are archaeophytes (Arc.), 214 are potentially invasive plants (PIPs), and 375 are invasive alien plants (IAPs). In addition, IAP taxa consist of grades 5 (widespread, WS) to 1 (potential spread, PS) of alien plants according to the rate of spread in Korea. Our results suggested that the number of alien plants is likely to keep growing; thus, the distribution should be regularly monitored and the list of alien plants must be updated.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.153-165
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• 2021

The objective of this study was to provide basic data for the conservation of wetland ecosystems in the Civilian Control Zone and the management of Yongyangbo wetlands in South Korea. Yongyangbo wetlands have been designated as protected areas. A field survey was conducted across five sessions between April 2019 and August of 2019. A total of 248 taxa were identified during the survey, including 72 families, 163 genera, 230 species, 4 subspecies, and 14 varieties. Their life-forms were Th (therophytes) - R₅ (non-clonal form) - D₄ (clitochores) - e (erect form), with a disturbance index of 33.8%. Three taxa of rare plants were detected: Silene capitata Kom. and Polygonatum stenophyllum Maxim. known to be endangered species, and Aristolochia contorta Bunge, a least-concern species. S. capitata is a legally protected species designated as a Class II endangered species in South Korea. A total of 26 taxa of naturalized plants were observed, with a naturalization index of 10.5%. There was one endemic plant taxon (Salix koriyanagi Kimura ex Goerz). In terms of floristic target species, there was one taxon in class V, one taxon in Class IV, three taxa in Class III, five taxa in Class II, and seven taxa in Class I. Three invasive alien species (Ambrosia trifida L., Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., and Humulus japonicus Siebold & Zucc) were observed. For continuous conservation of Yongyangbo Wetlands, it is necessary to remove invasive alien plants and block the inflow of non-point pollutants.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.456-461
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• 1991

This is a case report of invasive aspergillosis of the right maxillary antrum and the left lung in a 43 year-old male patient with diabetes mellitus and liver cirrhosis. The results were as follows. 1. Invasive aspergilliosis should be considered in compromised patients who have nasal symptomatology, infraorbital swelling and pain. 2. Invasive aspergillosis is a rapidly progressive mycotic infection of the sinus which may extend to the orbit, nasal cavity and cheek. 3. Surgical intervention is particularly urgent in orbital aspergillosis in patient in whom the eyesight is still preserved. 4. Diagnosis depends upon pathological demonstration of tissue invasion by organism with the typical morphology of aspergillus species. 5. Long-term antifungal drugs should be administrated postoperatively in pathint with invasive aspergillosis.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.10-17
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• 2021

Invasive alien species management is pivotal for biodiversity conservation. Commelina caroliniana Walter, from the family Commelinaceae, is an alien plant native to the Himalayas and India, but it has been widely introduced around the world, including in the United States, Brazil, Philippines, and Japan. In Korea, the first population was found growing adjacent to agricultural land and farm roads on Jejudo Island, and field observations confirmed the presence of at least nine populations there. It is similar morphologically to C. diffusa Burm. f. but can be distinguished by involucral bracts that are ciliate at the base, hairs on the peduncle and obsolete upper cincinnus, brown spots on its 4-lobed antherode, and seed surfaces that are smooth to slightly alveolate. It was determined to have an invasiveness low score of 8 according to the Korean 'Invasive Alien Plant Risk Assessment', suggesting that it may spread to natural habitats. Although the current distribution of C. caroliniana is restricted to Jeju-si, it has spread dramatically in many other areas of the world. At present, it has had a limited impact on the local environment, but local and regulatory authorities should pay close attention to this plant and take measures to prevent its expansion in the future.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.71-75
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• 2024

In this review, we compared the success rates of DNA amplification and introduced the efficient non-invasive sampling of fecal samples collected from captive and wild Korean long-tailed gorals (Naemorhedus caudatus) by referring to previous non-invasive studies, including three important references (Kim et al., 2008; Kim, 2021; Kim, 2022). A large difference in PCR success rates in the captive and wild populations was observed for mitochondrial (100 and 70.0%), sex-linked (44.4 and 20.8%), and microsatellite markers (73.9 and 34.8%, respectively). Out of the three types of genetic markers, the mitochondrial maker showed the highest success rate, followed by microsatellite and sex-linked markers. In addition, we estimated two factors that affected the PCR success, including the length of the amplified fragments (long, medium, and short) and the type of primer (universal and specific) in fecal samples from a captive population. The length of the PCR fragment was inversely proportional to the PCR success (5.3, 44.4, and 55.6% for long, medium, and short fragments, respectively), and the specific primer set (100%) was more efficient than the universal primer set (60.0%). This review is fundamental but would be greatly helpful for new non-invasive conservation genetic studies, particularly those that use fecal samples from captive and wild populations of rare endangered species. We recommend beginning conservation genetic experiments using mitochondrial markers and then nuclear markers, such as microsatellite and sex-linked markers, to save time, costs, and labor.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.135-148
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• 2017

Pathogen introductions associated with aquatic invasive species threaten ecosystems and biodiversity worldwide. Bigheaded carps (BHC), including Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Bighead Carp H. nobilis, and their hybrids, are prolific, invasive pests in central US rivers. However, little is known about pathogen effects on invading BHC or how BHC affect the disease risk profile for native fishes in receiving ecosystems. We therefore conducted, from May 2013-December 2014, a systematic pathogen survey for BHC and native fishes in the Wabash River watershed, Indiana, USA. We found Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. putida, and Salmonella enterica DNA in BHC as well as native fishes, although none of these bacteria were exclusively present in BHC. DNA from other bacterial taxa was detected only in native fishes and Common Carp Cyprinus carpio. No gastrointestinal helminths were detected in BHC, although they were common in most native fishes examined. We also conducted in vitro studies on BHC tissues (skin, gill, fin, and fry) and found high sensitivity to Largemouth Bass virus, viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus, and infectious pancreatic necrosis virus. We conclude that BHC are not heavily burdened by bacteria, viruses and parasites in the invaded study ecosystems, although they do harbor native bacteria and show potential for high sensitivity to endemic viruses.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.217-223
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• 2014

We conducted a distributional survey of Pectinatella magnifica, an invasive species, in the Geum River and the Nakdong River from July 12 to July 25, 2014. The spacing between the study sites was 10 km along the main channels for the Geum River (n = 12, 120 km) and the Nakdong River (n = 38, 380 km) from the estuarine barrage to upper part of main channel. Pectinatella magnifica was detected along the riparian zone (within 100 m) at each of the study sites. Presence rate of P. magnifica in Geum River and Nakdong River was 25% and 32.6%, respectively. The colony number of P. magnifica at Geum River ($9.5{\pm}3.1colony/m$, n = 3) was over 94 fold higher than that in the Nakdong River ($0.1{\pm}0.1colony/m$, n = 16). The Total length distribution of P. magnifica had a truncated bell shape at each rivers (mean length: $14.0{\pm}1.2cm$ for Geum River (n = 32), and $16.8{\pm}1.4cm$ for Nakdong River (n = 52)). These findings could provide basic information regarding the distribution pattern of P. magnifica in a new invasion area.