• 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.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.115-123
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• 2022

Two new records of Scleroderma species from South Korea are described here. Comprehensive taxonomic studies of Scleroderma specimens were conducted at the Korea National Arboretum. Based on morphological and molecular data (fungal barcode sequences), two new records (S. laeve and S. nastii) were confirmed. Herein, morphological descriptions, including Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of basidiospore ornamentation, and a taxonomic key of Korean Scleroderma species are provided.

• ALGAE
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.157-165
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• 2020

Culture isolates of the genus Hypoglossum (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta) were obtained and their development and morphological structure over many years were followed in the laboratory. Molecular data (rbcL, large subunit ribosomal DNA, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) were obtained from these strains and evidence presented to recognize the new species: Hypoglossum sabahense from Sabah, Malaysia. Because various aspects of morphology in culture specimens differ significantly from types based on field specimens we have to rely mainly on the molecular criteria in ascribing a new taxonomic name here. This also is complicated by the major lack of molecular phylogenetic evidence for Hypoglossum and other Delesseriaceae. The 'Germling Emergence Method' and 'serendipity' are proving valuable in discovering significant new taxa from laboratory cultures which otherwise might never be known.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.405-413
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• 2004

The previous morphology-based taxonomic frameworks within the family Syngnathidae had emphasized the significance of the male brood pouch and reproductive biology in defining the group. However, several different hypotheses had been proposed by different investigators. This study has been carried out to determine the phylogenetic relationships among 19 species belonging to the order Syngnathiformes with three Gasterosteiformes species as outgroup taxa by using the mitochondrial cytochrome b DNA sequences. Phylogenetic analyses based on neighbor-joining distance, maximum parsimony, minimum evolution and maximum likelihood method strongly supported that the family Syngnathidae, the suborder Syngnathoidei and the order Syngnathiformes were all monophyletic group. Although much of previous morphological analyses were supported by our molecular data, there were some significant discrepancies between molecular and morphological work. Such an interesting result was that the weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) strongly grouped together with the New Zealand pot-belly seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis). Considering the markedly different brooding structure between them, this unexpected result might be explained whether by multiple independent origins of brooding structure or by hybridization between the female Hippocampus and other syngnathid species having individual membranous egg compartment. In addition, the suborder Aulostomoidei was paraphyletic group because the shrimpfish (Aeliscus strigatus), belonging to the family Centriscidae, always grouped together with the family Syngnathidae as a sister taxon.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.115.1-115
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• 2003

Post-harvest decay, caused by Penicillium spp. is a serious problem of fruits worldwide. Morphological characteristics and molecular markers were used to characterize 22 Penicillium isolates from apples, 18 isolates from pears, 60 from oranges and 18 from grapes and 23reference isolates representing related Penicillium spp. to assess their diversity and resolve their taxonomy. Based on morphological and physiological characteristics, the isolates were grouped as identical or very similar to P. digitatum, P. italicum, P. ulaiense or very similar to P. crustosum, P. expansum, P. solitum and unidentified Penicillium spp. Based on sequence comparisons of ITS region, variable site were presented within and among the species, but there variation were not correlated with the species. Cluster analyses of AP-PCR fragment patterns using UP and L45 primer and the -tubulin gene sequence, the Penicillium species were segregated into distinct groups. Particularly. the -tubulin partial sequence data provided support for species concepts based on morphological and physiological characteristics.

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.574-579
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• 2009

The regulatory effects of honokiol on the cellular responses of macrophages and monocytes were evaluated. Specifically, we investigated the effects of honokiol with respect to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytotoxicity, LPS- or phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA)-mediated morphological changes, and relevant events (FITC-dextran-induced phagocytic uptake). Honokiol blocked the LPS-induced cytotoxicity of RAW264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, honokiol appeared to block the production of cytotoxic cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$ and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-$\alpha$, nitric oxide (NO), and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, honokiol strongly prevented the morphological changes in RAW 264.7 and U937 cells that were induced by LPS and PMA. The surface levels of marker proteins, which are up-regulated under the morphological changes of RAW264.7 and U937 cells, were also diminished. The data presented here strongly suggest that the honokiol modulates various cellular responses managed by macrophages and monocytes.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.213-219
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• 2011

Some echinoids were collected from the coast of Gangwon-do during the period from November 2008 to July 2011 and were identified on the basis of morphological characteristics and molecular analysis of cytochrome oxidase subunit I mitochondrial DNA. Among them, Strongylocentrotus pallidus (Sars, 1871) belonging to the family Strongylocentrotidae of the order Camarodonta is reported for the first time in Korea and is redescribed. The genetic differences ranged from 0.038 to 0.139 between S. pallidus and four other species of genus Strongylocentrotus, but ranged from 0.002 to 0.005 between Korean specimens and GenBank data of S. pallidus. This species is widely distributed in cold sea water along the western part of the North Pacific and the Northwest Atlantic.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.259-266
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• 2011

Elsholtzia hallasanensis, E. springia, and E. splendens var. fasciflora (Lamiaceae) were reported recently as new species or new varieties of E. splendens according to their morphological characteristics. To reappraise the taxonomic status of these additional taxa and to determine the relationships between all Korean Elsholtzia taxa except E. saxatilis, which is distributed in North Korea, molecular studies based on the nrDNA (ITS) and cpDNA (rpl16, and trnH-psbA) sequences of seven taxa of Elsholtzia and one outgroup were carried out. The molecular data support that E. angustifolia and E. minima are distinct species from E. splendens and E. ciliata, respectively, because they have several private marker genes and show monophyly. The molecular data also support that E. splendens has a very close taxonomic relationship with both E. hallasanensis and E. springia. We found that E. splendens var. fasciflora, with multiple inflorescence, was based on several private marker genes and on the monophyly of its trees, suggesting that it can be considered as a variety. Elsholtzia springia, with the same sequences and the same morphological characteristics with E. hallasanensis after transplanting, should be treated as a synonym of E. hallasanensis. Moreover, we consider the taxonomic status of E. hallasanensis as E. splendens var. hallasanensis (Y. Lee) N.S. Lee & C.S. Lee, stat. nov.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.144-147
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• 2022

The polychaete Scolelepis (Scolelepis) sagittaria was originally described from Japanese waters and subsequently reported from Korean waters. In this study, we determined for the first time the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA), and nuclear 18S ribosomal DNA (18S rDNA) sequences of Korean specimens of S. (S.) sagittaria. We also assessed intraspecific variation in the shape of the prostomium of this species based on an examination of 247 individuals. All materials were collected from intertidal sandy beaches of the Korea Strait. The molecular data and morphological observations reported herein will contribute to gaining a better understanding of the taxonomic relationships among members of the genus Scolelepis.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.151-155
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• 2019

Jesogammarus (Jesogammarus) hinumensis Morino, 1993 was discovered firstly from a brackish water region in Jeju Island, Korea. To identification of the specimens we conducted both of morphological and molecular analyses. This species is characterized by having large eyes and a robust seta on the mandibular palp article 1. The morphology of this Korean specimens was well matched with the original description without variation. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I(COI) sequences of the present specimens were also completely identical to the sequences of J. (J.) hinumensis collected from the type locality of the species. Thus, we concluded that the Jesogammarus species from Jeju Island is J.(J.) hinumensis, based on both morphological and molecular data.