• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.378-384
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• 2019

Red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans, is one of the most famous species to disturb native ecosystems in the world. In South Korea, the species was imported as pet, and now it is found whole of the country. Recent, natural breeding and spreading of the turtle has been reported. In this paper, we investigated the environmental factors to affect the reproduction of T. s. elegans. We surveyed the distribution of the turtle in Jeju island, South Korea, between 2012 to 2017. We compared the land covers and climate of habitats from breeding sites and non-breeding sites. The species was found from 38 sites in Jeju island; 21 of breeding sites and 17 of non-breeding sites. The number of total and only adult turtles was significantly higher in breeding sites than non-breeding sites (P<0.05). In breeding site, the reproduction rate from the farmland was significantly higher than others(P<0.05). However, the rate of land covers was not significant in non-breeding site (P>0.05). The difference on the climate between breeding and non-breeding was not significant(P>0.05). Moreover, none of climate factors affected to reproduction of T. s. elegans(P>0.05). Our study showed that the land covers surrounding the habitats are more important than climate for reproduction of T. s. elegans in Jeju island. This result indicates investigating the habitat and surrounding is necessary for the control of reproduction and spreading of the introduced species.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.535-541
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• 2013

The urbanization affects significantly on a natural water circulation system by increasing the imperviousness rate. It is also negatively affecting on urban temperature, environmental pollution, water quality, and aqua-ecosystems. The Korea MOE (Ministry of Environment) adapted a new environmental policy in order to reduce the impact of urbanization, which is the Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) program. The GSI can be achieved by protecting conservable green spaces, enlarging more green spaces, and constructing more permeable pavements. The GSI is including many different techniques such as bioretention, rain garden, infiltration trench and so on. Also It is the infrastructures using natural mechanisms of soils, microorganisms, plants and animals on a water circulation system and pollutant reduction. In this research, a multi functional GSI technology with infiltration-filtration mechanisms has been developed and performed lab-scale tests to evaluate the performances about infiltration rate restoration and pollutant reduction. The most of pollutants including metals, organics and particulates were reduced about 50~90% due to water infiltration and storage functions. The clogging was found when the TSS loading rate was reached on $8.3{\sim}9.0kg/m^2$, which value is higher than the values in literatures. It means the new technology can show high performances with low maintenances.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.265-276
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• 2017

Heavy metals leaching from closed mines have been causing severe environmental problems in nearby soil ecosystems. Mine reclamation in Korea has been recently implemented based on the heavy metal immobilization (a.k.a., stabilization). Since the immobilization temporarily fixes the heavy metals to the soil matrix, the potential risk of heavy metal leaching still exists. Therefore the appropriate monitoring and the related policies are required to safeguard the soils, where all the cultivations occur. The current monitoring methods are based on either heavy metal concentration or simple toxicity test. Those methods, however, are fragmented and hence it is difficult to evaluate the site in an integrated manner. In this study, as the integrated approach, ecological functional state evaluation with a multivariate statistical tool was employed targeting physiochemical soil properties, heavy metal concentrations, microbial enzymatic activity, and arsenic respiratory reductase gene quantity. Total 60 soil samples obtained from three mines (Pungjeong, Jeomdong, Seosung) were analyzed. As a result, the stabilized layer soil and lower layer soil have shown the similar pattern in Pungjeong mine. In contrast, Jeomdong and Seosung mine have shown the similarity between the stabilized layer soil and the cover layer soil, indicating the possible contamination of the cover layer soil.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2017

The study was carried out to understand the inhabiting status and biological features of nutria (Myocastor coypus) in the Jeju Island from May, 2013 to August, 2016. Five individuals were captured by traps and two individuals were collected in dead. Of the 7 individuals, those whose bio-information could not be known were excluded to perform autopsy of the rest of them. The results from morphological, cranial and anatomical analyses, it was found that the females achieved sexual maturation but had no breeding experience. An adult male showed similar sizes to those found in the Korean Peninsula. After collecting the 7 individuals in 2013, 1 nutria individual was filmed by the scouting camera in May, 2014 but not captured. The long-term investigation of the research area found no inhibiting individual. It is deemed the nutria was either died of natural death or migrated. In order to establish a proper nutria control, the environmental characteristics of Jeju Island should be considered where indigenous and introduced species coexist in a limited space. Our findings will provide helpful information for understanding biological features of nutria and planning protection program of natural ecosystems of Jeju Island.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.107-114
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• 2005

Soil CO₂ emission is one of the primary components in carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems. In soil CO₂ flux measurements, chamber method is currently the most common technique. Prior to compare or synthesize the data collected from different chamber methods, potential biases must be quantified for each measurement system. We have conducted an intercomparison experiment among four closed dynamic chamber systems and an automatic open-closed chamber system in a temperature-controlled phytotron. Due to the disturbed CO₂ concentrations inside the phytotron during the measurements with closed dynamic chambers and the changes in soil water content, the interpretation of the data was difficult to quantify the biases of individual methods. However, the experiment provided not only valuable information on the performance characteristics of the five instruments to varying soil temperature and CO₂ concentration but also useful insights for better designs and strategy for future intercomparison in a controlled environment.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.173-182
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• 2016

Although the ecosystem extends numerous functions for the benefit of humankind, construction of horticultural facilities can potentially lead to the degeneration of some of these functions owing to the expansion of impervious regions and loss of habitats. Thus, this study aimed to examine the effect of construction of horticultural facilities on plant biodiversity. Analysis of the vegetation distribution characteristics showed that horticultural facilities had significantly lower plant diversity than did rice paddies. Hence, the proposed approach involved low-impact development, arrangement of habitat space, plant preservation, restricted use of chemical fertilizer, habitat creation, and reduced preservation cost. Lifestyle analysis suggested the importance of developing favorable environments for the growth of annual plants and aquatic plants. In all, 20 species of naturalized plants belonging to 10 families were identified. Furthermore, the proportion of these naturalized plants was higher in glass greenhouses and multi-span greenhouses, suggesting the advantages of employing natural soil mulching while avoiding concrete mulching. Statistical analysis was performed to validate the results, which suggested that impervious regions be converted to natural soils. Collectively, the findings of this study are expected to be used for establishing policies for the construction of eco-friendly and ecological horticultural facilities; this may aid the maintenance of sustainable agricultural landscapes and large-scale development of the reclaimed lands.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2002

Human activities greatly affect the environment causing its degradation. Urban development and road networks construction cause main impacts on ecosystems and particularly on vegetation cover: road constructions induce complete degradation of the vegetation cover and often leaves a hare land, sometimes without even a soil cover. Reconstitution of vegetation cover is necessary to limit superficial erosion and land slipping on the road, towards a reintegration of the site in the neighbouring landscape. Many approaches have been studied over the last 30 years aiming at this reconstitution of vegetation cover. At frost, the main purpose of land reclamation was to create a new ecosystem. At this time, the environment created was rather a "garden" with a new soil adapted to the plantation of "decorative" species. Then, in early 90′s many studies on the restoration ecology concept rather focused on adapting the vegetation to the existing conditions on the site, as in a side road embankment for example. Nowadays, we notice a large tendency towards the use of such adapted native species instead of industrially produced seeds. In southern France, our team have led research on the potentials of those local species for their use in revegetation processes with hydro-seeding. We therefore developed an approach combining the use of different types of species: Industrially produced, native and wild cultivated species. This method integrates the benefits of using available low costing seeds that are already used on large scale projects with better adapted species, issued form the cultivation of native species and seed production for their use on smaller scale and more costly but more effective results. The use of wild cultivated species seeds was developed in order to limit the cost and reduce harsh natural seed withdrawal in the natural environment In the case of the use of native species. Besides, the use of such seeds allowed a larger geographical scale of use than with local native seeds. In addition, our team began two years ago a research project in Lebanon aiming at the Introduction and development of the revegetation techniques in Lebanon. In fact, this country bared since 20 years the consequences of urban pressure on its environment especially by the development of quarries and road networks. Therefore, pioneer work is necessary to aim at the adaptation of these techniques to the local environment.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.264-272
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• 2012

For understanding the tourists' characteristics of several types of ecotourism sites, we surveyed and analyzed the demographic characteristics, travel motivations and cognition of damage in Bukhansan trail, Upo marshes, Jirisan trail and Uljin Keumgang pine tree trail. The field survey were conducted through face-to-face interviews. In the case of Bukhansan trail, many people came to build up their health, so the ratio of eco-tourists and the awareness of environmental damage was low. In Upo marshes, there were many group tourists who want to enhance friendship between the colleagues. And the ratio of eco-tourists, enjoying several activities such as observation or experience about the ecosystems of wetland and bird watching appeared high, but the cognition of tourists about the damage of natural environment was low because the flatland type tour site, Upo marshes has less damage factors comparing with mountain type tour sites. In Jirisan trail, eco-tourists, nature tourists and mass tourists appeared mixed and the cognition of damage was higher than that of flatland type. In the case of Uljin Keumgang pine tree trail, almost indices showed higher values than other sites because the tourists who visited there have high cognition of eco-tourism and nature conservation by limiting entrance. Tourists were generally accepted positively the control method such as collection of entrance fee and visitor reservation system when natural damages are expected.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.165-178
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• 2020

This study investigated the exotic mammals introduced to Korea to present the basic data necessary for ecological risk assessment and the establishment of an alien species management database. For this purpose, a list of alien mammals introduced to Korea was established by investigating alien mammals introduced for zoo exhibits purposes, alien mammals in breeding environments traded between individuals, and alien mammals introduced into nature. A total of 163 taxa were identified as alien mammals introduced to Korea. There were 139 taxonomic groups of ornamental alien mammals, including 11 orders, 44 families, 129 species and 10 subspecies; 28 taxonomic groups of alien mammals traded between individuals, including five orders and 19 families; and eight taxonomic groups of alien mammals introduced into nature, including four orders, seven families, seven species, and one subspecies. For the effective management of alien mammals introduced to Korea, it is important to collect basic information, such as a list of all species introduced, their populations, and introduced areas. It is also necessary to apply proactive management policies according to the degree of potential risk by preemptively evaluating the ecological risks that may arise from the introduction of alien species into natural ecosystems. For the eight taxonomic groups of Capra hircus, Cervus nippon taiouanus, Felis catus, Myocastor coypus, Oryctolagus cuniculus, Ondatra zibethicus, Ovis aries, and Rattus norvegicus identified to be introduced into the natural ecosystem of Korea, the provision of proliferation control measures at the national level, continuous monitoring of changes in diffusion trends, and immediate response based on the degree of change are required.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.1446-1457
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• 2016

Wetlands exhibit intermediate characteristics of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and the biodiversity is rich in these unique biological habitats. The symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi that inhabit these wetlands play an important role in natural resource management, biodiversity, and conservation. Accordingly, the mujechi, having academic value for the study of the natural environment, was investigated in terms of genetic diversity of endophytic fungi, which inhabit the roots of wild plants. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was amplified to identify fungal strains. In total, 226 strains were isolated and categorized into three phyla, seven classes, 10 orders, 22 families, and 31 genera. In plants by endophytic fungi were classified in Isachne globosa (Ig) to 19 genera, Scirpus karuisawensis (Sk) to 11 genera, Utricularia racemosa (Ur) to 19 genera, and one incertae sedis, Eriocaulon decemflorum (Ed) to 11 genera. The fungal taxa was identified the genera Acephala (19.9%), Tolypocladium (16.3%), Neopestalotiopsis (11.5%), and Perenniporia (7.1%). The fungal group isolated from Isachne globosa (Ig) grew the largest number of isolated fungal strains. After comprehensive evaluation, the endophytic fungal group from Utricularia racemosa (Ur) ranked highest in diversity analyses. From the roots of wild plant in mujechi-neup, it confirmed the distribution and diversity of endophytic fungi. This study provides the basic data to understand fungal community structure in peat wetlands.