• ALGAE
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.13-24
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• 2021

The present-day genetic structure of macroalgal species reflects both geographical history and oceanic circulation patterns as well as anthropogenic introduction across native ranges. To precisely understand the genetic diversity and how the factors shape the current population structure of Gloiopeltis furcata sensu lato, we determined the mitochondrial 5' end of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI-5P) sequences for 677 individuals sampled from 67 sites spanning almost the entire distribution range in Korea and Japan. Results from the phylogenetic analysis and haplotype distribution revealed eleven distinct lineages within G. furcata s.l. along the Korea-Japan coastal areas and displayed divergent phylogeographic patterns among lineages. Despite the closely related lineages distributed in same habitats as high rocky intertidal zone, they display different phylogeographic patterns among lineages. The populations from the south of Korea-Japan harbored the highest genetic diversity and unique endemism in comparison with other populations in the distribution range. This could be the evidence of southern refugia for G. furcata s.l. in the Northwest (NW) Pacific and the recent migration from native to introduced region. The reason is that an exceptional distribution pattern was found high genetic diversity in Hakodate of Japan where is the northern location in the NW Pacific. Our results imply the contemporary influence on the distribution due to current circulation pattern and anthropogenic effects. These phylogeographic findings provide the important insight into cryptic species diversity and the detailed distribution pattern of Gloiopeltis in the NW Pacific.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.431-443
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• 2012

Wind holes or air holes, from which cool air blows out during the summer, but mild air comes out during the winter, have provided the phytogeographically important refugia for cryophilous or cold-loving boreal flora during the Holocene period. At present, wind holes are serving as a faraway disjunctive habitat for Pleistocene relict glacial floristic elements, and present an invaluable information to reconstruct the natural history. Present work aims to collate the nationwide distribution and relevant DB on the potential wind holes of Korea based upon media and literature sources, along with geographical informations, such as place name, topographic map, environmental geographical information, flora, monitoring data of Korea National Arboretum, and field survey data. Geographical information on sixty nine wind hole sites have compiled and analyzed on the basis of flora and presence of fossilized periglacial landforms, such as talus, block field, and block stream, and sixteen sites have thereafter carefully selected and scrutinized through field surveys. To maintain a sustainability of wind hole ecosystem, including their original landform, micro-meteorological phenomena and plant community therein as a refugia or habitat for relict plant species of Pleistocene glacial period, appropriate restrictions and preservation measures are required.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 1991

The distribution of cryophilous arctic-alpine and alpine plants in Korea is reviewed in connection with palaeoenvironment, along with a discussion to their origins, patterns of migration, and their refugia. At present, the estimated number of Korean arctic-alpine and alpine species is 419, and this includes 75 arctic-alpine species, 239 alpine species and 105 Korean endemic alpine species. The disjunctive distribution of cryophilous arctic-alpine and alpine plants is likely to be due to first, the downslope and southward expansion of those species towards the Korean peninsula as a primary refugia from the arctic region as the Pleistocene glacial phases approached, and then their subsequent isolation upslope in mountain areas toward a secondary refugia as the interglacial and post-glacial climatic ameliorations followed; secondly, the expansion of forest tree communities on lowland and montane areas subsequent to the end of the Pleistocene has had the effect of dividing formerly high mountains as a result of the increased competition; and thirdly, the general disapperance or restriction of available habitats for arctic-alpine and alpine species because of post-glacial climatic amelioration. The existence of 139 alpine species exclusively in the north of Korea may be due to the following reasons; first, frequent exchanges of alpine floras with other neighbouring East Asian regions would have been facilitated; secondly, there are numerous high mountains available for the alpine plants to survive and prosper during the post-glacial period; thirdly, the existence of easy accesses between mountains within the north, which has enabled alpine floras to migrate when necessary; and finally, the availability of diverse environments and habitats for the alpine flora of the north. However, the continued survival of those species in Korea at the world's or East Asia's southernmost limits of their distribution for many species is in danger if global warming associated with the greenhouse effect takes place.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.381-395
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• 2011

Present work aims to establish an integrated management system of environmental data base for nine typical wind holes or air holes in Korea. It basically deals with definition, geographical distribution, morphological pattern, physical characteristics and anthropogenic environments of wind hole to propose systematic preservation strategy of their periglacial landscape and flora, which are known to be sensitive to global warming. Wind hole, in which cool air blows out during the summer, but mild air comes out during the winter from a cave or hole, is frequently found on northwest- and north-facing slopes on the terminal point of steep talus, block field, and block stream, and can be categorized into three types, i.e., talus, cave and sink types. Environmental characteristics of nine wind holes are analyzed on the basis of their geology, landform, climate, soil, hydrology, vegetation, road, footpath, land-use, and management system, and relevant DB are prepared. Wind hole areas with unique landscape and ecological values need to be designated as a nature reserve, and zoning of core, buffer, and transitional zones are required for the multi-dimensional preservation of periglacial landscape and ecosystem. Phytogeographical values of glacial relict plants, including mountain cranberry(Vaccinium vitis-idaea) at its global southernmost limit at Bangnaeri wind hole, Hongchon County, Gangwon Province of Korea are discussed in detail as a floristic refugia in connection with climate change during the Pleistocene Epoch and potential in-situ and ex-situ preservation sites in the future.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.337-347
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• 2016

Based on genetic studies and palaeoecological surveys, the main Korean mountain range, the so-called "Baekdudaegan" (BDDG), has been recently suggested to be a major glacial refugium at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) for the boreal and temperate flora of northeastern Asia. On the basis of its shared role as a glacial refugium, and on a series of striking similarities in floristic richness and orographic features, the BDDG would constitute a sort of "eastern counterpart" of the Southern Appalachians. Given its floristic, biogeographic, and cultural value, the BDDG merits high priority for conservation.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.357-370
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• 2002

Present work aims to investigate the species composition, physiognomy and distribution of arctic-alpine and alpine plants(AAP) of the Korean Peninsula. The dominance of AAP in the northern Korea may be due to the frequent exchanges of floras with circumpolar regions for the seek of the glacial refugia during the alternate Pleistocene glacial epochs. The post-glacial climatic amelioration pushed AAP back northwards and upwards, so they now shows disjunctive distribution on separate mountain tops. The diverse morphological adaptations of AAP to severe environmental conditions, viz. the dominance of perennial species, stunted tree growth, multiple protection of leaves, krummholz, and dwarf shrubs, are the result of long-term graduall development which have safeguarded the survival of AAP in a such a harsh cryo-climatic area. The appearance of the Korean endemic AAP reflects the long-term isolation of species in Korea, and the local environmental diversities which have both accentuated this isolation and aided the development of genetic diversity. Evergreen broad-leaved AAP at c. 1,500m to 1,800m and above are now endangered because of the competition from down-slope plants, and from the global warming.

• ALGAE
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.91-97
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• 2019

Chilean species of marine macroalgae with amphitropical distributions oftentimes result from introductions out of the Northern Hemisphere. This possibility was investigated using haplotype data in an amphitropical red macroalgae present in Chile, Callophyllis variegata. Published sequence records from Canada and the United States were supplemented with new collections from Chile (April 2014-November 2015). Specimens of C. variegata were amplified for the 5′ end of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI-5P) and the full length nuclear internal transcribed spacer region. Haplotype networks and biogeographic distributions were used to infer whether C. variegata was introduced between hemispheres, and several population parameters were estimated using IMa2 analyses. C. variegata displayed a natural amphitropical distribution, with an isolation time of approximately 938 ka between hemispheres. It is hypothesized that contemporary populations of C. variegata were established from a refugial population during the late Pleistocene, and may have crossed the tropics via rafting on buoyant species of kelp or along deep-water refugia coincident with global cooling, representing a rare case of a non-human mediated amphitropical distribution.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.367-382
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• 2024

Alpine and subalpine plants are isolated and distributed in mountaintop areas at high altitudes and, are among the species most vulnerable to global warming. If the rate of warming continues at its current rate, it is highly likely that this species will be unable to find new refugia and will be the last to go extinct in their current habitats. Therefore, research on the distribution and diversity of alpine and subalpine plants is urgently needed and is important from the perspective of biodiversity conservation. Therefore, this study focused on the distribution of alpine and subalpine plants native to national parks. Alpine and subalpine plants distributed across the 12 national parks accounted for approximately half (47.78%) of all alpine plants in Korea. The average relative frequency of occurrence was 0.23, plant similarity between national parks was 37.19%, and beta diversity was 0.63. The number of species was positively correlated with the latitude, elevation, and area of the national park. Thus the geographical distributions of alpine and subalpine plants haves distinct spatial specificities and physical environmental differences.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.431-440
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• 2008

Turbid water or suspended sediment is associated with negative effects on aquatic organisms; fish, aquatic invertebrate, and periphyton. Effects of turbid water on fish differ depending on their developmental stage and a level of turbidity. Low turbid water may cause feeding and predation rates, reaction distance, and avoidance in fish, and it could make fish to die under high turbidity and long period. Therefore, it is very important to find out how turbid water or suspended sediment can affect fish in domestic watersheds. The objectives of this study were 1) to introduce international case studies and their standards to deal with suspended sediment, 2) to determine acute toxicity in 4 major freshwater fishes, and 3) to determine in relation to adverse effect of macroinvertebrates and fish. Impacts of turbid water on fish can be categorized into direct and indirect effects, and some factors such as duration and frequency of exposure, toxicity, temperature, life stage of fish, size of particle, time of occurrence, availability of and access to refugia, etc, play important role to decide magnitude of effect. A review of turbidity standard in USA, Canada, and Europe indicated that each standard varied with natural condition, and Alaska allowed liberal increase of turbidity over natural conditions in streams. Even though acute toxicity with four different species did not show any fatal effect, it should be considered to conduct a chronic test (long-term) for more detailed assessment. Compared to the control, dominance index of macroinvertebrates was greater in the turbid site, whereas biotic index, species diversity index, species richness index, and ecological score were smaller in the turbid site. According to histopathological analysis with gills of macroinvertebrate and fishes, morphological and physiological modification of gills due to suspended sediments can cause disturbance of respiration, excretion and secretion. In conclusion, in order to maintain good and healthy aquatic ecosystem, it is the best to minimize or prevent impact by occurrence of turbid water in stream and reservoir. We must make every effort to maintain and manage healthy aquatic ecosystem with additional investigation using various assessment tools and periodic biomonitoring of fish.

• ALGAE
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.55-68
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• 2018

Foliose species of the Bangiaceae (Porphyra s. l.) are very important in Korean fisheries, and their taxonomy and ecophysiology have received much attention because of the potential for developing or improving aquaculture techniques. Although 20 species of foliose Bangiales have been listed from the Korean coast, some of them remain uncertain and need further comparative morphological studies with molecular comparison. In this study, we confirm the distribution of four Pyropia species from the east coast of Korea, Pyropia kinositae, P. moriensis, P. onoi, and P. retorta sp. nov., based on morphology and rbcL sequence data. Although P. onoi was listed in North Korea in old floral works, its occurrence on the east coast of South Korea is first revealed in this study based on molecular data. P. kinositae and P. moriensis, which were originally described from Hokkaido, Japan, are first reported on the east coast of Korea in this study. Pyropia retorta sp. nov. and P. yezonesis share a similar thallus color and narrow spermatangial patches in the upper portion of the frond, and they have a sympatric distribution. However, P. retorta can be distinguished by the curled or twisted thalli and by molecular data. The biogeographic pattern of the two native species, P. kinositae and P. retorta, suggests that the east coast of Korea may have been a place of refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and then recolonized to the northern part of Japan through the restored East Korean Warm Current after the LGM.