• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.276-285
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• 2009

Despite great commercial interest, relatively little has been described about molecular mechanism of bivalve reproduction. We investigated genes involved in ovarian maturation of the Yesso scallop, Patinopecten yessoensis. GSI index and histological analysis revealed that maturation of ovary begin in February and spawning period is from April to June which is similar to the previous study in the East Sea. As result of combination analysis of differential display RTPCR (DDRT-PCR) and histological examination, vitellogenin (Vg), ferritin (Ft) and ADT/ATP carrier protein (ACC) were identified as differently expressed genes in maturating ovary. Endpoint RT-PCR results showed that Vg is ovary-specific genes whereas Ft and ACC are expressed ubiquitously suggesting that Vg can be good molecular markers for ovarian development and sex determination in bivalves. Quantitative PCR results revealed that Vg were expressed highest during growth stage and appears to play a major role in oocyte maturation. On the contrary, expression of Ft was highest after spawning stage, which suggests that up-regulation may be involved in spawning and inactive stages in which the scallops recover from spawning. In addition, high level of the mitochondrial gene, ACC, may play a role in energy metabolism in maturating oocytes. Isolation and molecular studies of these key genes will expand our knowledge of the physiological changes from various exogenous factors including temperature, salinity, pH, even or numerous endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) during reproductive cycle. In addition, further study of these genes implicates various industrial applications including the stable seed production, increased food quality, or economic aquaculture system.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.201-209
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• 1989

A study has carried out to examine the characteristics of the soil arthropodan communities in the plantations of Korean white pine, Pinus koraiensis. Periodical soil samples were taken from the forests during the period from July, 1986 to June, 1987, except in winter months. The arthropods were extracted by the means of Berlese funnel. The distribution of collembola showed to be aggregated and appeared to be different distribution pattern with the environmental conditions. The structures of the collembolan communities in the soil seemed to reflect the forest conditions; and the diversity of the component species and the fluctuation of the number of individuals showed greater stability with the older plantations than with the younger ones. With young plantation sites, the various indices of the community, however, were affected more by the physical conditions than those of plantations. A great increase in the number of individual occurred in August and the peak densities continued thereafter through October, and these might be related with the reproductive patterns of the component species as well as the temperature and the accumulation of organic materials.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.167-172
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• 2013

A Two-year field experiment was carried out in 2009 and 2010 to evaluate the effects of different densities of wild oat and nitrogen (N) rates on oilseed rape yield and yield components. Experimental design was split plot with three replications. Increased nitrogen rates up to 150 kg N/ha caused an increase in oilseed rape grain yield in weed-free plots (4.26 t/ha; 1t = $10^3kg$), while even at the lowest density of wild oat (15 $plants/m^2$), increasing N fertilizer only up to 50 kg/ha led to a significant increase in grain yield. Wild oat growth was favored by high levels of N. Intraspecific competition reduced biomass, 100-seed weight and number of tillers of wild oat. Both lower N rate and intraspecific competition had negative effect on wild oat growth but the weed was still able to produce a considerable number of tillers and vigorous seeds. It showed that wild oat possess a notable adaptive plasticity and can allocate a greater proportion of its resource toward reproductive organs even under resource shortage conditions and, thus, it may increase the competitive ability of the weed over the crop.Our results suggest that effective weed management should be done to prevent wild oat seed production in crops preceding oilseed rape as well as to control the weed at early season in oilseed rape fields.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.89-106
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• 2016

Many plant species have two modes of reproduction: sexual and asexual. Both modes of reproduction have often been viewed as adaptations to temporally or spatially variable environments. The plant should adjust partitioning to match changes in the estimated success of the two reproductive modes. Perennial plants showed that favorable habitats in soil nutrients or water content tend to promote clonal growth over sexual reproduction. In contrast, under high light-quantity conditions, clonal plants tend to allocate more biomass to sexual reproduction and less to clonal propagation. On the other hand, plants with chasmogamous and cleistogamous flowers provides with a greater tendency of the opportunity to ensure some seed set in any stressful environmental conditions such as low light, low soil nutrients, or low soil moisture. It is considered that vegetative reproduction has high competitive ability and is the major means to expand established population of perennial plants, whereas cleistogamous reproduction is insurance to persist in stressful sites due to being strong. Chasmogamous reproduction mainly enhances established and new population. Therefore, the functions of sexual and asexual propagules of perennial or annual plants differ from each other. These traits of propagule thus determine its success at a particular region of any environmental gradients. Eventually, if environmental resources or stress levels change in either space or time, species composition will probably also change. The reason based on which the plants differ with respect to favored reproduction modes in each environmental condition, may be involved in their specific realized niche.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.422-431
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• 2009

This study was to provide basic data for aquatic ecosystem research using fishes. Field sampling was carried out at five selected sites of Gap Stream, and fish samples, especially for a selection of sentinel species were collected three times in June, September, and October 2007. We analyzed total length distribution of Zacco platypus in relation with the season and the sampling sites, and then compared with total body weight, condition factor (K), and age distribution of the fish. The fish population data were compared with physico-chemical water quality, obtained from the Ministry of Environment, Korea. Water quality analysis showed a significant nutrient enrichment, based on total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP), and organic matter pollution, based on biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the Site 5, which is directly influenced by wastewater disposal plant (WDP). Population analysis of the sentinel species showed that the total number of individuals, age distribution, and the population size-structure were influenced by the effluents from the WDP, and that reproductive failure of young-age population were evident in Site 5. According to the relation analysis of total weight to K, the disturbed population was mainly attributed to combined effects of habitat modifications and chemical degradations. Regression analysis of K values against water quality parameters showed significant (p<0.05) positive relations with nutrient and organic matter contents. Our data suggest that the population structure using a sentinel fish species reflected the ambient water quality in the stream and that diagnosis of aquatic ecosystem health using Z. platypus population may be practical for water resource and ecosystem conservations.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.113-121
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• 2015

Gametogenesis, mating behaviour and spawning of Octopus ocellatus were investigated by histological study. This species is dioecious, and showed a protandry phenomenon. Ooogenesis (in females) and spermatogenesis (in males) can be classified into 3 stages, respectively. O. ocellatus copulates in one of two ways: a male may leap upon a female, mounting her mantle, or a male may sit near the female and extend the hectocotylized third right arm toward her. Spawning occurred between April and June in females, and between March and May in males of O. ocellatus. The spawning period was once a year and the peak took place between May and June. A number of flatened follicle cells, which were attached to an oocyte, were involved in vitellogenesis in the cytoplasm of the vitellogenic oocyte (maturing oocyte), and formation of chorion membrane (secondary egg membrane) of the ovarian eggs. Fecundity per female closely related to GSI was 294-660 eggs (average, 429 eggs). The diameters of the ovarian eggs surrounded by chorion membrane were approximately in the range of 10.10-2.50 mm. Each ovarian egg laid by a female was connected to an egg string. Each egg string was 1-5.5 cm (average 3.6 cm). The total number of eggs laid by a female of this species ranged 218-314, the egg sizes were independent to the size of female adult. this species has a life mode showing some special reproductive characteristics of an annual semelparity as shown in Octopodidae species because we have never seen a female spawning a second time.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.109-119
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• 2007

The effect of water flow on the growth of Gafrarium tumidum was studied in the field using open cages constructed with stainless steel net and perspex in which holes were drilled. Cages with different flows (25, 50 and 75% of the control) were made by varying the area of perspex being drilled. Reduction in flow rate was directly proportional to the undrilled area, and the mean flow rate of the different treatment groups varied from 3.12 cm/s for the 25% exposure to 12.48 cm/s for the control cages. At the end of the 3-month experiment, no significant differences in sediment characteristics were found among the treatments. Growth in shell length, shell weight and tissue dry weight was, however, positively correlated with flow rate. Percentage increases ranged from $3.0{\sim}8.3%$ for shell length, $9.9{\sim}23.1%$ for shell weight and $17.2{\sim}53.3%$ for tissue dry weight. Condition index of the clam was not significantly different among the treatments. Seston depletion effect could reduce growth in G. tumidum only when water flow was reduced to 25% of the control. G. tumidum also exhibited different responses in shell and tissue growth at low flow rates, in which shell growth continued to decrease as flow rate decreased whereas tissue growth was relatively independent of low flows at 25 and 50% of the control. It was suggested that when seston flux was reduced at slow flows, it would be a better strategy for G. tumidum to channel energy for gonad development instead of shell growth during the reproductive stage.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.265-271
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• 2018

Background: Temperature-driven variation in pollinator assemblage and activity are important information, especially at high altitudes, where rising temperature trends exceed global levels. Temporal patterns of pollinators in a flowering season can be used as a proxy to predict the changes of high-altitude plants' mutualistic relationships. We observed a spring temperature change in one population of a high-altitude endemic species, Megaleranthis saniculifolia on Mt. Sobaeksan, and related it to pollinator assemblage and activity changes. Methods: This study was conducted at two sites, each facing different slopes (NE and NW), for two times in the spring of 2013 (early-flowering, April 27-28, vs. mid-flowering, May 7-8, 2013). We confirmed that the two sites were comparable in snowmelt regime, composition of flowering plants, and flower density, which could affect pollinator assemblage and activity. Pollinator assemblage and activity were investigated at three quadrats ($1m^2$ with 5-m distance) for each site, covering a total of 840 min observation for each site. We analyzed correlations between the temperature and visitation frequency. Results: Twelve pollinator species belonging to four orders were observed for M. saniculifolia at both sites during early- and mid-flowering times. Diptera (five species) and hymenopteran species (four species) were the most abundant pollinators. Pollinator richness increased at both sites toward the mid-flowering time [early vs. mid = 7 (NE) and 3 (NW) vs. 9 (NE) and 5 (NW)]. Compared to the early-flowering time, visitation frequency showed a fourfold increase in the mid-flowering time. With the progression of spring, major pollinators changed from flies to bees. Upon using data pooled over both sites and flowering times, hourly visitation frequency was strongly positively correlated with hourly mean air temperature. Conclusions: The spring temperature change over a relatively brief flowering period of M. saniculifolia at high altitudes can alter pollinator assemblages through pollinator dominance and visitation frequency changes. Thus, this study emphasizes information on intra- and inter-annual variations in the mutualistic relationship between pollinators and M. saniculifolia to further assess the warming impacts on M. saniculifolia's reproductive fitness.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.320-331
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• 2019

Background: Dioecious plant species having both male and female plants have been investigated regarding sex-related characteristics such as sex ratio, sex-differential resource requirements, and spatial segregation of the sexes. Habitat loss and fragmentation are major threats to the survival of plant populations, but dioecious species are particularly more prone to such habitat degradation than non-dioecious species because of their dimorphic sexual system. We examined the sex-related demographics of two Ilex cornuta populations being different regarding land use history. Methods: During 2016-2017, we examined I. cornuta trees with a basal diameter ${\geq}1.5cm$ in the Yongsu-ri population (YS population) and the Gotjawal Provincial Park population (GP population). Plant sex (male, female, or unsexed) was identified. The tree size (basal diameter and height of the main stem), clonal production (the ramet numbers per genet), and vitality for each clone were measured. The associations between population, sex, tree size, clonal production, and vitality were examined using ANOVAs and contingency table analyses. Finally, point pattern analyses using O-ring statistics were conducted to assess spatial patterns. Results: Upon excluding unsexed trees, the YS population with 74 trees was significantly male-biased (0.66), while the GP population with only 26 trees had a 1:1 sex ratio. In both populations, males and females did not differ in tree size. Although the mean number of ramets differed significantly between populations, females tended to produce more ramets than males. The proportion of weak trees was significantly higher in the YS than in the GP population. Neither population showed evidence of spatial segregation of the sexes. Conclusions: The two populations of dioecious I. cornuta are characterized by the small number of trees and relatively high frequencies of non-reproductive trees. Both indicate that these populations are quite susceptible to environmental and genetic stochasticity. On the other hand, the differences between populations in sex ratio, clonal production, and vitality suggest that conservation efforts for I. cornuta need to be population-specific. In order to help recover and enable this vulnerable species to persist, it is necessary to find ways to enhance their sexual reproduction and simultaneously reduce habitat disturbances due to anthropogenic activities.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.254-262
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• 2023

Background: Water deer and sika deer, which breed in the wild environment, are known to have similar reproductive physiology mechanisms. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the differences in uterine development between water deer and sika deer during estrus. Methods: MMPs and uterine development-related factors were analyzed and morphological differences were compared in the uterus of sika deer captured near Russia near Korea and water deer captured in the wild in Korea. Results: In terms of morphological differences in the uterus, the glands that form villus within the endometrium of the water deer were newly developed, and the formation of small glands was high, but the villus and glands of the sika deer were expanded, and the stroma zone in the myometrium was higher than that of the water deer. Development has increased. Additionally, the expression of PAPP-A and VEGF factors was increased in the endometrium of water deer than in sika deer, but the actions of MMPs were increased in sika deer. Conclusions: As a result of this study, there is a significant difference in the development of glands in the endometrium of water deer and sika deer during estrus, and it is believed that there is a significant difference in the development of the uterus due to the physiological effects of estrus between water deer and sika deer. Additionally, it is believed that there will be differences in the timing at which pregnancy can be decided.