• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.129-138
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• 2021

Living modified organisms (LMOs) are managed by seven government agencies according to their use in South Korea. The Ministry of Environment is responsible for LMOs used for environmental remediation. This study aimed to develop guidelines for assessing potential risks posed by transgenic plants used for remediation to insect ecosystems by investigating arthropod communities in sunflower fields. A total of 2,350 insects and spiders belonging to 134 species of 10 orders and 71 families were collected from sunflower fields over four growth stages ranging from anthesis to seed maturity. At the R3 phase of flower-bud formation, Chironomidae sp. of a decomposer insect guild presented the highest density, while Apis mellifera of a pollinator guild was the most abundant in the R5.8 phase of flowering. During the R7 seed-filling phase and the R9 phase of seed maturity, herbivorous Pochazia shantungensis predominated. During the R9 phase, richness and diversity indices of arthropod communities were distinctly lower whereas their dominance indices were significantly higher than those at other phases. In addition, the composition of arthropod communities was strongly correlated not only with the sampling date, but also with the sampling method depending on the growth stage of sunflowers. Our results suggest that appropriate sampling timing and methods should be considered in advance and that long-term field trials that cover a variety of environmental conditions should be carried out to evaluate potential risks to insect ecosystems.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.237-254
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• 2021

Background: Some of the introduced alien species introduced settle, multiply, and spread to become invasive alien species (IAS) that threaten biodiversity. To prevent this, Korea and other countries legally designate and manage alien species that pose a risk to the environment. Moreover, 2160 alien species have been introduced in South Korea, of which 1826 animals and 334 plants are designated. The inflow of IAS can have negative effects such as ecosystem disturbance, habitat destruction, economic damage, and health damage to humans. To prevent damage caused by the inflow of IAS in advance, species that could potentially pose a risk to the environment if introduced in South Korea were designated as alert alien species (AAS). Results: The designation criteria were in accordance with the "Act on the Conservation and Use of Biological Diversity" and the "Regulations on the Ecological Risk Assessment of AAS and IAS" by the National Institute of Ecology. The analysis result of risk and damage cases indicated that mammals affect predation, competition, human economic activity, virus infection, and parasite infection. Birds have been demonstrated to affect predation, competition, human economic activity, and health. It was indicated that plants intrude on the ecosystem by competing with native species with their high-population density and capacity to multiply and cause allergic inducement. Interestingly, 300 species, including 25 mammals, 7 birds, 84 fishes, 28 amphibians, 22 reptiles, 1 insect, 32 spiders, 1 mollusk, 1 arthropod, and 99 plants, are included in the list of AAS. Conclusions: AAS designation plays a role in preventing the reduction of biodiversity by IAS in South Korea and preserving native species. Moreover, it is determined to provide considerable economic benefits by preventing socio-economic losses and ecological damage.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.15 no.3 s.28
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• pp.111-126
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• 1976

Regional differences in economic importance of the four species of rice leafhoppers, viz., Laodelphax striatellus, Nephotettix cincticeps, Nilaparvata Iugens and Sogatella furcifera, were analyzed and discussed based on population surveys conducted in Suweon and in southern and south-western coastal areas. The economic importance of L. striatellus and N. cincticeps, which are found throughout the year in Korea, seems to be less in middle regions. This is believed due to effective natural control through severe winter climate, cultural practices in rice and barley growing, and natural enemies such as spiders. However, the economic importance of these two species is significantly greater in southern regions with a less severe winter climate, and where cultural practices in rice and barley favour synchronization between the life cycles of insects and the seasonal succession of host plants. with regard to N. lugens and S. furcifera, which cannot overwinter in Korea, initial populations are the result of long distance migration across the East China Sea. Weather elements related to their migration result in more abundant immigrants of these two species in southern than in middle regions. Thus, different policies are needed for the integrated control of rice leafhoppers in middle and southern Korea.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.157-165
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• 2009

Here we demonstrate the fine structural characteristics of the spigots on the cribellum and its peculiar sieve-like structure at the aspects of the functional significance. The surface of the cribellum is covered by hundred of tiny spigots which producing numerous cribellate silk fibrils. It has been known that the cribellar silk is considered as a quite different sort of catching silk with dry-adhesive properties. By our fine structural observation using the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), the titanoecid spiders have a specialized sieve-like plate just in front of the anterior spinnerets. The other types of the silk spigots were identified as follows: ampullate, pyriform and aciniform glands. Two pairs of major ampullate glands send secretory ductules to the anterior spinnerets, and another 1~2 pairs of minor ampullate glands supply the median spinnerets. In addition, the pyriform glands send ductules to the anterior spinnerets, and the aciniform glands feed silk into the median and the posterior spinnerets, respectively. Characteristically, 2 distinct types (A & B types) of the aciniform spigots were identified in this spider, and the spigots of the aciniform B type are always detected at the posterior spinneret, however sexual dimorphism for spigot is unlikely to be exhibited in this species of spider.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.149-156
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• 2009

Fine structure of the dry adhesion system in the tarsal appendages of the jumping spider Plexippus setipes (Araneae: Salticidae) with examined using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The jumping spiders have the distinctive attachment apparatus for adhesion on smooth dry surface without sticky fluids. They attach to rough substrates using tarsal claws, however attachment on smooth surfaces is achieved by means of a tuft-like hair called a scopula. All eight legs have the scopulae with a pair of claws on the tip of feet, and each scopula is composed of two groups of setae that are capable of dry adhesion on smooth surface. The apex of each seta is flattened pad bearing many specialized adhesive setules on one side. The cuticular sensillae are interspersed at the dorsal surface of the seta. It has been revealed by this research that the contact area of the setule is always a triangular shape, and these cuticular surfaces are connected by the elongated stalks from the underlying setae. Moreover, adhesion between the numerous setules and the setae was prevented by the microscopic hairs, since these were interspersed on the upper side of the setae.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.283-287
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• 2008

The imogolite synthesis wore performed by using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and aluminium-sec-butoxide (ASB) at < $100^{\circ}C$. A mixure of TEOS and ASB in a molar ratio of 1:2 was prepared under vigorous stirring and the experiments were performed under the hydrothemal refluxing condition. When the concentration of TEOS and ASB in solution was 0.5 M, a well-crystallized imogolite was synthesized, and the reflections wore shown at d = 22.4, $9.5\;\AA$ etc., after XRD analysis. DTA analysis shows 2 exothemal peaks at 68 and $249^{\circ}C$, suggesting the dehydration and the dehyroxylation reaction, respectively. The result of TG indicates 41% weight loss. And the weak and unsymmetrical peaks by the Si-O-Al stretching vibrations at 953 and $993cm^{-1}$ and by O-Si-O bending vibration at $562cm^{-1}$ were observed after IR analysis. The synthetic imogolite was fibrous and shows a spiders web like network structure.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.8-27
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• 2000

Components of extracellular matrix and the matrix-degrading enzymes are some of the key regulators of tumor metastasis and angiogenesis. Hyaluronic acid (HA), a matrix glycosaminoglycan, is known to promote tumor adhesion and migration, and its small fragments are angiogenic. Until now, we have compared levels of hyaluronidase, an enzyme that degrade HA, in normal adult prostate, benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer tissues and in conditioned media from epithelial explant cultures, using a substrate (HA)-gel assay and ELISA-like assay (Kim et al., unpublished results). The present review described an overall characterization of hyaluronidases and its application to human diseases. The hyaluronidases are a family of enzymes that have, until recently, deed thorough explication. The substrate for these enzymes, hyaluronan, is becoming increasingly important, recognized now as a major participant in basic processes such as cell motility, wound healing, embryogenesis, and implicated in cancer progression. And in those lower life forms that torment human beings, hyaluronidase is associated with mechanisms of entry and spread, e.g. as a virulence factor for bacteria, for tissue dissection in gas gangrene, as a means of treponema spread in syphilis, and for penetration of skin and gut by nematode parasites. Hyaluronidase also comprises a component of the venom of a wide variety of organisms, including bees, wasps, hornets, spiders, scorpions, sh, snakes and lizards. Of particular interest is the homology between some of these venom hyaluronidases and the enzyme found in the plasma membrane of mammalian spermatozoa, attesting to the ancient nature of the conserved sequence, a 36% identity in a 300 amino acid stretch of the enzyme protein. Clearly, hyaluronidase is of biological interest, being involved in the pathophysiology of so many important' human disorders. Greater effort should be made in studying this family of enzymes that have, until recently, been overlooked. Also, oriental medical application of the hyaluronidase will be discussed with respect to inhibition and suppression of inflammation and malignacy.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.875-901
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• 2017

Although some skeptical views arguing that the impact of organic farming is quite limited to sustainable biodiversity, the organic agriculture has been generally accepted to have positive effects on various properties of soils not only on biophysical and ecological properties but also on biodiversity of the field. Therefore, this field investigation has been conducted to examine the effect of organic farming, relative to conventional agriculture, through a comparative investigations of the two systems for conserving local biodiversity of invertebrate animals. For this research, organic and conventional farming locations matched with both of a paddy field and a upland fields in Goesan-gun province (Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea) were selected to compare the species richness of invertebrate biodiversity as follows: location OP (Organic Paddy field), location OU (Organic Upland field), location CP (Conventional Paddy field), and location CU (Conventional Upland field). Among 249 species collected, the numbers of species collected in the locations practicing organic farming were greater than the locations practicing conventional farming both in paddy fields (104 vs. 84 species) and upland fields (108 vs. 77 species). Changes in species richness can be shown in the selected locations depending on the agriculture system with organic (50 species) or conventional (44 species) farming systems in the paddy fields, similarly with organic (42 species) or conventional (35 species) farming in the upland fields, respectively. Our present research clearly shows that a wide range of taxa, including insects, spiders and other invertebrates, benefit from organic management through increases in abundance or species richness. It has been also identified that four orders (Hemiptera, Diptera, Hynemoptera, and Araneae) that are largely intrinsic to organic paddy field, and another three orders (Hemiptera, Coleoptera, and Araneae) that are particularly beneficial for organic crop field regime.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.93-107
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• 2011

This research was carried out to investigate invertebrate fauna with organic and conventional pear orchards, which used four collected methods; soil sampling for soil microorganism, pitfall, malaise, and black light trap for over ground species. Collected species were 37 species, 1,184 individuals in organic and 28 species, 501 individuals by soil sampling in conventional pear fields. Those were 38 species, 646 individuals and 29 species, 440 individuals by pitfall trap, 55 species 650 individuals and 47 species, 508 individuals by malaise trap, and 23 species, 201 individuals and 9 species, 42 individuals by black light trap. Collembola was collected 389 individuals in organic which was 5 times than in conventional in soil sampling. In pitfall trap, that was 183 individuals which was 3 times. The diversity indices of organic pear orchards were 1.956 in May, 2.638 in August and those of conventional was 1.426 in May, 2.011 in August in soil sampling. In pitfall trap, the dominant species were spiders, collembollan, and coleopteran. Among Coleoptera, indicator insects for the evaluation of agricultural environment suggested were Eusilpha jakowelewi as organic pear orchard and Anisodactykus punctatipennis and Pheropsophus jessoensis as conventional. Malaise trap was collected dominant species as Diptera and Hymenoptera of Braconidae and Ichneumonidae. The diversity indices of organic pear orchards were 2.952, 3.120, and 2.010 in pitfall, malaise and black light trap in over ground invertebrate sampling. The highest diversity was in malaise trap. The higher diversity indices, the lower dominance indices.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2001

Spiders are carnivores that prey upon insects and other small arthropods through digestion of food outside the body. Although spider poison may contain proteolytic enzymes, these are thought to play an insignificant role in actual digestion. The source of active proteolytic enzymes can be either the digestive tract cells of spider, or natural microbial flora in the digestive tract of spider. In this study, digestive tracts from the spider, Nephila clavata, were screened for bacteria that have protease or lipase activity. A total of $10^3-10^5$ CFU was recovered from a spider and more than 90% of them showed protease and lipase activity respectively. Of the microbial isolates, 63.3% showed protease or lipase activity, and 50% of these showed both protease and lipase activity. Some of the isolates were characterized using a battery of chemical, phenotypic and genotypic methods. Eleven Gram negative bacteriaa (Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, A. haemolyticus, Alcaligenes faecalis, Cedecea davisae, C. neteri, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Serratia marcescens, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Suttonella indologenes) and 11 Gram positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, B. coagulans, B. pasteurii, B. thuringiensis, Cellulomonas flavigena, Corynebacterium martruchotii, Enterococcus durans, E. faecalis, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus hominis, S. sciuri) were identified.