• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.90 no.1
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• pp.43-54
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• 2001

Genetic differentiation of populations is resulted from the environmental and the genetic effects, and the interactions between them. Whereas, the major factors influencing to the genetic differentiation within populations are the gene flow induced by seed or pollen dispersial, the microsite heterogeneity, and the density-dependent distribution of individuals. For the purpose of studying spatial genetic structure and the distribution pattern of Korean pines(Pinus koraiensis), we set up one $100{\times}100m$ plot at a Korean pine stand in Quercus mongolica community on Mt. Jumbong in Korea. To estimate the coefficient of spatial autocorrelation as Moran's index and an analogue, simple block distance, isozyme markers were analyzed in 325 Korean pines. For 11 polymorphic loci observed in 9 enzyme systems, the average percentage of polymorphic loci, the observed and expected heterozygocity were 72.2% 0.200, and 0.251, respectively. It was revealed the excess of homozygotes was observed in the plot, which suggests that here may be more number of consanguineous trees than expected. On the basis of isozyme genotypes observed in this study, 325 trees were classified into 147 groups in which the maximum number of trees for one group was 34. From the distance class of 24-32m, the genetic heterogeneity began to increase. The variation of simple block distance against the growth performance by tree height and diameter also showed the same trend at 24~32m class. According to high fixation index(F=0.204), the spatial genetic structure within a stand, the analysis of the growth performance, and the distribution patterns of identical genotypes, we inferred that the genetic structure of a Korean pine stand in Mt. Jumbong has been maintained rather density-dependent mechanism than the gene flow, such as the pollen dispersial or the heavy input of seeds following the forest gaps. The genetic patchy size was determined between 24~32m, which suggests that the selection of individuals for the ex situ conservation of Korean pine in Mt. Jumbong may be desirable to be made with the spatial distance over 37 meters between trees.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.47-57
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• 1981

Girth at breast height was measured to test skewness ($g_1$) and kurtosis ($g_2$) of frequency distribution of the basal area in terms of t-test and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for a total of forty six monocultures within Sudong and Kwhangnung area in central part of Korean peninsula in 1979 and 1980. The monocultures are about 10 to 50 years old, and four kinds: Pinus koraiensis, Larix kaempferi, Abies holophylla and Pinus rigida. Most of the sample sizes per site were ranged 70 to 110 excluding 4 sites. The number of classes interval was based on Sturges rule for each monoculture and was ranged from 5 to 10. In Sudong the range of age(yr) and basal area (($cm^2$)/tree) of the monocultures were from 10 to 20 and from 27.60 to 383. for Kwhangnung they were from 15 to 47 and mostly 102.15 to 619.14, respectively. All 43 monocultures except 1 showed +$g_1$, which ranged from 0.3 to 2.2 except six sites. Of the total 46 sites, 23 sites showed significant +$g_1$ which includes about 10 year-old monoculture. The number of classes interval with significant positive skewness ranged from 6 to 9. The data suggest that intraspecific competition in terms of stand structure seems to appear from about 10 year-old monocultures, and it may even last to about 50 year-old one. Around 24 monocultures showed nonsignificant -$g_2$ except one. Most -$g_2$ ranged from -0.12 to -0.83. Around 20 monocltures showed positive $g_2$ ranging from +0.13 to +3.841. Of the 22 +$g_1$, majority of 11 were very highly significant. Of all monocultures only 5 showed significant result from Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Of the 4 species, Larix kaempferi seems to show density stress first then Abies holophylla, and Pinus koraiensis last. Data of this study indicate that adequate number of classes intervals and sample sizes for studying intraspecific competition in terms of basal area are 6 to 9 and 80 trees rather than 12 and 100 trees, respectively. It also suggests that most of the frequency distribution of basal area class are trimodal rather than bimodal under density stress. It is proposed that the leptokurtic distribution appears before normal distribution rather than direct change from platykurtic to normal distribution of basal area for selected stages in the development of stands.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.108 no.2
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• pp.168-176
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• 2019

To understand the floristic composition, vegetation structure, and population dynamics of Koelreuteria paniculata communities, which are native to Daegu, South Korea, a field survey was conducted in July 2018 using phytosociological and complete enumeration methods. Based on information on vegetation and trees of >5 cm diameter at breast height collected during the field survey, we classified the community types by species composition and analyzed their vegetation strata, relative importance value (MIV), life forms, species diversity, and population structure. The community was divided into the following three types: Ulmus parvifolia-Vitex negundo var. incisa subcommunity, Securinega suffruticosa subcommunity, and Clematis apiifolia community. The vegetation unit system was organized into one community group, two communities, and two subcommunities. Vegetation coverage of the tree layer was >85%, while the herbaceous layer was <10%. MIV of K. paniculata appeared to be extremely high within all vegetation strata, with 94.3 of the tree layer, 81.6 of the subtree layer, 75.5 of the shrub layer, and 60.0 of the herbaceous layer. The species diversity (H') was significantly different among the community types, and the C. apiifolia community (2.062) was approximately four times higher than the S. suffruticosa subcommunity (0.547). The overall representative life form types were "$MM-R_5-D_4{\cdot}D_2-e$,", but there were some differences in the disseminule form among the community types. The population structure of K. paniculata showed the reverse J-shaped distribution with a high density of young individuals and low density of larger individuals among all three community types, and because no plant species within the lower vegetation could replace K. paniculata, it was considered to be a sustainable population.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.570-579
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• 2015

Lindera sericea, which belongs to genus Lindera in the Lauraceae family, is labeled under Least Concerned (LC) among Korean rare plants, floristics specific species IV grade and also flagpole species of the Mudeung National Park. It is distributed in Mt. Mudeung, Mt. Cheonbong and Mt. Chogye within gradients from $12^{\circ}$ to $51^{\circ}$. The slope area is from northeast to northwest sides and the altitude range of distribution site is between 220 m and 533 m. The vascular plants in the quadrate where Lindera sericea were studied were identified as a total of 72 taxa; 37 families, 54 genera, 66 species, 5 variants and 1 forma. Among the floristics specific species, IV grade species was Lindera sericea and III grade species were Stewartia pseudocamellia and Acer palmatum. Korean endemic species were Stewartia pseudocamellia and Carex okamotoi. As for the vegetation group, Quercus mongolica and Q. serratak - Lindera sericea, Styrax japonicus populations were found in Mt. Mudeung area where Lindera sericea appeared, Stewartia pseudocamellia-Lindera sericea and Sasa borealis populations were found in Mt. Cheonbong areas, Carpinus laxiflora - Lindera sericea and Sasa borealis populations were found in Mt. Chogye area, and Stewartia pseudocamellia-Lindera sericea and Sasa borealis populations were found in Songgwangsa area. A total number of 662 Lindera sericea individuals were examined. The number of trees with 1 trunk including younger individuals was 353 (53.32%), and the number of trees with 2 to 5 stems was 270 (40.79%). The number of trees with the greatest number of sprouts was 27. Of 662 trees in total, the total number of sprouts was 1,198. Among these, 699 trees (58.34%) were between 50 cm and 150 cm in height. The tallest tree was 585 cm. The most common root-collar diameter of sprouts (992, 82.81%) was under 1 cm, followed by the sprouts with collar diameter from 1.0 to 1.5 cm(156, 13.2%). Among them, the largest root-collar diameter was 3.2 cm. This Lindera sericea specimen had the tallest trunk (565 cm) which was torn lengthwise on one side. Its root and breast parts were decayed by 50% and 25 respectively. Some branches of the three trunks that were more than 4 m in length were dead in the apical portion. Therefore, it is proposed that the Korean Lindera sericea maintains an apical dominance tree type while showing morphological adaptation as a typical shrub because it autonomously decays some branches and trunks over a certain height while increasing the number of its sprouts.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.169-177
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• 2024

This study investigated whether population dynamic analysis based on the height characteristics of Abies nephrolepis was feasible. It was necessary because existing population dynamic analyses based on age and diameter at breast height (DBH) made it difficult to reflect the slow growth characteristics of Abies nephrolepis in harsh environments of high altitudes. The limitations of population dynamics analysis based on the age and DBH distribution of Abies nephrolepis in Seoraksan, Odaesan, and Taebaeksan National Parks, where Abies nephrolepis populations are representative, were verified, and the characteristics of height growth were investigated to comprehensively analyze whether a vertical structure based on height could reveal the population dynamics. The result of this study showed some limitations in understanding the population dynamics of Abies nephrolepis based on age distribution due to practical difficulties in sampling all trees and variations in age distribution within the same community depending on factors such as light conditions. Moreover, it was challenging to differentiate the distribution of DBH classes at fine levels, making it difficult to reflect the rapid growth characteristics of Abies nephrolepis when light conditions become suitable after prolonged stays in smaller DBH classes under shade conditions. However, a comprehensive analysis of the height characteristics of Abies nephrolepis revealed that the density corresponding to the population dynamic characteristics of Abies was high and adequately reflected the predominant tree death at similar height stages, as well as the U-shaped population dynamics at the lower stratum. Moreover, it was possible to identify a transition point in height values under shaded conditions, where the annual growth of Abies nephrolepis individuals in the lower stratum increases significantly, indicating that Abies nephrolepis individuals can escape from competition with other shrubs and undergo vigorous growth only at this height level. Therefore, this study confirmed that a vertical structure based on height can be utilized to understand the population dynamics of Abies nephrolepis in high altitudes, and it is expected that future studies on height characteristics can intuitively reveal the maintenance status of Abies nephrolepis populations in the field.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.182-191
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• 2023

This study was carried out to identify the distribution and growth characteristics and evaluate the conservation status of the Michelia compressa Maxim., a rare and endangered wild plant II, in the habitats in Korea. A total of 314 individuals were found in the natural habitats of Heuksan Island and Jeju Island and were divided into four populations. About 45.9% (144 individuals) were distributed in the range of 401m~500m above sea level. The average height of trees was 2.7(±4.8)m, the diameter at breast height was 12.6(±13.9)cm, and the number of branches was 1.0(±0.5) on average. 54.3% of the sapling individuals of M. compressa were distributed within a radius of 30 m from the mother tree, 25.8% were distributed between 31 m through 40 m, and most (90.1%) were distributed within a radius of 60 m. The fact that sapling individuals of M. compressa are not identified even around some mature individuals and appear only in extremely limited areas is estimated to be closely related to the growth conditions as well as the environment of the natural habitats. The dispersal of M. compressa is presumed to be related to the birds and natural seedlings because water puddles, a resting place for birds beyond the range of natural seedlings, characterize its habitats. The IUCN Red List evaluation criteria at the regional and national level of M. compressa corresponds to the Critically Endangered category, and the domestic population under the category of "CR B2ab(v); C2a(i); D."

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.635-653
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• 2012

Vascular plants of Oruem in region of Jeju-City were investigated 454 taxa totally; 116 families, 301 genera, 359 species, 3 subspecies, 78 varieties and 14 forms. In the studied Oruems in region of Jeju-City within altitude 800m, evergreen tree forests does not range and a lot of Pines thunbergii forest and Cryptomeria japonica and Chamaecyparis obtusa plantation forest were. The endemic species of Oruem in region of Jeju-City were 14 taxa such as Asarum maculatum, Hepatica insularis, Cardamine glechomifolia etc. The floristics degree categorized by the specific distribution of plant species were total 116 Taxa, that is, V grade species Magnolia kobus, Aconitum japonicum subsp. napiforme, Ligularia taquetii etc, 6 kinds be, IV grade species Rubus ribisoideus, Ligustrum salicinum, Carex macrandrolepis etc, 16 kinds be, III grade species Illicium anisatum, Hydrangea petiolaris, Rubus schizostylus etc, 37 kinds be, II grade species Pseudostellaria coreana, potentilla dickinsii, Euonymus pauciflorus etc, 6 kinds and I grade species Sphenomeris chinensis, Pteris multifida, Machilus thunbergii etc, be. 51 kinds were confirmed. Rare and Endemic Plant Species of Korea Forest Service were 11 taxa such as Asarum maculatum, Aconitum japonicum subsp. napiforme and Magnolia kobus etc. Naturalized plant were confirmed 31 taxons with Rumex acetosella, Hypochaeris radicata and Sisyrinchium atlanticum etc.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.223-236
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• 2003

The vegetation in this study area was divided into 10 plant communities: Pinus thunbergii, P. densiflora, Quercus acutissima, Q. mongolica, Q. serratea, Q. variabilis, Q. aliena, Q. dentata, Carpinus coreana, Betula davurica and 3 afforestations; Pinus rigida, Robinia pseudo-acacia, Castanea crenata. The dominant species in each stratum as determined by R-NCD appeared to be Q. acutissima, P. densiflora, Platycarya strobilacea, Sorbus alnifolia and Q. aliena in the tree-2 layer, Rhododendron mucronulatum, P. strobilacea, Q. serrata, Q. aliena and Q. acutissima in the shrub layer, and Carex lanceolata, C. humilis, R. mucronulatum, Mischanthus sinensis var. purpurascens and Oplismenus undulatifolius in the herb layer. The distribution of diameter at breast height(DBH) showed the highest percentage (56%) in the range of 2∼10㎝ in the study area and it was investigated as being in the restoration phase after disturbance. The average of the age of trees was under 40-years-od. The pH of soil collected at each site appeared to be within the range between 4.53 and 5.10(the average of 4.73) in each community, organic matters appeared higher than the value in Q. mongolica, P. rigida, C. crenata communities compared to P. thunbergii, P. densiflora communities. And soil organic matters and total nitrogen were highly correlated with their contents.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.241-253
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• 2000

The degree to which microenvironmental factors are linked to spatial patterns of vegetational factors within ecosystems has important consequences for our understanding of how ecosytems are structured and for conservation of rare species in ecosystems. We studied this relationships between the spatial patterns of microenvironmental factors and vegetational factors in temperate hardwood forest in Mt. Jumbong Biological Reserve Area, Korea. To do this, environmental and vegetational factors from 196 micropoints in a 0.49 ha plot were investigated. Most of all environmental factors and vegetational factors showed the variations among micropoints. Microtopographic factors, litter depth, soil moisture content and relative light intensity at this site were spatially dependent at a scale of 14∼62 m. Coverage of tree and shrub layer and species diversity of herb layer in autumn were spatially dependent at a scale of < 15 m. Species richness and species diversity of herb layer in spring and species richness of herb layer in autumn were spatially dependent at a scale of 28∼48 m. Multiple regression analysis showed that spatial patterns of species richness and species diversity of herb layer in spring and autumn were affected by litter depth, slope, subtree layer, shrub, Sasa borealis etc. The best predictor for the spatial patterns of species richness and species diversity of herb layer at this site was the spatial pattern of litter depth. Species richness and species diversity of herb layer showed strongly negative correlation with litter depth. We estimate that the spatial pattern of litter depth at this site were affected by direction of wind, microtopography and spatial pattern of shrub layer.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.105 no.3
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• pp.309-314
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• 2016

A locally adapted plant population under harsh environmental changes might survive for a long generation through maintaining proper level of genetic diversity. When it happens losing the genetic diversity too much fast, the population could be declining and probably become extinct. An isolated small population of Populus davidiana was investigated to study out the genetic diversity and the fine-scale spatial genetic structure. The estimated number of adult trees in the population of Mt. Worak, South Korea, was 350 in the total area of $14,000m^2$. The number of adults in a study plot ($70m{\times}70m$) was 123. The average age was 16-year-old and a 32-year-old tree was the oldest. The distribution of individuals was slightly aggregated in the plot. Sixty-one among the 123 individuals were randomly sampled to estimate genetic variation using AFLP markers. One hundred fifty-one (77%) of total 196 amplicons were polymorphic from six AFLP primer combinations. The average number of loci per primer combination was 32.7 (S.D.=7.2). Expected heterozygosity ($H_e$) and Shannon's diversity index (S.I.) were 0.154 and 0.254, respectively. These values were extremely lower than those of other P. davidiana populations in South Korea. Genetic patchiness was showed within 21 meters by spatial autocorrelation analysis and the isolated small size of population might be mainly attributed to the formation of such small patch size.