• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.303-310
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• 2007

This study was carried out to investigate vegetation structure and soil properties of Tilingia tsusimensis population found to be distributed in Mt. Gaya and Mt. Keumo. The Tilingia tsusimensis population was classified as Tilingia tsusimensis-typical dominant population and Tilingia tsusimensis-Thalictrum uchiyamai dominant population. It was found out that the organic matter content in the distributed areas for Tilingia tsusiensis population was $25.0{\sim}32.3%$; content of nitrate nitrogen was $0.83{\sim}1.04%;\;5.58{\sim}20.76\;ppm$ for available phosphorous; $46.3{\sim}62.9$ for CEC, and 4.5 to 5.1 for soil pH. The results of the correlation between Tilingia tsusimensis population and environmental factor are as follows; the Tilingia tsusimensis-typical dominant population was found in the areas of low elevation and had somewhat high interchangeable Na, Ca, Mg and CEC among nutrients; on the other hand, Tilingia tsusimensis-Thalictrum uchiyamai-dominant population was found in the areas of somewhat higher elevation and had a little lower interchangeable Na, Ca, Mg and CEC among nutrients than those of the Tilingia tsusimensis-typical dominant population.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.868-875
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• 2012

This study was carried out to analyze the vegetation properties, soil characteristics and ordination of Hemerocallis hongdoensis population in South Korea. The Hemerocallis hongdoensis population was classified into Mallotus japonicus dominant population, Viburnum wrightii dominant population, Melampyrum setaceum dominant population. Hemerocallis hongdoensis were mainly distributed along the coast of south-western iland of the Korean penninsula and it's population was located at an elevation of 6m to 362m. In the study sites, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, exchangeable potassium, exchangeable calcium, exchangeable magnesium, cation exchange capacity and soil pH were 16.18~21.70%, 0.56~0.97%, 0.42~0.88mg/kg, $3.38{\sim}5.65cmol^+/kg$, $1.12{\sim}2.38cmol^+/kg$, $25.93{\sim}41.45cmol^+/kg$, and 4.45~4.86 respectively. Mallotus japonicus dominant population was found in the steep sloped area that has high percentage of cation exchange capacity and total nitrogen than other populations. Viburnum wrightii dominant population was found gentle sloped area that has low percentage of cation exchange capacity and total nitrogen. Melampyrum setaceum dominant population was found in the medium sloped area that has medium percentage of cation exchange capacity and total nitrogen. Current status of Hemerocallis hongdoensis habitats is very vulnerable with local development constantly threatening the species' survival. Thus, concrete conservation plans to protect natural habitats should be set up as soon as possible.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.525-549
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• 2022

The process of biological invasion is led by the dynamics of a population as a demographic and evolutionary unit. Spatial structure can affect the population dynamics, and it is worth being considered in research on biological invasion which is always accompanied by dispersal. Metapopulation theory is a representative approach to spatially structured populations, which is chiefly applied in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology despite the controversy about its definition. In this study, metapopulation was considered as a spatially structured population that includes at least one subpopulation with significant extinction probability. The early phase of the invasion is suitable to be analyzed in aspects of the metapopulation concept because the introduced population usually has a high extinction probability, and their ecological·genetic traits determining the invasiveness can be affected by the metapopulation structure. Although it is important in the explanation of the prediction of the invasion probability, the metapopulation concept is rarely used in ecological research about biological invasion in Korea. It is expected that applying the metapopulation theory can supply a more detailed investigation of the invasion process at the population level, which is relatively inadequate in Korea. In this study, a framework dividing the invasive metapopulation into long- and middle-distance scales by the relative distance of movement to the natural dispersal range of species is proposed to easily analyze the effect of a metapopulation in real cases. Increased understanding of the mechanisms underlying invasions and improved prediction of future invasion risk are expected with the metapopulation concept and this framework.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.402-412
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• 2020

This study aims to examine the population characteristics of the fish and the bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), designated as ecologically disturbing fish, living in four water dams in the Ulsan area and to provide basic data. The survey of fish living in 4 water dams and surrounding tributaries in the Ulsan area from 2016 to 2017 found a total of 1,987 individuals of 28 species of 9 families and identified 6 Korea's endemic species is (21.4% indigenous rate), 4 exotic species, and 2 ecosystem disturbing species. Based on the number of fishes identified, the dominant species was Lepomis macrochirus, and the subdominant species was Hemiculter eigenmanni. The investigation of the age structure of the L. macrochirus found in the 4 water dams in the Ulsan area showed a large population of 1 to 2 old, and the population was growing fast. Moreover, the analysis of the total length-weight relationship and obesity of the L. macrochirus population showed that the regression coefficient b of the total length-weight relationship was greater than 3.0, and the habitat of the L. macrochirus population was in good condition. Obesity had a positive slope, and the growth state was relatively good. The result of this study can be used as useful data to predict the trend of the L. macrochirus fauna inhabiting in 4 water dams in the Ulsan area.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.497-506
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the proper minimum viable population of a seed bank for the ecological restoration of pine forest using a seed bank. It examined the germinated soil seed bank from August 2010 to November 2011. The results of the correlation analysis showed that the area and the number of herbaceous species were the highest at 0.686. The results of the regression analysis of four variables including the number of woody species, the number of woody individuals, the number of herbaceous species, and the number of herbaceous individuals using the theory of island biogeography to the minimum viable population in studied plots showed that all four variables were significant with area at the level of 0.05, and R square was 0.583. One function was selected between the number of species and the number of individuals from the canonical correlation analysis, and the function square was 0.824. Both canonical function and squared canonical correlation showed significant at the level of 0.01. The result of study recommended the area size of the minimum viable population in pine forest applied by seed bank to be larger than $64m^2$, the number of species to be over 21, and the number of population to be over 120. It also found that the number of herbaceous species determined the cluster size of the seed bank. Therefore, it is necessary to consider herbaceous species that appear in the seed bank.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.50-55
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• 2009

To understand the status of the migrating Oriental Honey Buzzard(Pernis ptilorhynchus) in Korea, we carried out a preliminary study on the number and local movements of the Honey Buzzard from September 2005 to October 2007 at Hongdo Island, Jeonnam Province, Korea. A total of 702 Honey Buzzards in 2005, 404 individuals in 2006, and 659 individuals in 2007 were recorded during the fall migration season, but during the spring migration season only two and eight birds were observed in 2006 and 2007 respectively. The migrating Honey Buzzard showed peak numbers from 20 September to 5 October at the study site. According to observation of arrival time of538 Honey Buzzard in October 2007, a total of 2l6 birds(40.l %) were passing over Hongdo Island between 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM, rising skyward on columns of warm air. This suggests the use of thermal currents and avoidance of nocturnal movement for crossing water. They preferred moderate winds(<5 m/s in speed) from northwest, but the migrating number apparently decreased in case of strong winds (${\geqq}5 m/s$). This suggests that wind speed and direction are important environmental factors for migration of the Oriental Honey Buzzard. At present, it is unclear which breeding population(from north-eastern China or Japan) passes over Hongdo Island. Moreover, it is difficult to prove migration route and to understand migratory behaviors of the Oriental Honey Buzzard in Korea. To prove the breeding sites and routes of the migrants over the study site, we need more detailed and further studies such as satellite tracking researches.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.591-602
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• 2018

Clithon retropictus has been designated as an endangered wildlife Class II due to its high value as a biological indicator species capable of judging environmental quality such as salinity, water flow, and ground conditions. However, basic research on its physiological and ecological characteristics is still lacking. As such, this study intended to examine the impact of environmental conditions such as salinity and soil particle size on the size and density of Clithon retropictus at the Yeoncho river estuary. The investigation of the salinity, which is a key variable that affects the distribution of organisms in the estuary, showed that Clithon retropictus could grow at a salinity ranging from 0#x2030; (freshwater) to 25‰ (brackish water). The coarse gravel (19-75mm) tended to increase nearer the upper stream (under the Yeoncho weir), while the proportion of particles smaller than sand (less than 19mm) increased toward the downstream. The population and the size of the individuals decreased rapidly in the downstream where water stagnated near the Yeoncho weir, and the salt water joined. The results indicated that Clithon retropictus had a high tolerance to salinity, but the adaptability was weaker toward the extremes since the population, and the size tended to decrease as the salinity increased. The correlation analysis revealed that both salinity and soil particle size affected the population and individual size. The correlation between the individual size and salinity was -0.242 (P <0.01), indicating that the size decreased with increasing salinity. The correlation between individual size and coarse gravel having a particle size of 19mm or more was 0.420 (P <0.01), indicating that the size increased with increasing the particle size.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.639-650
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• 2022

Abeliophyllum distichum Nakai, a rare plant with distylous characteristics, is native to certain parts of the Korean Peninsula. It is registered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as a globally endangered plant. This study was conducted to establish an appropriate local conservation management plan suitable for future A. distichum populations by comparing and analyzing the flowering characteristics and population size according to distyly based on the results of quantitative surveys in 14 regions, including 8 areas with native populations of A. distichum and 6 natural monument populations. The number of individuals appearing in each population group was surveyed, and the flowering individuals were identified by style as being either pin or thrum flower types as they were being examined and recorded on the site. In total, 13,130 individuals of A. distichum (7,003 flowering and 6,127 non-flowering individuals) were recorded, but the balance of the number of pin- and thrum-flowered individuals in each population was not significant (p<0.05), indicating an imbalanced state. In particular, the Yeongdong (YD) population was very disproportionate compared to other populations, suggesting that its genetic diversity was low and the possibility of inbreeding was high. The average flowering and fruiting rates by management unit were much higher in the natural monument populations (89.2% and 55.3%, respectively) than in the natural habitat populations (39.0% and 8.5%, respectively). It may be due to a difference in reproductive growth resulting from light inflow into the forest caused by the upper crown closure. The area of occupation (AOO) of A. distichum on the Korean Peninsula covered an area of 23,224.5 m². Although the natural monument population was smaller than the natural habitat population, its density was higher, likely as a result of the periodic management of natural monument populations, where the installation of protective facilities in certain areas restricts population spread. Conservation of A. distichum populations requires removing the natural monument populations suspected of anthropogenic and genetic disturbances and expanding the conservation priority population by designating new protected areas. Although the habitats of natural monument populations are managed by the Cultural Heritage Administration and local governments, there are no agencies that are responsible for managing natural habitat populations. Therefore, institutional improvement in the overall management of A. distichum should be prioritized.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.625-631
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• 2008

We used the visitation aspect of dabbling ducks(Anas spp.) to investigate the estuarine ecosystem of Nakdong River and to compare the data collected during two periods: trom May, 1989 to April 1993 and from May, 2002 to April 2006. Over for the 8 years of field surveys, 356,110 individuals from 11 species of dabbling ducks(Anas spp.) were observed in the Nakdong estuary. In the early 1990s, the average number of species gradually increased from October through November, whereas the highest numbers of species were recorded in October during the second survey period. The average number of individuals recorded during the second period was 2-3 times higher than that observed in the 1990s. Statistical analysis using a t-test indicated that the number of individuals showed significant difference at 5% level between November and February in both the early 1990s and the mid-2000s. During the winter, dabbling ducks select both estuarine wetlands as resting sites and rice paddy as feeding sites. More wintering migrants including ducks would visit to Nakdong river if we provide with enough rice paddy near the estuary. The farmland around Nakdong estuary is used by dabbling ducks as a habitat, we hope it must be conserved thoroughly. CRP(crop reserve program), implemented by the local government of Kangseo-gu, Busan City is effective in conserving rice paddy; therefore, the CRP program need to be continuously applied in the Nakdong river basin.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.10-16
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• 2011

This study was carried out to analyze the vegetation and soil characteristic, and ordination of the Ilex cornuta population, in the Yongsu Reservoir of Jeju Island. The Ilex cornuta population was classified into Cudrania tricuspidata dominant population, Sageretia theezans dominant population, and Mallotus japonicus dominant population. In the study sites, soil organic matter(O.M.), total nitrogen(T.N.), available phosphorus($P_2O_5$), changeable potassium, changeable calcium, changeable magnesium and soil pH were 14.62~17.35%, 0.39~0.51%, 8.83~20.15mg/kg, 0.44~0.64cmol+/kg, 5.79~6.87cmol+/kg, 3.43~4.19cmol+/kg and 5.41~5.80, respectively. The Mallotus japonicus dominant population was mainly found in the high percentage of available phosphorus, organic matter. It was also showed the lowest concentration of exchangeable K, and Mg. Cudrania tricuspidata dominant population and Sageretia theezans dominant population were found in the low percentage of available phosphorus, organic matter and there were also showed the highest concentration of exchangeable K, and Mg. It is one of the evidence that Ilex cornuta community indicated an intensive site management likes clearance of creeper is proper habitat management protocol. Thus, further researches should be followed to determine the other disturbance factors as management techniques.