• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.273-280
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• 2014

This study examined whether Dybowski's brown frogs(Rana dybowskii) in noisy highway roadsides had different mating calls from those in natural sites. We selected four study sites: two rice paddy sites in Youngdong Highway roadside and two nearby natural counterparts. Frog calls were recorded between 18:30 and 20:00 on February 24, February 27, and March 14, 2014. Frog calls in the natural sites had fundamental frequency approximately at 700 Hz with two to four apparent harmonics, while frog calls in the highway sites had higher fundamental frequency with up to seven apparent harmonics. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) shows that a roadside site that are directly exposed to highway noise had statistically higher frog calling frequency than other study sites. However, the higher calling frequency was not found in another roadside site that differed in elevation from the highway and was buffered by forests. These results indicate that male frogs in a noisy highway roadside called females with a higher pitch and more apparent harmonics to avoid being masked by highway noise. These results also suggest that there is a threshold noise level that interrupts frog's mating behavior and it is needed to maintain highway roadside noise to this threshold level.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.592-602
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• 2022

This study aimed to check habitat distribution and analyze influencing factors by analyzing the mating calls of Auritibicen intermedius inhabiting limited locations in South Korea by applying bioacoustic detection techniques. The study sites were 20 protection areas nationwide. The mating call analysis period was 4 years from 2017 to 2021, excluding 2020. The bioacoustic recording system installed at each study site collected recordings of mating calls every day for 1 minute per hour. Climate data received from the Meteorological Agency, such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, cloudiness, and sunshine, were analyzed. The results of this study identified A. intermedius habitat only in four national parks in the highlands of Gangwon Province (Mt. Seorak, Mt. Odae, Mt. Chiak, and Mt. Taebak) out of 20 study sites. During the four years of study, the mating call period of A. intermedius was between August 5 and September 28, and the duration of the mating call was 31 to 52 days. The temperature analysis during the appearance period of A. intermedius showed that A. intermedius mainly produced mating calls at temperatures between 13.1℃ and 35.3℃, and the average temperature during the circadian cycle of mating calls (09:00 to 16:00) was 24.4 to 24.9℃. The analysis of the circadian cycle of mating calls at four study sites where A. intermedius appeared in 2019 showed that A. intermedius produced mating calls from 06:00 to 16:00 and that they peaked around 11:00 to 12:00. During the appearance period of A. intermedius, four species appeared in common: Hyalessa maculaticollis, Meimuna opalifera, Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata, and Suisha coreana. A logistic regression analysis confirmed that sunlight was the environmental factor affecting the mating call of A. intermedius. Regarding interspecific influence, it was confirmed that A. intermedius exchanged interspecific influence with 4 other common species (H. maculaticollis, M. opalifera, G. nigrofuscata, and S. coreana). The above results confirmed that A. intermedius habitats were limited in the highlands of Gangwon Province highlands in Korea and produced mating calls at a lower temperature compared to other species. These results can be used as basic data for future research on A. intermedius in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.139-149
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• 2022

This study aimed to prepare basic data for protecting the habitat of Fairy Pitta Pitta nympha and coping with climate change by detecting songs with bio-acoustic recording technology and identifying phenological characteristics in protected areas in Korea. The study sites were 36 protected areas nationwide. Data were collected between January and December 2019, and the analysis period was from May 1 to August 31, 2019. The main results are described as follows. Firstly, songs were detected in 22 out of 36 study sites. Frequency analysis results of songs show that high frequency was observed in southern inland, including Jeju island, and the area with the highest latitude was Seoraksan National Park. Secondly, the first song was observed in Hallyeohaesang National Park Geumsan on May 14, 2019, and the last song was observed in Ungok wetland in Gochang on August 6, 2019. Thirdly, circadian rhythm analysis results of songs show that the frequency rapidly increased at five o'clock in the morning, peaked at six o'clock, and then decreased afterward. Fourthly, seasonal cycle analysis results of songs show that they were observed from May 14, 2019 to August 6, and the day with the highest accumulated frequency of songs was June 3, 2019 (Julian date: 154). The average temperature of the day the songs were detected was 17.4℃, the average precipitation was 0.02mm, and the average humidity was 82.6%. Fifthly, a correlation analysis result between Fairy Pitta's songs and meteorological factors shows that temperature indicated a negative correlation with Fairy Pitta's songs (p<0.001), but precipitation (p=0.053) and humidity (p=0.077) did not indicate a statistical significance (df=471). This study is significant in that it confirmed the distribution of Fairy Pitta's songs using bio-acoustic recording technology in protected areas nationwide and identified their ecological characteristics by precisely analyzing the relationship between the song period and meteorological factors.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.230-245
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• 2024

Amphibians, sensitive to external environmental changes, serve as bioindicator species for assessing alterations or disturbances in local ecosystems. It is known that one-third of amphibian species within the order Anura are at risk of extinction due to anthropogenic threats such as habitat destruction and fragmentation caused by urbanization. To develop effective protection and conservation strategies for anuran amphibians, species surveys that account for population characteristics are essential. This study aimed to investigate the potential for citizen participation in ecological monitoring using the mating calls of anura species. We also proposed suitable quality control measures to mitigate errors and biases, ensuring the extraction of reliable species occurrence data. The Citizen Science project was carried out nationwide from April 1 to August 31, 2022, targeting 12 species of anura amphibians in Korea. Citizens voluntarily participated in voice signal monitoring, where they listened to anura species' mating calls and recorded them using a mobile application. Additionally, we established a quality control process to extract reliable species occurrence data, categorizing errors and biases from citizen-collected data into three levels: omission, commission, and incorrect identification. A total of 6,808 observations were collected during the citizen participation in anura species vocalization monitoring. Through the quality control process, errors and biases were identified in 1,944 (28.55%) of the 6,808 data. The most common type of error was omission, accounting for 922 cases (47.43%), followed by incorrect identification with 540 cases (27.78%), and commission with 482 cases (24.79%). During the Citizen Science project, we successfully recorded the mating calls of 10 out of the 12 anuran amphibian species in Korea, excluding the Asian toads (Bufo gargarizans Cantor), Korean brown frog (Rana coreana). Difficulties in collecting mating calls were primarily attributed to challenges in observing due to population decline or discrepancies between the breeding season of non-emergent individuals and the timing of the citizen science project. This study represents the first investigation of distribution status and species emergence data collection through mating calls of anura species in Korea based on citizen participation. It can serve as a foundation for designing future bioacoustic monitoring that incorporates citizen science and quality control measures for citizen science data.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.636-644
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the callings of nocturnal birds using bioacoustic recording technology to identify species and to analyze the ecological characteristics of each species. Three sites - Seoraksan National Park, National Institute of Ecology, and Mudeungsan National Park - were investigated. The investigation period was from the middle of April 2018 to early March 2019 for Seoraksan national park, from late February of 2018 to the middle of February 2019 for the National Institute of Ecology, and from the middle of February 2018 to the end of August 2018 for Mudeungsan National Park. The main research results are as follows. Firstly, nocturnal bird species identified by the survey included Caprimulgus indicus, Otus sunia, Zoothera aurea, Bubo bubo, and Strix uralensis, 5 species in total. Secondly, the breeding call period of each species was from early May to early August for C. indicus, from early April to the end of September for O. sunia, from early March to early October for Z. aurea, from late September to early February for B. bubo, and from mid-January to early March for S. uralensis. Thirdly, the mating call rhythm was between 16:00 and 10:00 on the following day for all the observed species in the three regions, and the peak time zone was from 20:00 to 06:00 on the following day. Fourthly, there was no correlation between the cumulative call frequency and the precipitation for each species. Fifthly, the mean temperature during the period when the specific calls of nocturnal birds were detected was -4.00 ℃ for S. uralensis, 2.58 ℃ for B. bubo, 13.66 ℃ for Z. aurea, 19.50 ℃ for O. sunia, and 20.77 ℃ for C. indicus. The ANOVA results showed that there was a significant difference in mean temperature for the calling by species and that the mean temperature was S. uralensis, B. bubo, Z. aurea, and O. sunia-C. indicus, in the ascending order, for 4 groups in total. The period of the specific mating calls confirmed by the study is a period in which the frequency of calls was the highest among the periods when the specific calls were detected. Since it is associated with the known mating period of each species, the period of the high frequency of calls confirmed by the bioacoustic monitoring can be regarded as the mating season. This study is meaningful in that it is the early research that has used the bioacoustic recording technology to identify species and ecological characteristics of species of nocturnal birds in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.698-708
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the breeding call characteristics of cicada species found in urban and forest areas in the central region of Korea by examining the interspecific effects and environmental factors affecting the breeding calls and breeding call patterns. The selected research sites were Gyungnam Apartment in Bangbae-dong, Seoul for the urban area and Chiak Mountain National Park in Wonju for the forest area. The research method for both sites was to record cicada breeding calls for 24 hours with a recorder installed at the site and analyze the results. Data from the Korea Meteorological Administration were used for environmental factors. The research period was from June 19, 2017 to September 30, 2017. As a result of the study, there were differences in the emergence of species between the two research sites: while Platypleura kaempferi, Hyalessa fuscata, Meimuna opalifera, Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata, and Suisha coreana were observed at both sites, Cryptotympana atrata was observed in the urban area and Leptosemia takanonis in the forest area only. The emergence periods of cicadas at the two sites were also different. The activities of P. kaempferi and L. takanonis were noticeable in the forest area. In the urban area, however, L. takanonis was not observed and the duration of activity of P. kaempferi was short. In the urban area, C. atrata appeared and sang for a long period; H. fuscata, M. opalifera, and G. nigrofuscata appeared earlier than in the forest area. S. coreana appeared earlier in the forest area than in the urban area. According to the daily call cycle analysis, even cospecific cicada showed a wide variation in their daily cycle depending on the region and the interspecific effects between different cicadas, and the environmental differences between the urban and forest areas affected the calls of cicadas. The results of correlation analysis between each cicada breeding calls and environmental factors of each site showed positive correlation with average temperature of most cicadas except P. kaempferi and C. atrata. The same species of each site showed positive correlations with more diverse weather factors such as solar irradiance. Logistic regression analysis showed that cicadas with overlapping calling times had significant effects on each other's breeding calls. C. atrata, which appeared only in the urban area, had a positive effect on the calling frequency of H. fuscata, M. opalifera, and G. nigrofuscata, which called in the same period. Additionally, L. takanonis, which appeared only in the forest area, and P. kaempferi had a positive effect on each other, and M. opalifera had a positive effect on the calling frequency of H. fuscata and G. nigrofuscata in the forest area. For the environmental factors, the calling frequency of cicadas was affected by the average temperatures of the urban and forest areas, and cicadas that appeared in the forest area were also affected by the amount of solar radiation. According to the results of statistical analysis, urban cicadas with similar activity periods are influenced by species, especially with respect to urban dominant species, C. atrata. Forest cicadas were influenced by species, mainly M. opalifera, which is a forest dominant species. The results of the meteorological impact analysis were similar to those of the correlation analysis, and were influenced mainly by the temperature, and the influence of the insolation was more increased in the forests.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.411-418
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• 2014

This study seeks to identify the effects of light pollution and environmental factors on Great Tits(Parus major) bird's chirping at dawn. For this research, the campus of Sanji University, Wonju, South Korea was selected as the area with light pollution and the western forest of the Chiaksan National Park was chosen as the natural area herein. The Recording period was between March 26th and May 30th, 2014. As a result of analyzing the chirping time according to light pollution, it was found that the light pollution area clearly showed earlier chirping time than the natural area (p<0.05). Great Tits(P. major) normally start their first chirping before sunrise and in most of the days under investigation of this research, those in Sanji University started to chirp earlier. This faster chirping time seems to improve the chance for the female birds to mate with immature males thus, baby birds hatch earlier than the appropriate breeding season and results in the lack of feed resources. The correlation between Great Tits'(P. major) dawn chirping and environmental factors were investigated herein including the time of sunrise, civil twilight, navigation twilight, astronomical twilight, average temperature, highest temperature, lowest temperature, time of moonrise and cloudiness. The first chirping time of wild birds in the day was found to have correlations with all of the environmental factors excluding the time of moonrise and cloudiness. Great Tits(P. major) started their first chirping before sunrise when the day started to break around civil twilight. Along with the earlier sunrise and higher air temperature, their dawn chirping time was also quickened. The time of moonrise and cloudiness did not show a correlation and further follow-up studies will be necessary in this regard.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.724-729
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• 2016

Environmental factors that affect the singing of cicadas have not been studied extensively, especially those affecting the cicadas' singing during the nighttime. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify the effects of tropical night and light pollution on the cicadas' singing in a downtown area. The study sites were an apartment complex in Seocho-gu, Seoul, and the Chiaksan National Park in Wonju-si. The study subjects were Hyalessa fuscata and Cryptotympana atrata, which are the dominant species in Korea during summer. Cicada songs were recorded 24 hours a day, every day. The recording period was between July and August, lasting 25 days at the Seoul site and 14 days at the Chiaksan National Park. Temperature, precipitation, humidity, and amount of sunshine were selected as the environmental factors that potentially affect the cicadas' singing. Statistical analyses included correlations of meteorological factors with the cicadas' singing per hour, per 24 hours, and at nighttime (21:00~04:00). The results showed that: 1) H. fuscata began singing during the dawn hours, and the singing increased in intensity early in the morning. C. atrata's singing reached its peak in the morning and afternoon, ceased during sunset hours, thereby exhibiting a difference in the singing pattern of the two species. 2) The frequency of singing by H. fuscata decreased when C. atrata began to sing intensively in numbers, thereby exhibiting interspecific influence. 3) The results of the correlation analysis between meteorological factors and the singing of H. fuscata and C. atrata showed that both species tended to sing more when the temperature was higher and sang less on rainy days. 4) When limited to nighttime only, C. atrata showed a tendency of singing when the nighttime temperature was high ($24-30^{\circ}C$, average $27^{\circ}C$), whereas H. fuscata did not show a correlation with meteorological factors. However, since H. fuscata sang during the night in areas with artificial lighting, it was concluded that its singing was due to light pollution.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.344-352
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• 2015

This study aims to identify the difference in the starting time of the dawn chorus of different species of birds and related environmental conditions. For this study, the bird songs were recorded every 2 hours a day starting from 2 hours before sunrise for a whole spring season (from April to June, 2014) in Korea. The recorded sounds were analyzed to find the starting time of each species' song by sonogram pattern using a sound analyzing program (Adobe Audition CC). To analyze the relationship between the environmental conditions and the time of the birdsong of each species, we collected the data of environmental conditions: daily precipitation, Julian date, time of sunrise and moonrise, temperature data and twilight time from the Korea Meteorological Office. As a result of this study, it was found that there are several statistical correlation between the starting time of the birdsong and environmental conditions (every environmental condition except daily precipitation and time of moonrise). Also, the difference of the starting time among each species were identified. The species were divided into 3 groups (early, mid and late) by their wake-up time. Ring-necked pheasant and yellow-throated bunting were categorized as 'Early' group and all woodpeckers were categorized as'Late' group. This study is significant as it first presented a classification of wild birds in Korea by the starting time of their dawn chorus. However, further studies are required to identify why each species to do their dawn singing at different times.

• Korean Journal of Ornithology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.133-135
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• 2018

Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) is a small cuckoo species in Family Cuculidae that is mainly distributed in the Oriental Region. On May 1. 2016, one juvenile Plaintive Cuckoo was found at Somaemuldo Island, Korea ($34^{\circ}37^{\prime}38.73^{{\prime}{\prime}}N$ $128^{\circ}33^{\prime}0.44^{{\prime}{\prime}}E$). The bird was identified as C. merulinus by its morphological traits, especially primary projection, the shape of bars on tertials, and pale supercilium. These characteristics were distinctive from other similar small cuckoos in genus Cacomantis and Cuculus, during the field observation and examination of photographs. This record is the first of this species in Korea, and the northernmost record of this species.