• 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.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.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.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.35 no.6
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• pp.594-600
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to observe the period of mating calls of cicadas in South Korea to identify the emergence period and geographic distribution for each cicada species. The study sites were 19 protection areas nationwide. The mating calls of cicadas were collected over the 12 months of 2019. A bioacoustics measuring device was installed to record the mating calls of cicadas in WAV, 44,100Hz format for 1 minute every hour. The temperature was recorded once or twice every hour using a micro-meteorological measuring device. Nine species of Korean cicadinae were studied. The start and end periods of mating calls were recorded for each cicada species for the subsequent analysis. The analysis results showed that nine cicada species appeared in the 19 protection areas. The chronological order of mating call periods for each species was as follows: Cryptotympana atrata (7/12 - 9/30), Meimuna opalifera (7/27 - 10/20), Hyalessa fuscata (7/25 - 10/9), Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata (7/28 - 9/5), Platypleura kaempferi (7/3 - 9/29), Suisha coreana (9/14 - 10/30), Leptosemia takanonis (6/26 - 8/2), Auritibicen intermedius (7/27 - 9/28), and Meimuna mongolica (8/8 - 9/11). The mating call period was between 35 (Meimuna mongolica) and 89 (Platypleura kaempferi) days, with the average being 62 days. The elevation above sea level for the habitats of each species was as follows: 5 - 386 m for Cryptotympana atrata, 7 - 759 m for Meimuna opalifera, 7 - 967 m for Hyalessa fuscata, 42 - 700m for Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata, 7 - 700 m for Platypleura kaempferi, 5 - 759 m for Suisha coreana, 7 - 759 m for Leptosemia takanonis, 397 - 967 m for Auritibicen intermedius, and 7 - 42 m for Meimuna mongolica. The average temperature of the habitats of each species was as follows: 23.9℃ for Cryptotympana atrata, 21.8℃ for Meimuna opalifera, 22℃ for Hyalessa fuscata, 23℃ for Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata, 22.9℃ for Platypleura kaempferi, 14.6℃ for Suisha coreana, 20.6℃ for Leptosemia takanonis, 19.3℃ for Auritibicen intermedius, and 24.4℃ for Meimuna mongolica. In terms of the habitat distribution of species, Meimuna opalifera, Hyalessa fuscata, and Platypleura kaempferi were distributed in more than 15 protection sites. Cryptotympana atrata was distributed in the lowlands in the southwest. Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata was distributed in the western area of the Korean Peninsula. Suisha coreana was distributed in areas excluding high mountain areas and parts of the southeast area. Leptosemia takanonis was distributed in areas near the mountains. Auritibicen intermedius was distributed locally in the high mountain areas. Meimuna mongolica was distributed locally in flat wetlands.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.244-251
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• 2018

The present study aimed to identify the influence of climate change on mating songs of Cicadidae in a phenological perspective. The research sites were located in the central part of the Korean peninsula in which phenological observations by the Meteorological Office are made. The material provided by the Meteorological Office was used for long term phenological analysis. The findings demonstrated, First, the phenological monitoring of cicada is an effective index to detect ecological changes due to climate change, thus indicating the importance of long term phenological investigations for future studies. Second, the analysis on the phenological changes of H. fuscata presented a trend in which the first songs were made at increasingly earlier and later dates, respectively. The phenological data on H. fuscata and average temperatures exhibited a significant negative correlation between the initial mating song period and the average temperatures of June. Furthermore, there was also a significant negative correlation for precipitation in October with the end time and total duration of H. fuscata song. Third, in the regression analysis of the start of H. fuscata song and meteorological factors in Seoul, increasing average air temperature in spring (March to June), which includes June, was associated with an earlier start time of H. fuscata song, with calling starting approximately 3.0-4.5 days earlier per $1^{\circ}C$ increase. Fourth, in the regression analysis of the end of H. fuscata song and meteorological factors in Seoul, increased mean precipitation in October was associated with an early end time and an overall reduction in the length of the song period. The end time of song decreased by approximately 0.78 days per 1mm increase in precipitation, and the total length of the song period decreased by 0.8 days/1mm. This research is important, as it is the initial research to identify the phenological changes in H. fuscata due to climate change.

• 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.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.32 no.3
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• pp.342-350
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to identify the environmental factors that affect the beginning and end of calling by Hyalessa fuscata and Cryptotympana atrata, which are dominant cicada species in the central urban areas of Korea. The study area was Banpo Apartments in Seoul. The research period included two months, being from the end of July to the end of August 2015. We analyzed the start and end time of cicada calling, and on average H. fuscata started calling at 5:21 am and C. atrata started at 7:40 am. The average end time of calling was 6:31 pm for H. fuscata and 7:51 pm for C. atrata. From the scatter plot and box plot results, H. fuscata started calling at 05:00 am, whereas C. atrata consistently stopped calling at 20:00 pm compared to H. fuscata. Multiple regression analysis of the start and end time of cicada calling showed that sunrise time was a factor affecting the start of H. fuscata calling. The end time of H. fuscata calling was affected by sunset time and total cloud cover. The starting time of C. atrata calling was mostly affected by temperature and sunrise time. The effect of temperature was greater than that of sunrise time. The end time of C. atrata calling was strongly affected by sunset time, whereas peak temperature was also shown to affect the end time. From the above results, sunrise and sunset are thought to be the critical factor affecting the start and end time of H. fuscata calling. Therefore, H. fuscata started calling with sunrise, and the end time was also affected by sunset. Temperature was the factor most affecting the start of C. atrata calling and sunset was identified as the factor affecting the end time. Therefore, the start time of C. atrata calling shows variation with daily temperature changes, and C. atrata stop calling simultaneously with sunset.

• 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.