• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.459-467
• /
• 2007

The effects of turbid water on fish community was investigated in a clear reference stream (the Bongsan Steam) and a turbid stream (the Daegi Stream) located in the upstream region of the South Han River, Korea. The stress index (SI) of suspended solids (SS) were calculated during a rain event concentration by the equation SI=LN (SS${\times}$duration). EMC of SS was $1{\sim}13$ mg $L^{-1}$ in the clear stream with a mean SI of 5.2, while SS was $97{\sim}1,150$ mg $L^{-1}$ in the turbid stream with a mean SI of 10.3. Even though the number of species was not much different, the dominant species of the two steams were distinctly different. The reference stream was dominated by upstream species such as Rhynchocypris kumgangensis, Brachymystax lenok tsinlingensis, and Cottus poecilopus which are typical upstream community. Whereas the turbid streams was dominated by Rhynchocypris kumgangensis, Zacco koreanus, and Orthrias nudus which are representatives of middle reache community. Fish density was four times higher in the clear steam than the turbid stream. In the similarity analysis of fish communities the community of the turbid stream showed large dissimilarity with other communities in other streams of similar size. In conclusion, although turbidity might be at the sublethal concentration, fish communities are under stress in some turbid streams of Korea that is strong enough to induce community change. It can be an example of a chronic ecological toxicity of turbidity at the community level.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.431-438
• /
• 2007

This study was to test algal removal efficiency by top-down fish biomanipulation experiments in the laboratory during Agust${\sim}$September 2000. We selected eight candidate fishes for the biomanipulation. We set up the experiments of eight fish-treatment tanks (3${\sim}$6 fishes) with initial chlorophyll-${\alpha}$ concentrations (CHL-${\alpha}$) of $100{\sim}120{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$ and one control tank including no fish with the same initial CHL-${\alpha}$. All tanks were maintained water quality of dissolved oxygen $(5.3{\sim}8.2mg\;L^{-1})$ and pH $(7.4{\sim}8.1)$ in the tests. During the biomanipulation, DO and pH in the treatments were lower than those of the control, while conductivity increased gradually in the treatments. Biomanipulation experiments showed that CHL-${\alpha}$ increased 13% and 0% (mean values of 8 fishes) in the controls and treatments, respectively. These results indicate that algal growth was maintained in the control and fish treatments, but the rate of CHL-${\alpha}$ in the treatments was lower than that of the control. The removal rates of bluegreens algae decreased 32% in the control, and 20% in treatments (mean values of 8 fishes) respectively, In other words, bluegreen algae showed greater growth rate in the fish treatments than the control and this was due to higher nutrients supplied from fish excretions. Overall, simple fish biomanipulation on algal control was not effective at all in these laboratory tests.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.468-480
• /
• 2007

The urbanization is altering the hydrology, water quality, channel form of waterway and changing the composition of biological communities in the aquatic ecosystem. Recently, towns grew bigger by the drift of large numbers of people and the medium and small leather and dyeing industries around the Pocheon and Youngpyeong streams. The discharges of sewage were increased by them. The UII (urban intensity index) was 85 (st. P-3) and 91 (st. P-6) in the Pocheon stream and about 20 in the Youngpyeong stream. A total 141 taxa of epilithic diatoms which were composed of 2 order, 8 family, 30 genera. Dominant species were Navicula saprophila, N. subminuscula, Nitzschia palea, Gomphonema pseudoaugur in the Pocheon stream and Achnanthes alteragracillima, A. convergens, A. minutissima, N. minima, N. fonticola, N. frustulum and Cymbella minuta var. silesiaca in the Youngpyeong stream. It Showed the different composition of dominant species by the urbanization near two streams. In the relationships between UII and environmental factors such as EC, BOD, COD, TN, TP and DAIpo, UII showed the high relations $(r^2>0.8)$. It was the difference of organic pollution according to urbanization. It therefore, was higher the relative abundance and more the numbers of saprophilous taxa in the Pocheon stream than the Youngpyeong stream. The water quality of two streams by biological indicators(DAIpo) was polysaprobic state(st. P-3, P-4, P-5) in the Pocheon stream and was oligosaprobic (Y-1), mesosaprobic (Y-2, 3) and polysaprobic state (Y-4) in the Youngpyeong stream during the investigation periods.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.54-65
• /
• 2008

The seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton and water quality were evaluated bimonthly at 7 park ponds in the capital region from October 2004 to August 2005. With out the change of water temperature $(0.4\sim26.0^{\circ}C)$, cyanobacteria dominated in park ponds such as Gyungbokgung Gyunghyaeru and Seokchon reservoir. The standing crops of phytoplankton was significant related with cell densities of cyanobacteria (r=0.993), while they did not significant correlation with environmental factors. Almost of all park ponds in the capital region were classified as eutrophic state with high TP concentrations and TN/TP ratios less than 10. Major dominant cyanobacteria were as followed; Anabaena sp., Aphanocapsa elachista, Lyngbya contorta, Merismopedia elegans, Microcystis aeruginosa, M. wesenbergii, Microcystis sp., Oscillatoria sp., Phormidium tenue, and Plectonema sp. To date, although the concentration of chlorophyll-${\alpha}$ and cyanobacterial densities in the capital region was below the 'danger' level of WHO guidelines value, the monitoring of cyanobacterial densities and its toxin (microcystin) in recreational/bath water should be continued.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.43-53
• /
• 2008

This study was conducted to simulate storm hydrographs on a small forested watershed using TOPMODEL, which is a distributed hydrological model. The Myeongseong watershed, which is 58.3 ha in size, was selected to monitor rainfall and runoff data. The Monte Carlo simulation was also used to calibrate parameters of TOPMODEL. Six rainfall-runoff pairs collected at the watershed in the year 1997 were used for parameter calibration, and eight rainfall-runoff pairs collected during the period of $1998\sim1999$ were used for validation effort. The errors of runoff volume ranged from -2.74% to 1.81%, and an average value of model efficiency in terms of runoff volume was 0.92 for the calibration period. The average value of observed peak discharge was $0.324m^3\;s^{-1}$ for six rainfall-runoff pairs, while the prediction value was $0.295m^3\;s^{-1}$. The simulation errors of peak discharge varied according to rainfall characteristics and antecedent condition, within ranges of -27.65% to -1.13%. The model efficiency for the validation period was 0.92. For the validation period, observed peak discharges have an average value of $0.087m^3\;s^{-1}$ and average value of simulated peak discharge was $0.090m^3\;s^{-1}$. Observed and simulated values of time to peak for the calibration period were 18.3 hrs and 11.0 hrs, respectively, and 16.6 hrs and 13.5 hrs, respectively, for the validation period.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.34-42
• /
• 2008

Water quality standards (WQS) are mandatory to guarantee the human health and protection of aquatic ecosystems, and maintain the condition of suitable water quality. The present WQS for the protection of human health in Korea contain nine substances (As, Cd, $Cr^{6+}$, CN, Pb, Hg, ABS, organophosphorus compounds and PCBs), but it is insufficient to preserve the human and aquatic ecosystem from a variety of chemicals. Therefore, it is necessary to expand the substance of WQS for the protection of human health. In this study, we chose the 20 chemicals from 43 chemicals of the project entitled 'Development of Integrated Methodology for Evaluation of Water Environment'. The methodology for calculating water quality criteria was amended from the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)'s equation for deriving ambient water quality criteria for the protection of human health. The factors including fish intake, drinking water intake, and human body weight used in the equation reflected Korean situations. The monitoring values were derived from the water quality monitoring data in Korean four main rivers. The orders of priorities of chemicals were evaluated by human health risk assessment, and the proposed WQS was derived by technical and economic analyses. These results were reflected to expand the WQS for the protection of human health.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.19-25
• /
• 2008

To evaluate the functions of vegetation mat of artificial floating island (AFI) installed in Lake Paldang, nutrients, such as total phosphorus (TP), dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP), total nitrogen (TN) and nitrate $(NO_3)$ and microbial factors such as total bacterial numbers, active bacterial numbers and exoenzymatic activities of $\beta$-glucosidase and phosphatase in pore water of medium and bulk lake water were analyzed. The concentration of TN and $NO_3$ in pore water ranged from 4.4 to 7.5mg $L^{-1}$ from 1.2 to 3.8mg $L^{-1}$ respectively, which were ca. 2 times higher than those of lake water. The ranges of TP and DIP of were $1.4\sim4.1mg\;L^{-1}$ and $0.003\sim0.137mg\;L^{-1}$ in pore water of media which were $4\sim25$ and 5 times higher than those of lake water, respectively. The numbers of total bacteria and active bacteria in pore waterwere about 10 times higher than those of laker water. Also, both phosphatase and $\beta$-glucosidase activities of pore water were on an average 10 times higher than those of lake water. These results suggest that the bacteria were playing important role for nutrients concentrating and cycling in media of artificial floating island. And the medium of artificial floating island contained newly created microbial ecosystem, which is responsible for sustaining the growth of macrophytes and the creation of new aquatic ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.11-18
• /
• 2008

Seasonal succession and community composition of planktonic ciliates were studied in Kyungan Stream from December 2000 to December 2001. Oligotrichs accounted for 53% of total ciliates. Total abundance of ciliates peaked in spring (30 March, 6 April) and in summer (8 June, 20 July) reaching values up to $1.9\times10^4$ cells $L^{-1}$. Seasonal succession of dominant species occurred obviously. Large-sized $(>50{\mu}m)$ species (Stylonychia sp1, Phascolodon vorticella and Codonella cratera) dominanted from winter to spring. Small sized $(<30{\mu}m)$ species (Vorticella spp., Rimostrombidium hyalinum and Halteria grandinella) dominanted in summer and autumn. Total abundance of large-sized species coincided with the Chl-${\alpha}$ concencetation during the study (r=0.33, p<0.05, n=39). Among the small-sized species Halteria grandinella was a significant relationship with bacterial abundance (r=0.35, p<0.05, n=39).

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2008

The seasonal variations of water quality and periphyton were investigated in an artificial stream (the Cheonggyecheon Stream) flowing through the Seoul City. TP showed a longitudinal gradient: 10 to $59{\mu}gP\;L^{-1}$ in the upper stream sites, and 15 to $90{\mu}gP\;L^{-1}$ in downstream sites. POP was a major form of TP in the water, occupying over 60%, while the proportion of DIP was less than 10% except for St. 4. N/P atomic ratio ranged from 78 to 554, which implies phosphorus would limit algal growth more than nitrogen. The biomass of periphyton did not show much difference among sites, and it was relatively higher in spring and fall season $(10\sim20{\mu}gChl\;{\alpha}cm^{-2})$ and lower in August $(<5{\mu}gChl\;{\alpha}cm^{-2})$, possibly because biofilms were washed off during spates of summer monsoon. Cyanobacteria was the dominant taxon in the periphyton community throughout the year. The periphyton standing crop can be classified as a nuisance level. It seems that phosphorus level is sufficiently high even though the input water is treated chemically, and modest water velocity $(20\sim90cm\;sec^{-1})$ and rocky bottom provide optimal conditions for periphyton growth.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.98-103
• /
• 2008

Genetic diversity and population genetic structure within or among three stream populations (Gab, Baekgok and Ji streams) of Korean endangered natural monument fish, Iksookimia choii, were assessed by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). AFLP analysis using three primer combinations generated 104 to 106 AFLP bands, and percent polymorphic bands were similar in those three populations ranging 21.5 to 24.5%. Heterozygosity and genetic diversity within or among populations were quite low for all of these populations with average values ranging from 0.067 to 0.084 and from 0.076 to 0.087, respectively. Analyses of pairwise distance and genetic similarity among three populations of I. choii also revealed the similar results with very low genetic differentiation one another. Although pairwise Fst values were very low, our data clearly indicated distinct genetic differentiation among the three populations. This is the first report concerning the genetic diversity and differentiation of this species, and provides basic genetic information that should facilitate attempts to conserve this species.