• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.128-139
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• 1996

The twelve relatively intact ev ergreen broad-leaved forests in the islands off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula were surveyed. The species which commonly appeared over seventy percents in frequency among studied island biotic ecosystems including rare and endangered species and an introduxed or invaded species in the observed localities were also discussed. The common species in each areas were summarized as 28 families, 34 genus and 37 taxa. The pokildo island marked the highest species diversity as 5.511 per 100m$^{2}$ sized plots. And then the species diversity of the Mijo-ri(4.677) and the Maengson-ni(2.481) were following. The total number of rare and endangered species which appeared in the investigated areas were 24 families and 32 taxa, and 13 taxa, and the Pokildo island had the largest number as of 13 families, 12 species, 1 variety and 13 taxa. The 7 species of Compositae, 5 species of Leguminosae and 2 species of Phytolaccaceae were recorded as naturalized, invaded of introduced species. Also each one species which belonged to the Amaranthaceae, Betulaceae, Bignoniaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Commelinaceae, Cupressaceae, Labiatae, Malvaceae, Nyctaginaceae, Pinaceae, Polygonaceae and Txaceae were recorded. The Pokildo island had the largest number of plant invaders with at least 9 families and 13 genus and 13 species including Cryptomeria japonica of Taxodiaceae. It was urgently needed to work for the preperation of an island management plan to the levels of species or habitat conservation.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.40 no.4 s.109
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• pp.428-440
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• 2005

There is currently no agreement among archaeologists, environmental historians, and paleoecologists as to the relative significance of pre- and post-Conquest human impact on the environments of Highland Mexico. This paper presents the results of pollen, microscopic charcoal, dung fungal spore, isotope, and magnetic susceptibility analyses on ca. 4m sediment core. The coring site is Hoya Rincon de Parangueo, one of the seven maar lakes in the Valle do Santiago. Amaranthaceae pollen, one of important disturbance indicators and Zea mays pollen obviously indicate two periods of agricultural activities. The first period begins ca. 400 B.C. and ends ca. A.D. 850. The second begins around A.D. 1550 and continues to the present. During the first period, the degree of agricultural activities was related to periodical sunspot cycles and the most intense activities were present between ca. A.D. 150-ca. A.D. 400. The abrupt increase of $\delta^{18}O$ around 280cm may reflect that an important transition to a dry phase took place around A.D. 450. People probably stopped cultivating crops due to dry conditions prevailing since ca. A.D. 450. The second period, the post-Conquest, exhibits a dramatic increase of sporormiella, dung fungal spores resulted fron the introduction of cattle. Low Poaceae frequency and charcoal production and high $\delta^{13}C$ values, magnetic susceptibility, and organic contents all indicate the arrival of the Spanish. Most importantly, it seems that mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) could have benefits from declined fire frequencies caused by cattle grazing. The study area is now entirely dominated by woody plants like mesquite, which clearly demonstrates that serious vegetation change occurred in the study area.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.383-388
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• 2010

Identification of natural compounds that can prevent the development of obesity in vivo is time consuming and expensive. We have used in vitro systems derived from pig adipose tissue to screen simple aqueous or ethanolic extracts of Korean medicinal herbs (KMH) for their anti-adipogenic potential. A total of 183 extracts were tested for their actions in lipogenesis of pig adipose tissue and differentiation of pig preadipocytes. Ethanol extracts were prepared from 72 and aqueous extracts were prepared from 111 medicinal herbs. Both an ethanolic and an aqueous extract were prepared from 65 of these. Thirteen extracts substantially altered rates of lipogenesis in vitro. The effects of KMH on lipogenesis of pig adipose tissue are as follows. Elevens reduced lipogenesis to rates that were more than 40% lower than control and four of these reduced rates of lipogenesis by more than 70%. The most potent anti-lipogenic extracts were those obtained in ethanol from Iridaceae and from Sophora flavescens AIT as well as both the aqueous and ethanolic extracts from Lysimachia vulgaris L. Two extracts, those prepared in water from Caesalpiniae lignum and from Phellodendri cortex, were found to promote rates of lipogenesis in vitro. The effects of KMH on differentiation of pig preadoipocytes are as follows. Twentyeight extracts altered the rates of differentiation of cultured porcine preadipocytes. Sixteen increased and twelve reduced the rates of differentiation of preadipocytes. Extracts prepared in ethanol from Moutan radicis cortex and from Ostericum koreanum and those prepared in water from Angelicae gigantis radix, from Inula henenium L and from Magnolia flos doubled the rate of differentiation of cultured porcine preadipocytes. Ten extracts reduced the in vitro rate of differentiation of porcine preadipocytes by more than 35%. These were the ethanolic extracts from Glycyrrizae radix, Nepetae spica and from Polygala myrtifolia and the aqueous extracts from Amaranthaceae, Asparagus cochinchinesis, Atractylodis rhizoma alba, Citrus junos TANAKA, Cyperus rotundus, Epimedium grandiflorum and from Moutan radicis cortex. Only the ethanolic extract from Polygala myrtifolia was able to both reduce lipogenesis in adipose tissue slices and retard differentiation of cultured preadipocytes. The results of our study will provide meaningful information to identify medicinal herbs which would reduce fat deposition in livestocks and humans.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.123-139
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• 2011

It is expected that identification and lists of $C_4$ plants in specific regions are useful not only for the ecological researches that are related to vegetation phenology and succession but also as an index of climate change. In this review, $C_4$ plants growing in South Korea were listed and their life forms were investigated. In addition, we discussed the influences that climatic change and the $C_4$ plants exerted on plant ecosystem. Photosynthetic pathway types ($C_3$ and $C_4$) for the plant species in South Korea were determined by reviewing the scientific literatures published between 1971 and 2010. Of the total 4476 species in 1123 genera and 197 families, 206 species (4.6%) in 84 genera (7.5%) and 21 families (10.7%) were identified as $C_4$ plants (including $C_3$-$C_4$ intermediate plants). Among the identified $C_4$ species, 53 species (25.7%) in 26 genera and 15 families were classified as Dicotyledoneae, while 153 species (74.3%) in 58 genera and 6 families were classified as Monocotyledoneae. The majority of the $C_4$ species belong to four families: Chenopodiaceae (15 species), Amaranthaceae (13 species), Gramineae (102 speceis) and Cyperaceae (45 species). With respect to life form composition of 206 $C_4$ species, Th-$R_5$-$D_4$-t was most dominant: 95 species (46.1%) were included in Th, 123 species (59.7%) in $R_5$, 179 species (86.9%) in $D_4$, and 122 species (59.2%) in t. The projected increase in temperature due to climate change may provide better conditions for the growth of $C_4$ plants. Such a result will have considerable impacts on the interspecific competition between $C_3$ and $C_4$ plants, the distribution of $C_4$ plants, plant phenology, and plant diversity.