• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.95-112
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• 2013

As a first step toward understanding the divergence and relationships of the Nymphalidae (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) occurring in South Korea, cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA), and elongation factor-$1{\alpha}$ (EF-$1{\alpha}$) that comprise 3,501-3,716 bp were either sequenced (55 species) or the sequences were obtained from GenBank (23 species). The concatenated sequence divergence of six nymphalid subfamilies ranked in the following order: Danainae (10.3%), Satyrinae (9.5%), Limenitidinae (8.0%), Apaturinae (7.0%), Nymphalinae (6.7%), and Heliconiinae (6.2%). As has been reported in previous large scale international studies, the subfamilial relationships of (((((Limenitidinae + Heliconiinae) + (Nymphalinae + Apaturinae)) + Satyrinae) + Libytheinae) + Danainae) were also confirmed, except for the switched positions between Danainae and Libytheinae, and supported all subfamilies and tribe monophylies. Unlikely consistent phylogenetic relationships among genera within the majority of tribes in Nymphalidae, a conflicting relationship within the subfamily Apaturinae was obvious, presenting Apatura as sister to either Mimathyma or (Mimathyma + (Sephisa + (Hestina + Sasakia))), and both of these relationships are unconventional. Within the subfamily Limenitidinae, the genus Neptis was consistently revealed as a paraphyletic with respect to the genus Aldania, requiring further taxonomic investigation of the genus. Although limited, current sequence information and phylogenetic relationships are expected to be helpful for further studies.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 2007

The mole crickets, Gryllotalpa, are insect pest distributed in the world. In Korea, G. orientalis was reported to occur, but previous ecological studies suggested the presence of two ecological types. To test this hypothesis, we sequenced a portion of mitochondrial (mt) genome from 48 G. orientali individuals collected over five Korean localities: Busan, Suwon, Okchon, Wonju, and Gangneung. From the sequence analysis, only two haplotypes were obtained, but the sequence divergence between the two haplotypes was 11 %, suggesting the presence of two distinct genetic groups in Korea. Although the population of Busan, Okchon, Wonju, and Gangneung was identified as a single haplotype, but that of Suwon was occupied by both hapotypes. Considering sequence divergence of other insect species occurring in Korea, the divergence estimate found between the two haplotypes seems to be too large to be considered as identical species. This result may suggest that the two differentiated haplotypes found in this study may reflect the previously reported two ecological types found in Suwon, Korea. To further understand the genetic divergence of the two phylogenetic groups, analysis of more variable regions of G. orientalis genome is required.

• ALGAE
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.293-301
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• 2020

The applications of DNA barcoding have a wide range of uses, such as in taxonomic studies to help elucidate cryptic species and phylogenetic relationships and analyzing environmental samples for biodiversity monitoring and conservation assessments of species. After obtaining the DNA barcode sequences, sequence similarity-based homology analysis is commonly used. This means that the obtained barcode sequences are compared to the DNA barcode reference databases. This bioinformatic analysis necessarily implies that the overall quantity and quality of the reference databases must be stringently monitored to not have an adverse impact on the accuracy of species identification. With the development of next-generation sequencing techniques, a noticeably large number of DNA barcode sequences have been produced and are stored in online databases, but their degree of validity, accuracy, and reliability have not been extensively investigated. In this study, we investigated the extent to which the amount and types of erroneous barcode sequences were deposited in publicly accessible databases. Over 4.1 million sequences were investigated in three largescale DNA barcode databases (NCBI GenBank, Barcode of Life Data System [BOLD], and Protist Ribosomal Reference database [PR2]) for four major DNA barcodes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 [COI], internal transcribed spacer [ITS], ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase large chain [rbcL], and 18S ribosomal RNA [18S rRNA]); approximately 2% of erroneous barcode sequences were found and their taxonomic distributions were uneven. Consequently, our present findings provide compelling evidence of data quality problems along with insufficient and unreliable annotation of taxonomic data in DNA barcode databases. Therefore, we suggest that if ambiguous taxa are presented during barcoding analysis, further validation with other DNA barcode loci or morphological characters should be mandated.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.275-283
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• 2010

Many freshwater snail taxa are difficult to identify using morphological traits due to phenotypic plasticity. However, using of molecular DNA marker in combination with morphological traits can provide a reliable means for discriminating among freshwater snail taxa including cryptic species. To discriminate among Korean freshwater snail taxa and resolve their systematic relationships, wesequenced a fragment of mtDNA cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene from 82 specimens collected from ten different sites distributed along the Korean peninsula. We identified more than seven freshwater snail taxa including cryptic species in Korea. Whereas traditional shell morphology of freshwater snails offers only weak discriminatory power for recognizing 'good' taxa, DNA sequence data provided positive and reliable identification. In addition, a major Semisulcospira clade was clearly separated from the remaining lineages observed including cryptic species. However, a phylogenetic tree inferred from the COI gene data did not fully resolve systematic relationships among pleurocerid taxa in Korea. Establishing more robust shell characteristics for identifying taxa unambiguously and hence improving traditional key shell morphology characters for freshwater snail species is an urgent requirement and will require more rigorous examination of all nominal taxa. While molecular data generated here will be useful for species identification and for describing the systematic relationships among Korean freshwater snails, further analysis will be required.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 2017

The tiny dragonfly, Nannophya pygmaea (Odonata: Libellulidae), is an endangered insect in South Korea. Previously, a partial mitochondrial DNA sequence that corresponded to a DNA barcoding region has been used to infer genetic diversity and gene flow. In this study, we additionally sequenced the barcoding region from N. pygmaea that had been collected from three previously sampled populations (40 individuals) and these sequences were combined with the preexisting data. We also selected and sequenced an additional mitochondrial gene (ND5) to find further variable gene regions in the mitochondrial genome. DNA barcoding sequences of 108 individuals from five South Korean localities showed that genetic diversity was highest in Gangjin, Jeollanam-do Province. Muuido, which was previously occupied by a single haplotype, was also found to have an identical haplotype, which confirmed the low genetic diversity on this islet. Gene flow among populations is highly limited, and no clear distance- or region-based geographic partitioning was observed. Phylogenetic relationships among haplotypes showed that there were no discernable haplotypes in South Korea. ND5 provided slightly more haplotypes compared to the barcoding region in 40 individuals (14 vs. 10 haplotypes in the COI gene). It also had a slightly higher within-locality diversity estimate, which suggested that ND5 had potential as mitochondrial DNA-based marker for population genetic analysis.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.654-661
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• 2019

The soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines, is a major plant-parasitic nematode that has caused important economic losses to Korea's soybean production. Four species of cyst nematodes, H. schachtii, H. glycines, H. trifolii, and H. sojae, all belong to schachtii group are coexist in field soil in Korea. The rapid identification of the nematode is crucial for preventing crop damage and in decision making for controlling this nematode. This study aimed to develop a species-specific primer set for quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay of H. glycines. The specific primer set (HGF1 and HGR1) for H. glycines was designed based on the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequence of mitochondrial DNA. After optimization, it is possible to identify the H. glycines using a qPCR assay with DNA extracted from a single cyst and single second-stage juvenile (J2). The specificity was confirmed by the absence of SYBR fluorescent signals of three other Heterodera species. A serial dilution of DNA extracted from a single cyst was obtained for the sensitivity test. The result showed that the standard curve of the test had a highly significant linearity between DNA concentration and Ct value (R² = 0.996, slope = -3.49) and that the detection limit concentration of DNA of the primer set was 10 pg of DNA per reaction. Our findings suggested that H. glycines could be distinguished from H. sojae and other Heterodera species when a qPCR assay is used with a specific primer set.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.159-166
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• 2013

Oryzias latipes and Oryzias sinensis are indigenous species found in Japan, China, and other East Asian countries, including Korea. Based on morphological differences, the species have been classified distinctly. However, the range of morphological characters such as the number of gill rakers, vertebrae, and spots on the lateral body overlaps and is too vague for clear identification, so their classification based on their morphological characteristics remains uncertain. In this study, the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, which is used for DNA barcoding, was applied to clarify interspecific variation of O. latipes and O. sinensis. Intraspecific genetic diversity was calculated to identify correlations with geographic distributions. We studied two species collected from 55 locations in Korea. All individuals carried a 679-base pair gene without deletion or insertion. Between species, 525 base pairs of the gene were shared. The Kimura two parameter (K2P) distance of O. latipes and O. sinensis was 0.41% and 1.39%, respectively. Mean divergence within genera was 23.5%. Therefore, the species were clearly different. The distance between O. latipes and O. sinensis was 14.0%, which is the closest within genera. Interestingly O. latipes from the Japanese and Korean group represented 16.5% distant. These results were derived from geohistorical and anthropogenic environmental factors. The O. latipes haplotypes were joined in only one group, but O. sinensis was divided into two groups, one is found in the Han River and upper Geum River watershed; the other is found in the remaining South Korean watersheds. Further studies will address the causes for geographic speciation of O. sinensis haplotypes.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.206-211
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• 2012

DNA barcoding has been widely used in species identification and biodiversity research. A short fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequence serves as a DNA bio-barcode. We collected DNA barcodes, based on COI sequences from 156 species (529 sequences) of fish, insects, and shellfish. We present results on phylogenetic relationships to assess biodiversity the in the Korean peninsula. Average GC% contents of the 68 fish species (46.9%), the 59 shellfish species (38.0%), and the 29 insect species (33.2%) are reported. Using the Kimura 2 parameter in all possible pairwise comparisons, the average interspecific distances were compared with the average intraspecific distances in fish (3.22 vs. 0.41), insects (2.06 vs. 0.25), and shellfish (3.58 vs. 0.14). Our results confirm that distance-based DNA barcoding provides sufficient information to identify and delineate fish, insect, and shellfish species by means of all possible pairwise comparisons. These results also confirm that the development of an effective molecular barcode identification system is possible. All DNA barcode sequences collected from our study will be useful for the interpretation of species-level identification and community-level patterns in fish, insects, and shellfish in Korea, although at the species level, the rate of correct identification in a diversified environment might be low.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.67-77
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• 2021

Salurnis marginella Guérin-Méneville, 1829 (Hemiptera: Flatidae) is an invasive species first reported in 2003 in Iksan, which is located in the mid-western region of South Korea, and subsequently found in the nearby regions in 2005. However, molecular-perspective reports on their invasive characteristics are not yet available. In this study, population genetic characteristics of Korean S. marginella were evaluated using the mitochondrial COI region and sequencing 124 individual samples collected in 11 Korean localities. A total of 12 haplotypes were identified with a maximum sequence divergence of 1.368% (9 bp). Haplotype diversity was relatively higher than that of other insect species invaded into Korea, providing 2-6 haplotypes per populations, indicating that introduction to Korea may have happened rather extensively and consistently. Nucleotide diversity (π) was the highest in Iksan but owing to the limited sample size (three individuals) from this locality, additional studies are required for drawing conclusive inference regarding the place of entry to Korea. Ulsan, the easternmost population in the present study, revealed nearly the lowest diversity estimates, such as the lowest H and the second-lowest π; a unique haplogroup with a higher frequency; and an independent genetic cluster, suggesting that the introduction of S. marginella to Ulsan was an independent event. Further collection in Korea and neighboring countries, including the original distributional range is necessary to elucidate the invasive dynamics of S. marginella

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.99-114
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• 2023

Patanga japonica Bolívar, 1898 (Orthoptera: Acrididae) is listed as a climate-sensitive indicator species in South Korea and is called southern group of insects in that the main distributional range is southern region of South Korea and Asian continent. In South Korea, thus, the species was distributed mainly in southern region of South Korea including southward a remote Jeju Island, but recently the species has often been detected in mid to northern region of South Korea, implying northward range expansion in response to climate change. Understanding the characteristics of the changes in genetic diversity during range expansion in response to climate change could be a foundation for the understanding of future biodiversity. Thus, in this study, we attempted to understand the changing pattern of the genetic diversity of the P. japonica in newly expanded regions. For the purpose of study, we collected 125 individuals from seven localities throughout South Korea including two newly distributed regions (Pyeongtaek and Yeongwol at ~37° N). These were sequenced for a segment of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and analyzed for genetic diversity, haplotype frequency, and population genetic structure among populations. Interestingly, northward range expansion accompanied only haplotypes, which are most abundant in the core populations, providing a significant reduction in haplotype diversity, compared to other populations. Moreover, genetic diversity was still lower in the expanded regions, but no genetic isolation was detected. These results suggest that further longer time would take to reach to the comparable genetic diversity of preexisting populations in the expanded regions. Probably, availability of qualified habitats at the newly expanded region could be pivotal for successful northward range expansion in response to climate change.