• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.1361-1368
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• 2007

Endophytic bacteria associated with the roots of coastal sand dune plants were isolated, taxonomically characterized, and tested for their plant growth-promoting activities. Ninety-one endophytic bacterial isolates were collected and assigned to 17 different genera of 6 major bacterial phyla based on partial 16S rDNA sequence analyses. Gammaproteobacteria represented the majority of the isolates (65.9%), and members of Pseudomonas constituted 49.5% of the total isolates. When testing for antagonism towards plant pathogenic fungi, 25 strains were antagonistic towards Rhizoctonia solani, 57 strains were antagonistic towards Pythium ultimum, 53 strains were antagonistic towards Fusarium oxysporum, and 41 strains were antagonistic towards Botrytis cinerea. Seven strains were shown to produce indole acetic acid (IAA), 33 to produce siderophores, 23 to produce protease, 37 to produce pectinase, and 38 to produce chitinase. The broadest spectra of activities were observed among the Pseudomonas strains, indicating outstanding plant growth-promoting potential. The isolates from C. kobomugi and M. sibirica also exhibited good plant growth-promoting potential. The correlations among individual plant growth-promoting activities were examined using phi coefficients, and the resulting data indicated that the production of protease, pectinase, chitinase, and siderophores was highly related.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.1577-1584
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• 2010

In total, 140 halotolerant bacterial strains were isolated from both the soil of barren fields and the rhizosphere of six naturally growing halophytic plants in the vicinity of the Yellow Sea, near the city of Incheon in the Republic of Korea. All of these strains were characterized for multiple plant growth promoting traits, such as the production of indole acetic acid (IAA), nitrogen fixation, phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) solubilization, thiosulfate ($S_2O_3$) oxidation, the production of ammonia ($NH_3$), and the production of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes such as protease, chitinase, pectinase, cellulase, and lipase under in vitro conditions. From the original 140 strains tested, on the basis of the latter tests for plant growth promotional activity, 36 were selected for further examination. These 36 halotolerant bacterial strains were then tested for 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity. Twenty-five of these were found to be positive, and to be exhibiting significantly varying levels of activity. 16S rRNA gene sequencing analyses of the 36 halotolerant strains showed that they belong to 10 different bacterial genera: Bacillus, Brevibacterium, Planococcus, Zhihengliuella, Halomonas, Exiguobacterium, Oceanimonas, Corynebacterium, Arthrobacter, and Micrococcus. Inoculation of the 14 halotolerant bacterial strains to ameliorate salt stress (150 mM NaCl) in canola plants produced an increase in root length of between 5.2% and 47.8%, and dry weight of between 16.2% and 43%, in comparison with the uninoculated positive controls. In particular, three of the bacteria, Brevibacterium epidermidis RS15, Micrococcus yunnanensis RS222, and Bacillus aryabhattai RS341, all showed more than 40% increase in root elongation and dry weight when compared with uninoculated salt-stressed canola seedlings. These results indicate that certain halotolerant bacteria, isolated from coastal soils, have a real potential to enhance plant growth under saline stress, through the reduction of ethylene production via ACC deaminase activity.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.246-256
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• 2016

The objective of the study was to investigate vascular plants of Mueuido in Incheon from April to October, 2011. The investigation was carried out for mountains (Mt. Horyonggok and Mt. Guksa), coastal areas and annexed islands (Silmido and Somueuido). Vascular plants were found to have 338 taxa, including 90 families, 235 genera, 297 species, 5 subspecies, 32 varieties and 4 forms. Rare and endangered plants designated by Korea Forest Service had 5 taxa including Utricularia bifida, U. vulgaris var. japonica, U. racemosa, Ottelia alismoides, and Arisaema heterophyllum. The floristic regional indicator plants found in this area had 3 taxa of grade V and 5 taxa of grade III. Naturalized plants consisted of 20 taxa that made up 8.3% of the total vascular plants in this area.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.312-317
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• 2016

The submersion and emersion patterns are key factors that directly influence the habitat environment of the coastal plants and animals. In this study, the coasts are divided into five zones (zones 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 - not flooded, flooded once, flooded and exposed to air twice, exposed to air once, continuously flooded in the day, respectively) based on the patterns using tidal elevation data at the major eight stations and the domestic and international reference tidal levels, i.e., AHHW, ALLW, HAT and LAT, are also estimated to analyse the characteristics of the five distinct zones. Based on the results, the frequency of the zone 3 are dominant and forms from 87.2% to 88.2% (nearly constant) irrelevant with the tidal ranges at all stations. The taking-up percentages of the zones 2 and 4 show nearly constant, below 4% and over 8%, respectively. In Pohang station classified as the mainly diurnal tide, the percentages are decreased to 1.4% in zone 2 and increased to 10.8% due to the effects of the annual and semi-annual tidal components.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.437-455
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• 2012

Korea has recently constructed a number of renewable photovoltaic power plants in Jeolla province as an effort to provide environment-friendly energy. However, several problems appeared in the power plant locations because they were not appropriately chosen ignoring social-environmental perspectives. Consequently, locations of both currently existing photovoltaic power plants require an social and environmental evaluations. This study aims to provide appropriate photovoltaic power plants locations and evaluation of current photovoltaic power plants in Jeolla province. By presenting location analysis of photovoltaic power plants, this study would minimize environmental and social side effects regarding photovoltaic power plants. Kriging and Analytic Network Process (ANP) are applied as methodology. ANP generates correct weights in combining spatial data, so that the result would present optimal locations. In addition environmentally sensitive regions were excluded in the analysis process. The results show that South and West coastal areas have a number of appropriate locations for photovoltaic power plants. In addition, evaluating currently running photovoltaic power plant locations, total 23 out 81 are turned out to be inappropriately located. This study is expected to contribute avoiding social and environmental conflicts in photovoltaic power plant locations and present criteria in evaluating photovoltaic power plants.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.48-54
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• 1998

Korea becomes one of the countries which suffer from water shortage. It is expected that its water shortage in the early 2000's will be more than 10% of the annual demand. The shortage problem is more serious in the coastal areas where many industry complex locate. To solve the shortage problem, seawater desalination gets more attention as an alternative water supply source since Korea is surrounded by sea on its three sides. For potential application of seawater desalination in Korea, an economic analysis was conducted using cost data for the plants in the Middle Ease areas, The United states and others. The study is to provide a basis for the government to establish a strategy for promoting seawater desalination in Korea. It is discussed that the Reverse Osmosis (RO) process gets cheaper over times than the thermal processes of Multi-stage Flash Distillation (MSF) and Multi Effect Distillation (ME), especially in case where the capacity is less than about 50,000 ton/day. The unit cost of RO seawater is analyzed about US$1.35/ton in 1990 price. Since the Desalination plant can be operated regardless of weather conditions, industries in Korea's coastal areas which suffer from frequent droughts and water shortages are recommended to look into this option with more attention.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.45-59
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• 2016

Vegetation and soil conditions of four sites in west coastal forests in South Korea, were examined to analyze the relationship between Pinus thunbergii forests structure and soil conditions. The P. thunbergii forests were divided into four clusters; 1) P. thunbergii - Prunus sargentii var. sargentii, 2) P. thunbergii - Robinia pseudoacacia, 3) P. thunbergii - P. densiflora and 4) P. thunbergii - Quercus serrata. The soil of each site was poor in chemical characteristics but good enough for land plants to grow because of its low salt concentration. According to the results by CCA Ordination, certain excessive soil nutrition has influenced on vegetation and specific species distribution. Forty eight species were found in the whole sites of coastal forests and some species appeared in every site. They are P. thunbergii, R. pseudoacacia, Rhus chinensis, Idesia polycarpa and Morus alba. For the tree species importance value, P. thunbergii was followed by R. pseudoacacia, Q. serrata, P. densiflora, Celtis sinensis, M. alba, I. polycarpa and Q. mongolica in order.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.49-62
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• 2015

As methods reducing damages by jellyfish which enter the coastal areas of Korea, attaching cutting devices to towing nets of otter trawls or pair trawls and/or using a canvas type of cutting nets of small fishing boats have been widely utilized. In order to reduce shut-down damages of power plants in coastal areas due to the mass influx of marine organisms including jellyfish, a possible improvement of the traveling water screen system and various jellyfish influx blocking devices were suggested in this study. The results could be utilized as an important index for reducing damages by jellyfish bloom which cause on a massive scale in summer in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.666-674
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• 2011

To elucidate genetic diversity of common reed in Korea, we collected a total of 674 common reed plants from 27 regions in South Korea. Hierarchical clustering using 7 morphological traits divided the 27 common reed populations into 7 groups. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) results identified three distinct groups of common reed. Common reed accessions in group I mostly inhabit coastal areas. Group II includes reeds mostly collected from inland areas. Group III consists of common reed accessions collected from inland and coastal areas, suggesting that this group might contain hybrids. In summary, we suggest that parapatric speciation might be an important factor in the genetic diversity of common reed and geographical speciation of common reed that might be also affected by environmental gradients.

• Mycobiology
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.431-442
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• 2020

Penicillium, the most common genus plays an important ecological role in various terrestrial and marine environments. However, only a few species have been reported from rhizosphere soil. As part of a project to excavate Korean indigenous fungi, we investigated rhizosphere soil of six plants in the forest (terrestrial habitat) and sand dunes (coastal habitat) and focused on discovering Penicillium species. A total of 64 strains were isolated and identified as 26 Penicillium species in nine sections based on morphological characteristics and the sequence analysis of β-tubulin and calmodulin. Although this is a small-scale study in a limited rhizosphere soil, eight unrecorded species and four potential new species have been identified. In addition, most Penicillium species from rhizosphere soil were unique to each plant. Penicillium halotolerans, P. scabrosum, P. samsonianum, P. jejuense, and P. janczewskii were commonly isolated from rhizosphere soil. Eight Penicillium species, P. aurantioviolaceum, P. bissettii, P. cairnsense, P. halotolerans, P. kananaskense, P. ortum, P. radiatolobatum, and P. verhagenii were recorded for the first time in Korea. Here, we provide the detailed morphological description of these unrecorded species.