• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.10
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• pp.290-301
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• 2017

Background: Forest edges create distinctive ecological space as adjacent constituents, which distinguish between different ecosystems or land use types. These edges are made by anthropogenic or natural disturbance and affects both abiotic and biotic factors gradually. This study was carried out to assess edge effects on disturbed landscape at the pine-dominated clear-cut area in a genetic resources reserve in Uljin-gun, eastern Korea. This study aims to estimate the distance of edge influence by analyzing changes of abiotic and biotic factors along the distance from forest edge. Further, we recommend forest management strategy for sustaining healthy forest landscapes by reducing effects of deforestation. Results: Distance of edge effect based on the abiotic factors varied from 8.2 to 33.0 m. The distances were the longest in $Mg^{2+}$ content and total nitrogen, $K^+$, $Ca^{2+}$ contents, canopy openness, light intensity, air humidity, $Na^+$ content, and soil temperature followed. The result based on biotic factors varied from 6.8 to 29.5 m, coverage of tree species in the herb layer showed the longest distance and coverage of shrub plant in the herb layer, evenness, species diversity, total coverage of herb layer, and species richness followed. As the result of calculation of edge effect by synthesizing 26 factors measured in this study, the effect was shown from 11.0 m of the forest interior to 22.4 m of the open space. In the result of stand ordination, Rhododendron mucronulatum, R. schlippenbachii, and Fraxinus sieboldiana dominated arrangement of forest interior sites and Quercus mongolica, Vitis amurensis, and Rubus crataegifolius dominated spatial distribution of the open area plots. Conclusions: Forest interior habitat lies within the influence of both abiotic and biotic edge effects. Therefore, we need a forest management strategy to sustain the stability of the plant and further animal communities that depend on its stable conditions. For protecting forest interior, we recommend selective logging as a harvesting method for minimizing edge effects by anthropogenic disturbance. In fact, it was known that selective logging contributes to control light availability and wind regime, which are key factors affecting microclimate. In addition, ecological restoration applying protective planting for the remaining forest in the clear-cut area could contribute to prevent continuous disturbance in forest interior.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.205-216
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• 2010

This research identified a disturbance regime caused by wild boar in a mature Quercus mongolica forest and analyzed the impact of this disturbance on the structure and distribution of herbaceous plants in Mt. Jeombong, Korea. We demonstrate that disturbance by wild boar was most frequent from winter to early spring, but also occurred year round. Areas which were frequently disturbed by wild boar included the mountain ridge, the mild slope on the north face, and sites with high concentration of Erythronium japonicum. The disturbance cycle by the wild boar in this region was estimated at approximately 2.8 years. The wild boar's reduced the community's species diversity and herbaceous coverage, and increased its evenness. This disturbance reduced the coverage of spring ephemeral; Veratrum nigrum var. ussuriense, Symplocarpus niponnicus, Anemone koraiensis and Corydalis turtschaninovii were particularly sensitive. In addition, summer green herbaceous plants such as Astilbe chinensis, Ainsliaea acerifolia, Meehania urticifolia, and Pimpinella brachycarpa were sensitive to the wild boar's. It was found that wild boar ate E. japonicum most selectively of all plants in this investigation area. In conclusion, together with micro-topography, wind, formation of gaps of a forest and rearrangement of litter layer, wild boar's disturbance is an important factor influencing the dynamic changes of an herbaceous community in a mature temperate hardwood forest.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.71-87
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• 2007

In order to improve and manage rationally for Youngdam creek in Haman-gun, the channel change, water quality and ecological adaptation etc. were evaluated by monitoring during three years. The distinct differences of channel characteristics appeared in the extents of bed excavation and the revetment methods because overall reconstruction was occurred intense disturbance of width expansion and levee construction etc. The scour and deposition were caused according to channel characteristics of ripple and pool, and the adaptation of vegetation was distinguished from each revetment methods clearly. Water quality was maintained first class on the basis of BOD as 0.5~1.5mg/${\ell}$. The vegetation appeared in 380 species close-to-nature river improvement before, but 64 species it after one year, 159 species it after two year and 158 species it after three year. The animal life appeared in 123 species of close-to-nature river improvement before, but 103 species it after one year, 116 species it after two year and 119 species it after three year.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.228-235
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• 2015

Stream ecosystems are closely related to many human activities. Therefore, streams are affected by anthropogenic disturbances such as riverine development and gravel-mining as well as deterioration of water quality. The goal of this study was to elucidate the recolonization process of the macroinvertebrate community after a small-scale anthropogenic disturbance. Field studies were conducted at three sites in a natural stream. The number of recolonizing species tended to increase slightly over time, exceeding the total species number of the control. Ephemeroptera contributed the most to shaping the recolonizing pattern of the entire community. From the result of changes in dominant species, the early recolonizers of each site were the species that showed more frequent occurrence particulary at each sites. But the late recolonizers are Chironomidae at all the sites commonly. This result implies that the actual differences exist among the recolonizing trends of each benthic macroinvertebrate taxon. Collector-gatherers and scrapers comprised about 70% of the recolonizing species. These results indicate that the recolonizing process of an aquatic community after an artificial disturbance depends on the environmental conditions(particularly substratum composition or organic pollution) of the habitat.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.38-51
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to analyze of biotope types and to develop assessment for forest ecosystem evaluation method. Vegetation types divided into 27 types. Considering the vegetation types, vegetation structures, DBH, potentials, and disturbance, it was decided to apply 58 biotope types and survey site's biotopes were divided into 24 biotope types. Assessment indicators were naturaliness, diversity, rarity, stability, potential, and disturbance. The areas given the first grade in ecological value included 9.2% of the site's total land. Areas with the second grade accounted for 43.0% of the total land. Areas with the third grade made up 47.8% of the site and mostly they were areas with dominance of fired area and artificial forest. To plan to build naturally-development for Site, there should be plans to conserve areas with the first grades. For the areas with the second, and third grades, plans for ecological land use based on conservation and restoration in terms of securing biodiversity are needed.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.179-188
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• 1995

Death patterns of gap-makers and changes of environmental factors in gaps formed by disturbance were studied in Pinus densiflora forests of Youngwol, Mt, Mansu, Mt. Songni, Uljin, and Mt, Obong in Korea. Death pattern of gap-makers showed that standing deat type was the most frequent in all the study areas. Longevity of Pinus densiflora was about 140 years, which was about half of that of the temperate deciduous broad-leaved trees. size of gaps were distributed from $20m^2$ to $235m^2$, more than 80% of those were gaps created by death of two or more trees. Relative light intensity and water content of soil in gap area were higher than those in non-gap area and those in the central part of gap were the highest.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.255-261
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• 2003

To analyze ecological characteristics of the Ulmus pumila community, an on-the-spot survey was conducted in August, 1998 in the Dong River, Gangwon-do, South Korea. The Ulmus pumila community is partially distributed in Dong River's midstream and upper stream. Topographical characteristics of this community are significant in the point bar or sandbank of the river. The community is classified into two types, disturbed and non-disturbed types, by the effect of flooding. The Ulmus pumila community (bush forests of Siberian elms) is a representative community which forms riparian forests, but its distribution is rare in South Korea. Only in Dong River is the Ulmus pumila distributed enough to form a community, and none is known that is lager than this community in South Korea. The non-disturbance type progresses more homogeneously than the disturbance type because it is formed on riverside banks where it is affected less by flooding. We concluded that the Ulmus pumila community in this study area has characteristics of riparian forests. In South Korea, Ulmus pumila community can be regarded as important element of vegetation landscape constituting riparian forests. Specifically, these riparian forests are evaluated as high in conservation value due to their being formed spontaneously. Moreover, Dong River is regarded as the southern limit of Ulmus pumila, which has a northern origin. The species or community needs continuous interests and conservation countermeasures because there are limitations in its spread of distribution by natural or artificial efforts.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.217-227
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• 1997

Landscape ecology is an emerging interdisciplinary ecology field to understand the holistic human and natural systems on the basis of concept and database obtained from pure ecology. Landscape ecology is an integrated ecology widely available for environmental science such as nature conservation and sustainable land-use planning. It is also a practical study as an applied ecology to restore and to manage local environment. Landscape ecological study is realized by embodiment of human disturbance system which is rigorously extending on natural system. Considering Korean status without landscape ecological studies, we briefly reviewed establishing process, study goal and methodology of landscape ecology as well as the related several concepts through current landscape ecological studies in the world. We hope that this paper will be helpful to ecologists having interest in landscape ecology.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.212-220
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• 2018

Ecological and ecosystem database is becoming very necessary to understand origins and relationship between human and nature and also to minimize disturbance caused by human activities. An ecological information portal can play important roles as a computing system to collect knowledge, distributed research findings and separated data from researchers. In this study, we designed and developed ecological information portal service (EcoBank 1.0) for collecting and providing ecological information for diverse classes of stakeholders. To reach the goal, we had reviewed related and comparable ecological database portals to design conceptual structure of EcoBank system including database management framework. Then, we developed some functions of ecosystem analysis for each stake-holders (researchers, general public and policy makers). As a result of this study, we successfully designed of EcoBank system covering the functions of Digital Object Identifier(DOI) publishing and data quality management process. Also, we (1) applied ecological indices for calculating biodiversity by administrative boundary for policy makers, (2) provided statistical information of econature map for general public and distribution characteristics of species for researchers. To make a successful establishment of EcoBank, we have to collect and build up related database and offer various and reliable ecological data consistently. We expect that the successful construction of EcoBank will help not only to accomplish sustainable development goals but also to raise the welfare of ecosystem in Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.113-124
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• 2006

Landscape structure, habitat types, vegetation structure and biodiversity in the Bokha stream chosen as a reference stream were investigated to get ecological information necessary for restoration of urban stream degraded by excessive artificial interference. Landscape structure showed a slight change between before and after flooding. Habitat types of nine sorts were identified based on ecological information obtained from field survey such as micro-topography, hydrological characteristics, disturbance regime, and so on. Each habitat holds specific organisms to each site. Consequently, the number of plant communities, and species of benthos and fish increased as the kinds of habitat type increase. Ordination of habitat types based on vegetation, benthos, and fish data reorganized them into three groups of pool types of two kinds depending on whether they are connected to the water course or not and riffle one. Vegetation showed different stratification and species composition depending on topographical position in relation to disturbance cycle. Based on the results from this study, relationship between environmental heterogeneity and biodiversity was discussed and a restoration plan was suggested in a viewpoint of vegetation.