• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.80-92
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• 2015

Some of alien plants, which were introduced from foreign countries, have caused problems in Korea. Invasion of these alien plants in the ecosystem threatens the habitat of endemic species, reducing biodiversity, and causing a disturbance in the ecological system. In urbanized areas of campus universities, a diverse range of organisms were found and a comparison between the sites, near roads or housing sites were made because the campuses provided a large biotope. Although the campus had been exposed to interferences like gardening, it was also a place for most organisms to live in an active floating population due to free access. This research investigated the flora of alien plants that appeared in Beakseok University, Sangmyung University, Hoseo University and Dankook University, and relationship between the distribution of alien plants and the campus and green areas and distance from the highway. The total number of plant species and naturalized species found in the four universities was 189 and 43 species. Those of Dankook University were 136 and 35 species, Hoseo 108 and 25 species, Sangmyung 103 and 31 species, and Baekseok 97 and 26 species, respectively. The abundance of natural plants for each respective university tended to be higher as it became closer to the highway. Also, the closer the walking distance to the university, the greater the tendency for the degree of similarity to be higher. As a result, we may conclude that the distribution of alien plants and anthropogenic activities may be closely related.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.94 no.6
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• pp.420-430
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• 2005

As the pine wilt disease spread rapidly over Korea in recent, aerial pesticide spraying to the infected pine stands increased abruptly. The increasing aerial pesticide application for control of the disease would result in disturbance of soil ecosystem in pine stands. This study was conducted to assess the disturbance, using field experiment in pine stands of Hongleong experimental forests in Seoul with BACI experimental design with three sprayed plots and three unsprayed plots of $25m^2$. We sprayed fenitrothion of 0.0335 kg a.i./ha over each of the sprayed plots, being the same as the pesticide residues of litters after aerial spraying. The pesticide had been applied on 4 June, 11 June, and 29 June in 2002, comparable with the dates of the aerial spraying in the previous year in Busan. We monitored population of soil organisms including arthropods, fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes at two sampling days before pesticide application, at two sampling days during the application season, and at three sampling days after last application for two months since late May in 2002. The pesticide applications did not make any significant effect on the population of arthropods, fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes in soils and on the structure of soil organism community, showing low probability of significant effects of the aerial pesticide application on soil organisms in pine stands.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.167-176
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• 2009

Land cover changes associated with urbanization have driven climate change and pollution, which alter properties of ecosystems at local, regional, and continental scales. Thus, the relationships among urban ecological variables such as community composition, structure, health, soil and functioning need to be better understood to restore and improve urban ecosystems. In this study, we discuss urban ecosystem management and research from a futuristic perspective based on analyses of vegetation structure, composition, and successional trends, as well as the chemical properties of soils and the distribution of heat along an urban-rural gradient. Urban thermo-profile analysis using satellite images showed an obvious mitigating effect of vegetation on the Seoul heat island. Community attributes of Quercus mongolica stands reflected the effects of urbanization, such as pronounced increases in disturbance-related and pollution-tolerant species, such as Styrax japonica and Sorbus alnifolia. Retrogressive successional trends were detected in urban sites relative to those in rural sites. Changes in the urban climate and biotic environment have the potential to significantly influence the practice and outcomes of ecological management, restoration and forecasting because of the associated changes in future bio-physical settings. Thus, for management (i.e., creation and restoration) of urban green spaces, forward-thinking perspectives supported by historical information are necessary.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.325-336
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• 2017

The ecosystem in the Gwangju Stream has taken a wide range of disturbance such as the discharging water of sewage treatment plant, the lake water and the river water from different water system over the past decade. This study was figured out some significant influence factors by analyzing the relationship between biotic and abiotic factors in the urban stream. Abiotic components included 15 water quality variables which were measured in five sampling sites along the stream from October 2014 to July 2015, whereas the benthic macroinvertebrates found in those sites were used to estimate various biotic indices representing the ecological status of the community. The results of correlation analyses indicated that abiotic factors by human activities affected on the inhabitation of benthic macroinvertebrates more than biotic factors. The results of cluster analyses and ANOVA tests also showed that biotic and abiotic characteristics were clearly different in season. The main influence factors of cluster analysis by sites were $NH_3-N$, EPT(I) and DO. It was considered that more various statistical analyses would be necessary to find some different relationships and influence factors between biotic and abiotic variables in the urban stream.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.185-191
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• 2021

Environmental pollution is defined as contamination of the earth's environment with materials which interfere with human health, quality of life, or the natural functioning of the ecosystem. Whenever a prolonged and repetitive exposure to environmental stressors exceeds the skin's normal defensive potential, there is a disturbance in the skin barrier function leading to the development of various skin diseases. Major air pollutants which affect the skin are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, cigarette smoke, heavy metals and arsenic. Dermal uptake depends on the deposition of air pollutants on the skin surface, the composition of epidermal lipids, and the diffusion through the epidermis to the blood vessels.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 2021

Distribution of fish community depends largely on environmental disturbance such as habitat change. In this study, we evaluated the impact of environmental variables and microhabitat patch types on fish distribution in Yudeung Stream at 15 sites between early May and late June 2019. We used non-metric multidimensional scaling to examine the distribution patterns of fish in each site. Gnathopogon strigatus, Squalidus gracilis majimae, Zacco koreanus, and Zacco platypus were associated with riffle and boulder areas, whereas Iksookimia koreensis, Acheilognathus koreensis, Coreoleuciscus splendidus, Sarcocheilichthys nigripinnis morii, and Odontobutis interrupta were associated with large shallow areas. In contrast, Cyprinus carpio, Carassius auratus, Lepomis macrochirus, and Micropterus salmoides were found at downstream sites associated with large pool areas, sandy/clay-bottomed areas, and vegetated areas. On the basis of these results, we suggest that microhabitat patch types are important in determining the diversity and abundance of fish communities, since a mosaic of different microhabitats supports diverse fish species. As such, microhabitat patches are key components of freshwater stream ecosystem heterogeneity, and a suitable patch composition in stream construction or restoration schemes will support ecologically healthy food webs.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.425-432
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• 2022

Antifouling paints that inhibit the attachment and contamination of marine organisms mainly use TBT compounds, but because of their toxic components, they cause ecosystem disturbance and environmental destruction problems, so It is necessary to research eco-friendly antifouling paints that are easy to maintain and effective antifouling technologies. In this study, physical surface treatment of silane coating and chemical antifouling technology were applied to the metal surface to secure the stability of the surface of the marine structure and inhibit the attachment and growth of marine organisms. Adhesion of marine organisms was evaluated according to the coating conditions through surface evaluation of the charged material for 15 months in the waters of the west coast of Korea. In accordance with ASTM D6990-05, antifouling properties fouling rates (FR) and physical degradation rates(PDR) were evaluated through visual inspection of the evaluation specimens. As a result of evaluating the antifouling performance of the coated surface, it was confirmed that the antifouling performance was maintained at the 50% level even after 15 months in the sample subjected to physical processing and silane coating.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.67-89
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• 2022

This study aimed to elucidate the distribution of vascular plants on the Deok mountain in Ganghwa-gun, Korea. The results of 10 field surveys from March to October of 2019 identified 532 taxa in total, representing 482 species, 9 subspecies, 39 varieties, 1 form, and 1 hybrid in 318 genera and 105 families. The plant formation of Deok mountain is the deciduous broad-leaved and conifer mixed forest, which is the common one in the middle region of the Korean Peninsula. Among them, 301 taxa were newly recorded in this study, 7 taxa were endemic plants to Korea, 3 taxa were red list plants. The floristic target plants amounted to 41 taxa, specifically 1 taxon of grade V, 2 taxa of grade IV, 7 taxa of grade III, 9 taxa of grade II, and 22 taxa of grade I. Alien plants were recorded a total of 73 taxa with a naturalized index of 13.7%, the urbanization index was calculated to be 11.8% and 4 taxa were ecosystem disturbance plants.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2020

This study was conducted to determine whether invasive muskrats settle in the natural ecosystem of Korea. The study also aimed to provide information on the selection of target areas, basic behavioral characteristics, and habitat use-related data, all of which are essential for effective management strategy establishment and site management. To this end, a trend in international muskrat management was identified to examine the management direction according to the settlement stage. We also secured the location of 72 domestic farmers and classified five regions in Gyeonggi-do, Chungcheongnam-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Sejong Special Self-governing City into regions with high potential for natural leakage to raise the need for a quick survey. We determined that muskrats successfully settled in the natural ecosystem of Korea, based on the fact that we consistently identified a muskrat habitat at the same point for three years, from 2016 to 2018, the age of the captured population was estimated to be 1.2 years, and there had been no additional make-up factors near the habitat since 2012. The muskrats that settled in Korea showed a small home range of 0.0027 ㎢ (MCP 95%) and were estimated to show regular mobility before Spring and Autumn. Also, the areas where the muskrat habitat was observed had a high level of habitat environment disturbance and their ecological and food intake characteristics reflected that disturbance. Muskrat traces were high in hydrophyte vegetation, which can be used as a hideout in open waters and where the growth of both floating leaved plants and floating plants are prevalent. Since international invasive muskrats have already settled in the domestic ecosystem and there is concern about their proliferation in the future, the government must consider a preemptive response and scientific management.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.483-501
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to apply a multi-metric model of Lentic Ecosystem Health Assessments(LEHA) for environmental impact assessments of Cheongpyung Reservoir during 2005 - 2006 and assessed the ecological model values. The ecosystem model of LEHA was composed of eleven metrics such as biological parameters($B_p$), physical parameters($P_p$), and chemical parameters($C_p$), and determined the rank of ecological health by the criteria. The variables of $B_p$ were metrics of % sensitive species($M_2$, NMS) and insectivore species($M_5$, % $I_n$), which decrease as the water quality degradates, and these metric values were low as 1.5% and 32.4%, respectively. In contrast, the proportions of tolerant species and omnivore species as the other $B_p$ parameters were 43% and 62%, respectively, which indicate a degradation and disturbance of the ecosystem. Riparian vegetation coverage($M_9$, % $V_c$) as a variable of $P_p$, were higher in the 2nd than 1st survey, and decreased toward the dam site from the headwaters. This was due to a habitat simplification(modifications) by frequent bottom dredging of sand and rocks. The variables of $C_p$ were two metrics of specific conductivity($M_{10}$, $C_I$) as an indicator of ionic contents(cations and anions) and the Trophic State Index(TSI) based on chlorophyll-a($M_{11}$, $TSI_{CHL}$) as an indicator of trophic state. These metric values of $C_p$ had high temporal variations, but low spatial variations on the main axis of the reservoir along with the ecological health of a good condition. The environmental impact assessments using the LEHA multi-metric model indicated that the model values of LEHA averaged 30.7 in 1st survey(fair - poor condition) vs. 28 in 2nd survey(poor condition), indicating a temporal variation of the ecological health. The model values of LEHA showed a minimum(28) in the lacustrine zone(S5) and ranged from 29 to 30 in the other locations sampled, indicating a low longitudinal variation. Overall, environmental impact assessments, based on LEHA model, suggest that chemical water quality conditions were in good, but biological conditions were disturbed due to habitat modifications by frequent dredgings in the system.