• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.471-501
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• 2022

This study was carried out on 455 forest wetlands of south Korea for which an inventory was established through value evaluation and grade. Correlation analysis was conducted to find out the correlation between the types and grades of forest wetlands and 23 evaluation factors in four categories: vegetation and landscape, material circulation and hydraulics·hydrology, humanities and social landscape, and disturbance level. Through the improvement of types and grades of forest wetlands, it is possible to secure basic data that can be used in setting up conservation measures by preparing standards necessary for future forest wetland conservation and restoration, and to found a systematic monitoring system. First, between the type of forest wetland and size and accessibility showed a positive correlation, but the remaining items were analyzed to have negative or no correlation. In particular, it was found that there was no negative correlation or no correlation with the grades of forest wetland. Moreover, it was found that there was a very strong negative correlation with the weighted four category items. Thus, it is judged that improvement is necessary because there is an error in the weight or adjust the evaluation criteria of the value evaluation item, add an item that can increase objectivity. Especially, in the case of forest wetlands, the ecosystem service function due to biodiversity is the largest, so evaluation items should be improved in consideration of this. Therefore, it can be divided into five categories: uniqueness and rarity (15%), wildlife habitat (15%), vegetation and landscape (35%), material cycle·hydraulic hydrology (30%), and humanities and social landscape (5%). It will be possible to propose weights that can increase effectiveness.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.251-258
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• 2023

Invasive species are introduced for various purposes, such as pets and food, and the trade of reptiles among them has continuously increased due to their unusual or rare external character traits. As their imports increase, the number of exotic reptiles in the wild is also increasing, and most of the recently discovered exotic turtles have been found near urban areas. Therefore, this study aims to report the current status of exotic turtles inhabiting the Jungnang Stream in downtown Seoul, Republic of Korea. As a result of the survey, seven species of exotic turtles were identified: Chrysemys picta picta, Pseudemys concinna, P. nelsoni, Trachemys scripta elegans, T. s. scripta, T. s. troostii, and Mauremys sinensis. One native turtle species was found: Pelodiscus maackii. Six species are designated as "ecosystem disturbance species" in the Republic of Korea. The dominant species was P. concinna, and C. p. picta, which is still traded in pet shops, was also found. The results have confirmed the current status of exotic turtles in urban rivers, and it was determined that the results show that they are continuously entering the wild.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.267-273
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• 2023

Algae are an important component of the ecosystem. However, the excessive growth of cyanobacteria has various harmful effects on river environments, and diatoms affect the management of water supply processes. Algal monitoring is essential for sustainable and efficient algae management. In this study, an object detection model was developed that detects and classifies images of four types of harmful cyanobacteria used for the criteria of the algae alert system, and one diatom, Synedra sp.. You Only Look Once(YOLO) v8, the latest version of the YOLO model, was used for the development of the model. The mean average precision (mAP) of the base model was analyzed as 64.4. Five models were created to increase the diversity of the input images used for model training by performing rotation, magnification, and reduction of original images. Changes in model performance were compared according to the composition of the input images. As a result of the analysis, the model that applied rotation, magnification, and reduction showed the best performance with mAP 86.5. The mAP of the model that only used image rotation, combined rotation and magnification, and combined image rotation and reduction were analyzed as 85.3, 82.3, and 83.8, respectively.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.394-407
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• 2023

Ecological restoration is an ecological technology that diagnoses problematic ecological spaces and restores the damaged ecosystem to a healthy appearance similar to its original appearance based on reference information obtained by analyzing intact nature. To achieve successful restoration, the project must be carried out in respect of a series of procedures. However, in Korea, restoration projects are usually actively promoted regardless of diagnostic evaluation, which wastes cost and energy, and the effect is not significant. As the reference information is not utilized, ecological restoration to return the damaged nature makes features different greatly from the appearance of nature, causing another damage. As the restoration effect is not evaluated, it is impossible to determine whether it is successful or not, and as a result, even if the project continues, there is no development and no effect. However, advanced societies have not only made academic progress by respecting these procedures but also have great economic effects along with the improvement of environmental conditions as ecological restoration has become an industry. Therefore, the international society recognizes ecological restoration as an important means of solving environmental problems at the global level, including climate change, and international organizations are actively promoting projects to treat the injured planet. However, most of the restoration projects promoted in Korea were evaluated below the level as a result of the evaluation of the effect. Nevertheless, those who have led low-quality projects are blocking plans to establish ecological restoration as a new industry that can contribute significantly to improving these levels, and thus the problem is expected to worsen. To solve this problem, it is necessary to filter out defective businesses by introducing a strict and correct project evaluation system by dividing it into before and after. Furthermore, it is necessary to establish ecological restoration as an industry and leave the process in the principles of the market.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.337-346
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• 2023

Although wildlife bridge are built as a way to reduce habitat fragmentation caused by road construction, there is still a lot of debate about their effectiveness. Monitoring methods such as footprint traps and camera traps are used evaluate the effectiveness of wildlife bridge, but there is a limit to evaluate of effectiveness. In this study, the degree of use the wildlfe bridge was surveyed by striped field mouse that is likely use the wildlife bridge and surrounding as a habitat with capture-mark-recapture method.(Apodemus agraius). The distance and route of movement were identified by connecting the capture points, and the environmental factors on the use of the wildlife bridge implemented a generalized linear model(GLM) with the capture number of captured as a dependent variable. Consequently of capture, no individuals crossing the wildlife bridge, striped field mouse use the wildlife bridge as a habitat.The environmental factors affecting the use of mice were vegetation cover(1~2m, 2~8m, over 8m), vegetation construction, maximum diameter at breast height were positively correlated and slope was nagatively correlated. In conclusion, it is expected that the effectiveness of the wildlife bridge will be further improved by planting shrubs and trees and preventing high slope and cut slope increasing the utilization of the rat, such as being used as a food source in the ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.203-217
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• 2024

The Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector of the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory is crucial for obtaining data on carbon sinks, necessitating accurate estimations. This study analyzes cases of countries applying the LULUCF sector at the Tier 3 level to propose enhanced methodologies for carbon sink estimation. In nations like Japan and Western Europe, satellite spatial information such as SPOT, Landsat, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)is used alongside national statistical data to estimate LULUCF. However, in Korea, the lack of land use change data and the absence of integrated management by category, measurement is predominantly conducted at the Tier 1 level, except for certain forest areas. In this study, Space-borne LiDAR Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) was used to calculate forest canopy heights based on Relative Height 100 (RH100) in the cities of Icheon, Gwangju, and Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province, Korea. These canopy heights were compared with the 1:5,000 scale forest maps used for the National Inventory Report in Korea. The GEDI data showed a maximum canopy height of 29.44 meters (m) in Gwangju, contrasting with the forest type maps that reported heights up to 34 m in Gwangju and parts of Icheon, and a minimum of 2 m in Icheon. Additionally, this study utilized Ordinary Least Squares(OLS)regression analysis to compare GEDI RH100 data with forest stand heights at the eup-myeon-dong level using ArcGIS, revealing Standard Deviations (SDs)ranging from -1.4 to 2.5, indicating significant regional variability. Areas where forest stand heights were higher than GEDI measurements showed greater variability, whereas locations with lower tree heights from forest type maps demonstrated lower SDs. The discrepancies between GEDI and actual measurements suggest the potential for improving height estimations through the application of high-resolution remote sensing techniques. To enhance future assessments of forest biomass and carbon storage at the Tier 3 level, high-resolution, reliable data are essential. These findings underscore the urgent need for integrating high-resolution, spatially explicit LiDAR data to enhance the accuracy of carbon sink calculations in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.924-942
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• 2021

The expansion of the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) plume during summer is known to be a major factor influencing phytoplankton diversity, community structure, and the regional marine environment of the northern East China Sea (ECS). The discharge of the CDW plume was very high in the summer of 2020, and cruise surveys and stationary monitoring were conducted to understand the dynamics of changes in environmental characteristics and the impact on phytoplankton diversity and community structure. A cruise survey was conducted from August 16 to 17, 2020, using R/V Eardo, and a stay survey at the Ieodo Ocean Research Station (IORS) from August 15 to 21, 2020, to analyze phytoplankton diversity and community structure. The southwestern part of the survey area exhibited low salinity and high chlorophyll a fluorescence under the influence of the CDW plume, whereas the southeastern part of the survey area presented high salinity and low chlorophyll a fluorescence under the influence of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC). The total chlorophyll a concentrations of surface water samples from 12 sampling stations indicated that nano-phytoplankton (20-3 ㎛) and micro-phytoplankton (> 20 ㎛) were the dominant groups during the survey period. Only stations strongly influenced by the TWC presented approximately 50% of the biomass contributed by pico-phytoplankton (< 3 ㎛). The size distribution of phytoplankton in the surface water samples is related to nutrient supplies, and areas where high nutrient (nitrate) supplies were provided by the CDW plume displayed higher biomass contribution by micro-phytoplankton groups. A total of 45 genera of nano- and micro-phytoplankton groups were classified using morphological analysis. Among them, the dominant taxa were the diatoms Guinardia flaccida and Nitzschia spp. and the dinoflagellates Gonyaulax monacantha, Noctiluca scintillans, Gymnodinium spirale, Heterocapsa spp., Prorocentrum micans, and Tripos furca. The sampling stations affected by the TWC and low in nitrate concentrations presented high concentrations of photosynthetic pico-eukaryotes (PPE) and photosynthetic pico-prokaryotes (PPP). Most sampling stations had phosphate-limited conditions. Higher Synechococcus concentrations were enumerated for the sampling stations influenced by low-nutrient water of the TWC using flow cytometry. The NGS analysis revealed 29 clades of Synechococcus among PPP, and 11 clades displayed a dominance rate of 1% or more at least once in one sample. Clade II was the dominant group in the surface water, whereas various clades (Clades I, IV, etc.) were found to be the next dominant groups in the SCM layers. The Prochlorococcus group, belonging to the PPP, observed in the warm water region, presented a high-light-adapted ecotype and did not appear in the northern part of the survey region. PPE analysis resulted in 163 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), indicating very high diversity. Among them, 11 major taxa showed dominant OTUs with more than 5% in at least one sample, while Amphidinium testudo was the dominant taxon in the surface water in the low-salinity region affected by the CDW plume, and the chlorophyta was dominant in the SCM layer. In the warm water region affected by the TWC, various groups of haptophytes were dominant. Observations from the IORS also presented similar results to the cruise survey results for biomass, size distribution, and diversity of phytoplankton. The results revealed the various dynamic responses of phytoplankton influenced by the CDW plume. By comparing the results from the IORS and research cruise studies, the study confirmed that the IORS is an important observational station to monitor the dynamic impact of the CDW plume. In future research, it is necessary to establish an effective use of IORS in preparation for changes in the ECS summer environment and ecosystem due to climate change.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.91-98
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• 2016

The growth area of living modified (LM) cotton has steadily increased every year, since its first commercialization in 1996. Development of environmental risk assessment tools and techniques for LM cotton is required for ecosystem safety. We therefore developed multiplex PCR assays for simultaneous detection of two (MON15985, MON531) and four (GHB614, LLCOTTON25, MON88913 and MON1445) LM cotton events approved in Korea, with event specific primer pairs. The PCR reactions were optimized by using event specific primers of six LM cottons at various concentrations. The reactions allows amplification of estimated amplicons of MON15985 (214 bp), MON531 (270 bp), GHB614 (119 bp), LLCOTTON25 (164 bp), MON88913 (276 bp), and MON1445 (389 bp) from multiplex PCR reactions. The multiplex PCR assay developed allowed that two annealing steps (15 cycles at $55^{\circ}C$ and 25 cycles at $60^{\circ}C$) were performed for amplification of distinguished two LM cottons, and only one annealing step (50 cycles at $60^{\circ}C$) was necessary for tetraplex PCR. Primer extension step of all PCR reactions was skipped for time-effective amplification. Our methods suggest that two multiplex PCR assays can be cost-effective and a rapid diagnostic tool for environmental LMO monitoring of six LM cottons.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.307-319
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• 2000

Community structure (seasonal fluctuation), taxon diversity, nematodes/benthic harpacticoids and nematodes/kinorhynchs ratios of meiobenthos were studied in the Gamak Bay, Korea. A series of samplings were carried out from April 1997 to May 1999. Meiobenthic organisms was collected by van Veen grab and three subcores of 34 mm in internal diameter were taken from each sediment sample. The total density of meiobenthos in each seasons was found to be the highest in May 1999, and the lowest in December 1998. Total density of meiobenthos at each station was the highest at Station 9 in May 1999 ($2,218 inds./10 cm^2$) and the lowest at Station 3 in December 1998 ($2 inds./10 cm^2$). The Gamak Bay seemed to have an individual number increased from the inner toward the outer stations. The highest number of meiobenthos was observed on 0.125 and 0.063 mm mesh size. In every season, over $80{\%}$ of the meiobenthos was composed of only four groups: nematodes, benthic harpacticoids, sarcomastigophorans and nauplius larvae of crustaceans. Seasonal fluctuation of meiobenthos was also studied. The nematodes/benthic harpacticoids(nematodes/kinorhynchs) ratios were studied as an index of pollution monitoring for benthic ecosystem at each station in each season. The value of nematodes/benthic harpacticoids ratio was the highest at the inner stations and the lowest at the outer stations in the Gamak Bay. Taxon diversity (H') was the highest at the outer stations and the lowest at the inner stations in the Gamak Bay. The value of nematodes/benthic harpacticoids ratio significantly increased from the outer toward the inner stations, whereas the taxon diversity (H') significantly increased from the inner toward the outer stations in Gamak Bay.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.374-383
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• 2019

The Wangpo stream located in the Buyeo-gun was a small stream with both low water quality and quantity due to the cultivated land and settlement area through the stream. In order to restore ecosystem, the Sustainable Structured wetland Biotop system was applied to treat 1,500 to 7,000 ㎥/d amount of effluent water pumped from the Buyeo sewage treatment plant facility as well as inflowed from nonpoint pollution source of Wangpo stream. As a result of continuous monitoring for 2 years from 2016 to 2018 after completing restorative construction, the average BOD₅ as an index of organic pollution was 7.3 mg/L and the average effluent concentration became 2.1 mg/L, showing an improvement by 71.2%. The average inflow concentration of T-N was 7.953 mg/L and the average outflow concentration was 3.379 mg/L, showing 57.5% of improvement. The average inflow concentration of T-P was 0.177 mg/L and the average outflow concentration was 0.052 mg/L, showing about 70.7% improvement. The results of ecological monitoring after creating biotope by reuse of treated waste water and nonpoint pollution source of the Wangpo Stream are as follows. The plant taxa founded in water SSB(Sustainable Structured wetland Biotop) system of the Wangpo Stream was total 41 species in 21 families, showing a higher proportion of naturally introduced plant than that of artificially planted species. In case of other terrestrial animals, both amphibian and reptile group were confirmed as 3 species in 6 families, avian group was 25 species of 15 families, and mammal group observed 5 species in 5 families, respectively. All species have been created and enhanced through purified water inhabited in the SSB(Sustainable Structured wetland Biotop) system as a treatment wetland, eventually migrating to the Wangpo Stream.