• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.525-547
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• 2021

The main purpose of this study is to examine the use of plant species in ecological restoration projects. To this end, planting drawings from 58 sites that had completed the return of the ecosystem conservation cooperation fund for the past six years were collected and analyzed. The analysis used the construction completion and design drawings to determine the overall selection status and analyze frequency by classifying planted plants into wild and cultivated plants by nature, size, vegetation climate, and upland and wetland habitat. The investigation and analysis process found many cases of wrong plant names, so an analysis was also performed on the matter. In the 58 investigation sites, 282 plants were used for planting: 91 tree species, 69 shrub species, 11 vine species, and 111 herbal species. The most commonly used plant species was Spiraea prunifolia f. simpliciflora, followed by Sorbus alnifolia, Quercus acutissima, Zoysia japonica, Callicarpa dichotoma, and Weigela subsessilisin that order. The most commonly used tree species was Sorbus alnifolia,followed by Quercus acutissima, Zelkova serrata, Chionanthus retusus, and Cornus officinalis, in that order. The most commonly used shrub species was Spiraea prunifolia f. simpliciflora, followed by Weigela subsessilis, Callicarpa dichotoma, Rhododendron yedoense f. poukhanense. and Euonymus alatusin that order. The most commonly used herbal plant species was Zoysia japonica, followed by Dendranthema zawadskii var. latilobum, Aster koraiensis, Miscanthus sacchariflorus, and Pennisetum alopecuroidesin that order. In the analysis by vegetation climate, Spiraea prunifolia f. simpliciflora, Callicarpa dichotoma, and Sorbus alnifoliawere most used in that order in both the temperate central and the warm temperate forest zones, but the pattern does not properly reflect the climate characteristics. In the analysis by habitat, Miscanthus sacchariflorus and Lythrum salicariawere most used in the wetland. In particular, the ratio of wild plants to cultivated plants was 76% to 24%, indicating the ratio of selecting cultivated plants was high. The names of plants on the drawings were mostly common names that did not appear in the Korea National Arboretum or the National Species List of Korea. It is necessary to use proper plant names in the future. Regarding the use of planting plants for ecological restoration, it is necessary to adopt the approach of diversifying selected plants, selecting plants according to characteristics of climate zones, and lowering the specifications of plants used for ecological restoration. Moreover, it is important to fully understand the ecological characteristics of wetland plants and minimize the ratio of using cultivated plants to ensure the plant selection centered on wild plants.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.188-195
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• 2010

The Abundance of zooplankton was studied in the pelagic and the littoral zone in four shallow reservoirs along with the Nakdong river basin of S. Korea. In the pelagic zone, there was a higher zooplankton density ($477.5{\pm}312.4$ ind. $L^{-1}$) than in the littoral zone during our study period (t=2.337, p<0.05). Overall, Rotifers were the most abundant group in the studied reservoirs. However, there are no significant correlations between the pelagic and the littoral zone in physical and chemical parameters. In the pelagic and the littoral zone, zooplankton density usually increased with increasing density of aquatic plants in the littoral zone. However, this study showed different trends. Although macrophyte abundance was higher in the littoral zone than in the pelagic zone, zooplankton abundance was higher in pelagic zone. Moreover, when macrophytes (Trapa japonica and Spirodela plyrhiza) covered the complete water surface of the reservoir, zooplankton abundance was higher. It appears that comparisons between the pelagic and the littoral zone give important cues on the selection of habitats by zooplankton. It is assumed that a higher density of aquatic plants does not always imply a higher density of zooplankton in the littoral zone. Furthermore, when the water surface was covered with aquatic plants, the zooplankton communities showed the highest density in the pelagic zone. These results imply that habitat selection of the zooplankton community (Rotifers) is influenced by aquatic plant density with an associated decrease in predation pressure during summer.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.213-217
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• 2006

The increase of human activities has been extensively changed the breeding habitats of birds directly or indirectly, where the reproductive success of the birds has been seriously reduced. Leisure activities on water, such as fishing, influenced the breeding biology of waterfowls. However, few researches have been done for this in Korea. We examined the effects of fishing activity on nest selection and density of four waterfowl species at Namyang Lake: Coot (Fulica atra), Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), Little Grebe (Podiceps ruficollis), and Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus). We divided the Namyang Lake into three study areas. Except for the number of anglers, there were no significant differences among the three study areas in the kinds of avian predators, the water depth around study areas measured for possible territorial predatory mammals' passing over, and the values of Relative Importance Percentage of occupying plants. The results showed that waterfowls bred in Namyang Lake preferred the areas with few anglers for the nests. From this study, we recommend that leisure activities including fishing should be prohibited or restricted during the breeding periods of waterfowls for the stable breeding success and that further systematic researches and managements for the species are necessary.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.333-343
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• 2015

This research aims at identifying the goshawk's possible and replaceable breeding ground by using the MaxEnt prediction model which has so far been insufficiently used in Korea, and providing evidence to expand possible protection areas for the goshawk's breeding for the future. The field research identified 10 goshawk's nests, and 23 appearance points confirmed during the 3rd round of environmental research were used for analysis. 4 geomorphic, 3 environmental, 7 distance, and 9 weather factors were used as model variables. The final environmental variables were selected through non-parametric verification between appearance and non-appearance coordinates identified by random sampling. The final predictive model (MaxEnt) was structured using 10 factors related to breeding ground and 7 factors related to appearance area selected by statistics verification. According to the results of the study, the factor that affected breeding point structure model the most was temperature seasonality, followed by distance from mixforest, density-class on the forest map and relief energy. The factor that affected appearance point structure model the most was temperature seasonality, followed by distance from rivers and ponds, distance from agricultural land and gradient. The nature of the goshawk's breeding environment and habit to breed inside forests were reflected in this modeling that targets breeding points. The northern central area which is about $189.5 km^2$(2.55 %) is expected to be suitable breeding ground. Large cities such as Cheongju and Chungju are located in the southern part of Chungcheongbuk-do whereas the northern part of Chungcheongbuk-do has evenly distributed forests and farmlands, which helps goshawks have a scope of influence and food source to breed. Appearance point modeling predicted an area of $3,071 km^2$(41.38 %) showing a wider ranging habitat than that of the breeding point modeling due to some limitations such as limited moving observation and non-consideration of seasonal changes. When targeting the breeding points, a specific predictive area can be deduced but it is difficult to check the points of nests and it is impossible to reflect the goshawk's behavioral area. On the other hand, when targeting appearance points, a wider ranging area can be covered but it is less accurate compared to predictive breeding point since simple movements and constant use status are not reflected. However, with these results, the goshawk's habitat can be predicted with reasonable accuracy. In particular, it is necessary to apply precise predictive breeding area data based on habitat modeling results when enforcing an environmental evaluation or establishing a development plan.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.516-525
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• 2011

We studied the influence certain environmental factors (proximity of roosting site, roads, and residential areas) have on the spatial distribution of cranes in the Cheorwon, Korea. Using a range finder and GPS, data were collected from January to February 2007 and were subsequently evaluated with ArcGIS. The size of the cranes' wintering habitat was estimated to be 7$76.9km^2$. Five hundred and fifty-five flocks of cranes were observed and detailed distributions were collected. Feeding distribution of the cranes showed clustered distribution, however, no tendencies of spatial autocorrelation were apparent. Adjacent regions with paved roads and residences showed lower densities than other areas. Distances at which paved roads and residential areas induced changes in feeding flock densities were 1500m and 1750m, respectively. Feeding flock density decreased with increased distance from roosting site. Feeding flock density of the two crane species did not increase as distance from roads increased, however, the density of individuals showed a significant increasing tendency with increased distance from roads. In both species, density of feeding flocks and individuals significantly increased with increasing distance from residential areas. In Red-crowned Cranes, the density of feeding flocks and individuals significantly decreased with increasing distance from roosting site, however, in the case of White-naped Cranes, there was an even distribution in density of feeding flocks and individuals.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.12 no.11
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• pp.1181-1187
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• 2003

Hibiscus hamabo, called "Hwang-geun", growing about 3m in height is a deciduous shrub or subtree of Malvaceae. Because the number of these species is very limited in the world, the Ministry of Environment has designated H. hamabo as a preserved plant. The Korea Forest Service also protects it strictly by law since H. hamabo is an out-of-the-way plant and possibly may be exterminated soon in Korea. Investigation for distribution and ecological characteristics of the habitat for H. hamabo was carried out on Soan Island. Two wild H. hamabo were found at the forest edge (equation omitted) along the sea coast located in the southern part of Soan Island and this was the first report in the Korean academic world. These two wild H. hamabos were growing in a naturally inhibited area. The diameters at the base were 12cm and 15cm. The Tree heights were 150cm and 210cm and the number of branches of each wild H. hamabo was 4 and 7. However, the present condition of these plants was not good. Environmental conditions of the naturally inhibited area of H. hamabo were very mild because it is located at the edge of the forest and is always sunny during the daytime since the slope of the inhibited area is facing South. The ground drained very well since the soil was made of gravels and sand. Because the percent of vegetation of the subtree layer where H. hamabo was growing was 40%, the cover degree and sociability of flex crenata trees and Eurya japonica were found to be high. In the naturally inhibited area of H. hamabo, a dominant value of Rubus parvifolius in the lower part of the herb layer was very high and many plants in Compositae, such as Artemisia princeps var. orientalis and Erigeron annuus, were also present. A dominant value of liana, such as Vitis thunbergii var. sinuata, Rosa multiflora, Clematis terniflora and Hedera rhombea, and Gramineae plants that rhizomes were well developed and aggressively propagated, such as Miscanthus sinensis var. purpurascens, Phragmites communis, Spodiopogon cotulifer and Oplismenus undulatifolius which were surveyed as high, too. These results imply that H. hamabo might be exterminated soon through a natural selection if the proper management of the naturally inhibited area of H. hamabo is not conducted continually.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.140-155
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• 2020

This study was conducted to identify the location characteristics of infected farms in the areas where livestock diseases were clustered(southern Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheong-do), analyze the probability of disease occurrence in poultry farms, find out the areas corresponding to the conditions, and use them as the basis for prevention of livestock diseases, selection of discriminatory prevention zones, and establishment of prevention strategies and as the basic data for complementary measures. The increase of one poultry farm within a radius of 3-kilometers increases the risk of HPAI infection by 10.9% compared to the previous situation. The increase of 1m in distance from major roads with two lanes or more reduces the probability of HPAI infection by 0.001% compared to the previous situation. If the distance of the poultry farm located with 15 kilometers from a major migratory bird habitat increases by 15 to 30 kilometers, the chance of infection with HPAI is reduced by 46.0%. And if the distance of the same poultry farm increase by more than 30 kilometers, the chances of HPAI infection are reduced by 88.5%. Based on the results of logistic regression, the predicted probability was generated and the actual area of the location condition with 'more than 15 poultry farms within 3km a radius of, within 1km distance from major roads, and within 30km distance from major migratory birds habitat was determined and the infection rate was measured. It is expected that the results of this study will be used as basic data for preparing the data and supplementary measures when the quarantine authorities establish discriminatory quarantine areas and prevention strategies, such as preventive measures for the target areas and farms, or control of vehicles, by identifying the areas where livestock diseases are likely to occur in the region.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.111-120
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• 2023

In Korea, wetland policies are currently being pursued through long-term plans such as nationwide wetland surveys and wetland conservation basic plans. However, most policies focus on understanding the status of wetlands, such as their area, distribution, and biodiversity, and there is a lack of awareness regarding the need to conserve and manage wetland ecosystems as a single organism. Therefore, this study aims to identify potential riverine wetland sites that can be ecologically connected by considering functional aspects such as floodplain, biodiversity, habitat provision, and tourism resources. This study attempted to select a candidate site that could potentially provide ecological connectivity with three wetlands in the Nakdonggang River water system : Upo Wetland, Hwapocheon Wetland, and Junam Reservoir. 63 wetlands and 7 candidate sites located in 15 subwatersheds of the Nakdonggang River were analyzed, and the most suitable candidate site for ecological connectivity was selected based on the calculated scores. A suitability analysis was conducted using 9 evaluation factors to evaluate candidate sites, and the scoring method, using quantile, was applied to these factors. As a result, Upo2(Hopo) was selected as the most suitable site for ecological connectivity, receiving the highest score 36. Therefore, it is believed that Upo2(Hopo) can serve as a floodplain, habitat, biodiversity enhancer, and tourism resource while being the most suitable for ecological connectivity.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.202-211
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• 2019

Oceanic islands are biologically important for their unique assemblages of species and high levels of endemism and are sensitive to environmental change because of their isolation and small species source pools. Habitat destruction caused by human landscape development is generally accepted as the main cause of extinction on islands, with exotic species invasion a secondary cause of extinction, especially on tropical islands. However, secondary impacts of human development (e.g., general degradation through resource use and exotic species introduction) are understudied on temperate islands. To determine secondary impacts of human development on the understory vegetation community, 90 field sites on Ulleung Island, South Korea, were sampled during the summer of 2016. Understory vegetation was chosen as it is a proxy for ecosystem health. Diversity and percent cover of introduced, native, and endemic species were tested against proximity to developed areas and trail usage using a model selection approach. Diversity was also tested against percent cover of three naturalized species commonly found in survey plots. The main finding was that distance to development, distance to town, and trail usage have limited negative impacts on the understory vegetation community within best-supported models predicting native and introduced cover and diversity. However, endemic species cover was significantly lower on high usage trails. While there are no apparent locally invasive plant species on the island at the time of this study, percent cover of Robinia pseudoacacia, a naturalized tree species, negatively correlated with plot diversity. These findings indicate that forests on Ulleung Island are not experiencing a noticeable invasion of understory vegetation, and conservation efforts can be best spent preventing future invasions.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.241-245
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• 2017

Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus), which has invaluable medicinal uses, grows only on living trees. To date, it is still harvested from its natural habitat and is not cultivated artificially. We artificially cultivated chaga mushrooms by inoculating its sawdust spawns on Betula platyphylla var. japonica in 2007, and monitored mushroom growth on the inoculated trees for 9 years. The mushrooms grew less than 1 cm per year, with the largest mushroom growing up to 9 cm in the 9 years of study. There was no difference in the growth (diameter at breast height) of trees with viable and non-viable I. obliquus. In conclusion, artificial cultivation of chaga mushroom was successful. Our findings suggest that selection of large B. platyphylla var. japonica as host tree could lead to better I. obliquus productivity. Further improvements of the method are needed to increase the success rate of I. obliquus inoculation.