• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.121-129
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• 2020

This study investigated the change of benthic macroinvertebrates community due to erosion control dams installed in Wonju, Gangwon by comparing the data before and after a rainy season. It selected a closed-type erosion control dam (boulder stone), an open-type erosion control dam (buttress), and a control area and surveyed two upstream points and two downstream points four times between March and September 2019. The flow velocity mostly increased in the closed-type, open-type, and control areas but decreased in St. 3 after the rainy season. The number of benthic macroinvertebrates species and their populations mostly decreased after the rainy season, and the rate of decrease in the populations in the open-type and control areas were more similar than the closed-type area. Species and populations of the EPT groups mostly decreased after the rainy season. A result of the similarity analysis showed that the closed-type and open-type areas were separated by 38.4% with the control area before the rainy season, but the open-type and control areas were separated by 51.3% with the closed-type area after the rainy season. A result of the principal components analysis (PCA) based on axis 1 showed that the closed-type area had a positive value before and after the rainy season, and the open-type and control areas had a negative value before and after the rainy season. The open-type area was more correlated with the control area than the close type. The analysis of the EPT groups showed the distribution of Ephemeroptera in the closed-type area and Trichoptera in the open-type and control areas. The result of this study shows that the installation of erosion control dam can cause changes in benthic macroinvertebrates community and that the open-type area had a smaller difference community difference from the control area after the rainy season than the closed-type area.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.313-324
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• 2010

With growing interest in biodiversity in rice paddies, efficient sampling methods for quantitative evaluation of aquatic macroinvertebrates are needed because of their important role in rice paddies' food webs. For this reason, we sought a proper sampling method through comparing data collected by using aquatic net, quadrat, and core in rice paddies located in Chuncheon-si, Kangwon-do, Hongseong-gun, and Chungcheongnam-do. Because the frame of the net was rectangular and had a flat bottom, the area, sampledwith the aquatic net, was calculated by multiplying the net width by the sweeping length, All samples were taken from the space between the rows of rice plants. Twenty four taxa of macro invertebrates were collected in Chuncheon and 28 taxa in Hongseong. In Chuncheon, the number of taxa was similar among three sampling methods (17-18 taxa), but the number of individuals was different (aquatic net, $1,317/m^2$; quadrat, $1,368/m^2$; core, $1,810/m^2$. In Hongseong, the number of taxa sampled by aquatic net was the highest (aquatic net, 25 taxa; quadrat, 21 taxa; core, 16 taxa), but the core was the highest in the number of individuals (aquatic net, $1,586/m^2$; quadrat, $2,595/m^2$; core, $3,704/m^2$. The efficiency of samplers differed among taxa. Most of aquatic insect taxa were more abundant in the aquatic net, while those living on or in the paddy substratum such as Oligochaeta and Chironomidae were collected more in the quadrat sampler. To collect quantitative data for aquatic insects as well as to produce inventory of rare taxa, we suggest, based on samplers used in this study, to take quantitative samples of 6 replications from each of the edge and inner zones of a rice paddy by using an aquatic net, and to take qualitative samples both from sides of levees and the inner zone of rice paddy by using an aquatic net.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.353-364
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• 2009

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of erosion control works on the stream ecosystem in a mountain torrential stream. The species composition of benthic macroinvertebrates and biological water quality were investigated before and after construction of erosion control works at 5 sites. The total number of benthic macroinvertebrates before construction was 3,086 individuals including 4 phyla, 6 classes, 11 orders, 22 families, and 25 species, but after construction it has decreased to 1,208 individuals including 4 phyla, 6 classes, 10 orders, 17 families, and 19 species. Especially, the diversity, richness, and evenness indices, which were calculated based on existing number of biological species, have decreased or not produced at the erosion control sites, where biological species were not found or the minimum number of species were found. The results of community analysis of benthic macroinvertebrates and ESB(Ecological Score of Benthic macroinvertebrate community) indicated that the environmental qualities of the stream based on saprobity, environmental condition, and water quality decreased after the construction at all sites: before construction, the top of the stream was satisfactory and some satisfactory, the middle was some defectiveness, and the lower was defectiveness and very defectiveness; after construction, all parts of the stream except some parts of the top were very defectiveness. Moreover, the water quality of torrential stream was rated between I to III before construction, but after construction, it declined to $IV{\sim}V$ except control. The habitat damage of benthic macro invertebrates occurred at all investigation sites after the construction of erosion control works led to reduction of the number of biological species and water quality deterioration. The results reported in this study were collected directly after the construction of erosion control works. Therefore, additional studies are needed to further explore the effect of disaster-prevention of erosion control works and the recovery process of stream ecosystem through long term monitoring.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.51 no.10
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• pp.863-874
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the future climate change impact on stream aquatic ecology health of Han River watershed ($34,148km^2$) using SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) and random forest. The 8 years (2008~2015) spring (April to June) Aquatic ecology Health Indices (AHI) such as Trophic Diatom Index (TDI), Benthic Macroinvertebrate Index (BMI) and Fish Assessment Index (FAI) scored (0~100) and graded (A~E) by NIER (National Institute of Environmental Research) were used. The 8 years NIER indices with the water quality (T-N, $NH_4$, $NO_3$, T-P, $PO_4$) showed that the deviation of AHI score is large when the concentration of water quality is low, and AHI score had negative correlation when the concentration is high. By using random forest, one of the Machine Learning techniques for classification analysis, the classification results for the 3 indices grade showed that all of precision, recall, and f1-score were above 0.81. The future SWAT hydrology and water quality results under HadGEM3-RA RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios of Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) showed that the future nitrogen-related water quality in watershed average increased up to 43.2% by the baseflow increase effect and the phosphorus-related water quality decreased up to 18.9% by the surface runoff decrease effect. The future FAI and BMI showed a little better Index grade while the future TDI showed a little worse index grade. We can infer that the future TDI is more sensitive to nitrogen-related water quality and the future FAI and BMI are responded to phosphorus-related water quality.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.150-164
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• 2022

The objective of this study is to analyze the biodiversity changes and characteristics of the benthic macroinvertebrate community in the Nakdong River with eight weirs, which was constructed as one of the Four Major River Restoration Projects from May to October 2020. The study also includes the analysis of changes in the major groups of benthic macroinvertebrates for about ten years, from 2010 to 2020. The surveys collected 97 species of benthic macroinvertebrates belonging to 83 genera, 52 families, 18 orders, five classes, three phyla, and 128.1 individuals/m². Chironomidae sp. and Tubificidae spp., which are pollutant indicators, dominated throughout the sections. The community analysis result shows the average dominant index and the diversity index of 0.62±0.20 and 1.87±0.63, respectively, and indicated the most stability of the freshwater ecosystem in the upper stream of the Nakdong River. The survey showed dominance by Chironomidae sp. at the center of the Nakdong River weir and the most unstable community in Chilgok and Gangjeong Goryeong weirs. The results of the community stability analysis showed a high distribution of the characteristic group I with high resilience and resistance and small distribution of characteristic group III with low resistance and resilience, indicating a very unstable condition of communities in the Nakdong River weir section. Predators were relatively abundant among the functional feeding groups (FFGs), whereas shredders, gathering-collectors, and filtering-collectors were relatively lower. Among the habitat orientation groups (HOGs), burrowers and climbers were dominant, indicating a wide distribution of groups in ecosystems with low dissolved oxygen. An endangered species level II of Macromia daimoji was found in Sangju and Nakdan weirs. The analysis results for 10 years from 2010 showed that the number of species and populations increased immediately after the dam construction but plummeted in 2016 and are now stabilizing. Chironomidae spp. has been dominant in all sections over the past 10 years, and they are currently maintained at a rate of about 50%. The EPT groups have decreased significantly since 2011, and the Plecoptera and Trichoptera of the group have not yet been restored. The population of Tubificidae spp. showed an increase after construction was completed in 2012 and drastically increased in 2015 and 2020. The species of Cristaria plicata, designated as endangered species level I, has not been observed since 2011 in Hapcheon Changnyeong weir. Moreover, Macromia daimoji was rarely observed in seven weirs until 2015, and it has been confirmed that the current distribution habitat has decreased rapidly.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.185-195
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• 2022

This study conducted a survey over spring and autumn from 2014 to 2020 to confirm the ecological characteristics of the size of streams and habitats, centering on the ecological landscape conservation area, and a total 256 species of benthic macroinvertebrates in 105 families, 25 orders, 8 classes, and 5 phyla appeared. In terms of appearance species, by region, the rate of appearance of Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera was high in regions consisting of lotic area and the rate of appearance of Coleoptera and Odonata was high in regions consisting of lentic areas. When comparing the population of Ephemeroptera-Plecoptera-Trichoptera (EPT) groups by region, they were classified into three groups: upstream area, mainstream area, and lentic areas, and it was confirmed that the population ratio of EPT changed as it moved from upstream to downstream. As the stream order increased, the number of species and populations increased. The Shredder group (SH) tended to decrease as the size of stream increased(r=0.9925), and the Collector-Filtering (CF) tended to increase as the size of stream increased(r=0.9319). It was confirmed that the Scraper (SC) replaced each other between species with the same ecological status as it went downstream from upstream, and it is thought that the SC did not differ significantly by stream order. In order to maintain a healthy ecosystem in the designation and management of ecological landscape conservation areas, it is necessary to consider ecological factors such as competition and physico-chemistry factors such as water quality and substrate conditions. Therefore, if the competent authority designated survey areas including buffer areas that include streams and physical habitats of various sizes, it will be advantageous to the conservative area and securing more biological resources.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.363-373
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• 2022

On April 29, 2021 (1st), June 2 (2nd), and August 17 (3rd), we surveyed benthic macroinvertebrates fauna at Muljangori-oreum wetland in Bonggae-dong, Jeju Island, Korea. Muljangori-oreum wetland was divided into four areas. The survey was conducted in three accessible areas (areas 1-3). As a result of habitat environment analysis, the average monthly temperature from 2017 to 2021 was the highest in July and August and the lowest in December and February. This pattern was repeated. As a result of analyzing changes in vegetation and water surface area through satellite images, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) increased from February to July and decreased after July. Normalized difference water index (NDWI) was analyzed to show an inverse relationship. A total of 21 species from 13 families were identified in the qualitative survey and a total of 412 individuals of 24 species from 15 families were identified in the quantitative survey. A total of 26 species from 17 families, 8 orders, 3 classes, and 2 phyla of benthic macroinvertebrates were identified. The dominant species was Chronomidae spp. with 132 individuals (32.04%). Noterus japonicus was a subdominant species with 71 individuals (17.23%). As a result of comparative analysis of species identified in this study and the literature, it was confirmed that species diversity was high for Coleoptera and Odonata. Main functional feeding groups (FFGs) were found to be predators. Habitat orientation groups (HOGs) were found to be swimmers. In OHC (Odonata, Hemiptera, and Coleoptera) group, 17 species (73.91%) in 2021, 23 species (79.31%) in 2016, 26 species (86.67%) in 2018, and 19 species (79.17%) in 2019 were identified. Cybister japonicus, an endangered species II, was confirmed to inhabit Muljangori-oreum wetland in the literature. Ten individuals (2.43%) were also confirmed to inhabit Muljangori-oreum wetland in 2021. Therefore, continuous management and habitat protection are required to maintain the habitat environment of C. japonicus in Muljangori-oreum wetland.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2022

An estuary is an area where a freshwater river or stream meets the ocean. Even before the importance of the value of estuaries was recognized, the estuary was lost because of large-scale conversion by draining, filling, damming, and dredging. In South Korea, 643 estuaries are located, and the total area is 3,248,300 ha, accounting for 32.5% of the total area of South Korea. Over 35% of Korean estuaries are closed estuaries which are only temporally connected with the sea, either permanently or periodically. Since 2008, in order to preserve the estuary ecosystem and solve major issues in the estuary by accumulating knowledge about the estuarine ecosystem, the Ministry of Environment of Republic of Korea has been conducting the "Estuarine Ecosystem Monitoring and Assessment Project". At 668 sites of 325 estuaries, epilithic diatom, benthic macroinvertebrate, fish, and vegetation are investigated, and the habitat condition of each site is evaluated using the newly developed biotic index. More than 100 researchers annually record 2,097 species of estuaries according to the standardized survey guidelines over the past 14 years and provide strictly managed data necessary for establishing estuaries conservation policies. As a result of bibliometric analysis of 1,195 research articles related to the monitoring and assessment of the estuarine ecosystem, research on pollutants such as heavy metals and sediment control have recently been conducted. "Estuarine Ecosystem Monitoring and Assessment Project" is an ecological monitoring type of long-term mandated monitoring that is usually focused on identifying trends. Although it is difficult to identify the mechanism influencing a change in an ecosystem through long-term mandated monitoring, providing empirical data for supporting evidence-based policy, decision-making, and the management of ecosystems. In order to increase the efficiency of the project, research to investigate the relationship between sediments and pollutants and organisms can be conducted at specific estuaries or sites to compensate for the shortcomings of mandatory monitoring.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.84-98
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• 2022

Estuary is important in terms of biodiversity because it has the characteristics of transition waters, created by the mixing of fresh- and seawater. The estuarine water circulation provides a variety of habitats with different environments by inducing gradients in the chemical and physical environment, such as water quality and river bed structure, which are ultimately the main factors influencing biological community composition. If the water circulation is interrupted, the loss of brackish areas and the interception of migration of biological communities will lead to changes in the spatial distribution of biodiversity. In this study, among the sites covered by the Estuary Aquatic Ecosystem Health Assessment, we selected study sites where changes in biodiversity can be assessed by spatial gradient from the upper reaches of the river to the lower estuarine area. The α-, γ- and β-diversity of diatom, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish communities were calculated, and they were divided into open and closed estuary data and compared to determine the trends in biodiversity variation due to estuarine circulation. As results, all communities showed higher γ-diversity at open estuary sites. The benthic macroinvertebrate community showed a clear difference between open and closed estuaries in β-diversity, consequently the estuarine transects were considered as a factor that decreases spatial heterogeneity of their diversity among sites. The biodiversity trends analyzed in this study will be used to identify estuaries with low γ- and β-diversity by community, providing a useful resource for further mornitoring and management to maintain estuarine health.