• Title/Summary/Keyword: NATURAL HABITATS

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Environmental Characteristics of Natural Conditions of the Flat Oyster, Ostrea denselamellosa in Haechang Bay, Korea (해창만 벗굴, Ostrea denselamellosa 서식지의 환경특성)

  • 양문호;한창희;김형섭;최상덕
    • The Korean Journal of Malacology
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    • v.15 no.2
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    • pp.105-113
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    • 1999
  • This study was measured environmental factors of flat oyster habitats and biomass of flat oyster to improve the productivity of flat oyster. Water temperature and salinity of the flat oyster habitat ranged from 5.5 to 27.4$^{\circ}C$ and from 31.2 to 33.4 , respectively. Average concentrations of DO, COD, DIN and PO$\_$4/$\^$3/ -P were 7.11 mg/l, 4.55 $\mu\textrm{g}$-at./l and 0.36 $\mu\textrm{g}$-at./l respectively. Surface sediments at the sampling area were composed of coarse sand, sandy silt and silty sand. Average level of IL, COD and AVS in the surface sediments were 2.6%, 13.70 mg/g dry and 0.33 mg/g dry respectively. In each sampling station, total standing crops of phytoplankton showed peaks twice in February and August. Dominant species of phytoplankton occurred in Haechang Bay throughout the year were Skeletonema costatum, Paralia sulcata, Eucampia zodiacus, Chaetoceros curvicetus, C. affinis, C. debilis, C. decipiens, Asterionella glacialis, Pseudonitzschia longissima, Pseudonitzschia seriata, Ceratium furca and C. fusus. Ten species of the bivalves were collected at the flat oyster habitat. Most of bivalves were the eutrophic species Ostrea denselamellosa, Crassostrea gigas, Ruditapes philippinarum, Scaphraca subcrenata, Scapharca broughtonii, Atrina pectinata, Fulvia mutica, Mytilus edulis, Protothaca jedoensis and Megacardita ferruginosa. The mean density of them was 21 inds./㎡ (479.14 g/㎡), while that of the flat oyster was at 0.25 inds./㎡ (231.25 g/㎡).

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Tiger Beetles(Carabidae, Cicindelinae) of Korea (한국산 길앞잡이 (딱정벌레목, 딱정벌레과))

  • Kim, Tae-Heung;Paik, Jong-Cheol;Jeong, Kyu-Hwan
    • The Korean Journal of Soil Zoology
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    • v.10 no.1_2
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    • pp.1-15
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    • 2005
  • Tiger Beetles(Carabidae, Cicindelinae) were collected in the Province of Chollabukdo including some nearby islands from April 1997 to October 2002. The specimens of ca. 500 deposited in Sunchon National University, Chonbuk National University, the Jeju Folklore and Natural History Museum, and elsewhere were also examined. As a result, Korean Cicindelinae of 18 species from 10 subgenera is reported herein. Of these, Cicindela (Cylindera) obliquefasciata Adams, 1817 and Cicindeia (Cephalota) chiloleuca Fisher, 1820 are recorded newly in the Korean Peninsula. However, the distribution of C. japana is very doubtful in South Korea. This study also includes a key to the species, discussions on the habitats, distributions, and some ecological characteristics of Korean Cicindelinae.

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Ticks Collected from Wild and Domestic Animals and Natural Habitats in the Republic of Korea

  • Kim, Baek-Jun;Kim, Hyewon;Won, Sohyun;Kim, Heung-Chul;Chong, Sung-Tae;Klein, Terry A.;Kim, Ki-Gyoung;Seo, Hong-Yul;Chae, Joon-Seok
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.52 no.3
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    • pp.281-285
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    • 2014
  • Ticks were collected from 35 animals from 5 provinces and 3 metropolitan cities during 2012. Ticks also were collected by tick drag from 4 sites in Gyeonggi-do (2) and Jeollabuk-do (2) Provinces. A total of 612 ticks belonging to 6 species and 3 genera were collected from mammals and a bird (n=573) and by tick drag (n=39). Haemaphyalis longicornis (n=434) was the most commonly collected tick, followed by H. flava (158), Ixodes nipponensis (11), Amblyomma testudinarium (7), H. japonica (1), and H. formosensis (1). H. longicornis and H. flava were collected from all animal hosts examined. For animal hosts (n>1), the highest Tick Index (TI) was observed for domestic dogs (29.6), followed by Siberian roe deer (17.4), water deer (14.4), and raccoon dogs (1.3). A total of 402 H. longicornis (adults 86, 21.4%; nymphs 160, 39.8%; larvae 156, 38.9%) were collected from wild and domestic animals. A total of 158 H. flava (n=158) were collected from wild and domestic animals and 1 ring-necked pheasant, with a higher proportion of adults (103, 65.2%), while nymphs and larvae only accounted for 12.7% (20) and 22.2% (35), respectively. Only 7 A. testudinarium were collected from the wild boar (6 adults) and Eurasian badger (1 nymph), while only 5 I. nipponensis were collected from the water deer (4 adults) and a raccoon dog (1 adult). One adult female H. formosensis was first collected from vegetation by tick drag from Mara Island, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do Province.

Patterns of Waterbirds Abundance and Habitat Use in Rice Fields (논습지에 도래하는 수조류의 서식지 이용과 개체군 특성)

  • Nam, Hyung-Kyu;Choi, Seung-Hye;Choi, Yu-Seong;Yoo, Jeong-Chil
    • Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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    • v.31 no.4
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    • pp.359-367
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    • 2012
  • BACKGROUND: As natural wetlands are decreased by increment of human demand, the importance of rice fields as an alternative habitat for waterbirds is well documented. However, the relationship between waterbirds use and management practice of rice fields has not been fully understood. The present study attempted to understand the changes in temporal abundance of waterbirds and their preference for habitat types in rice fields all year round. METHODS AND RESULTS: Waterbirds census were conducted in rice fields around Asan bay in Korea during April 2009-March 2010 and April 2011-March 2012. In the bird counts, the locations of the observed birds on a 1/2,500 map were recorded along with the local habitat type (paddy, ditch, levee, road). Thirty five species of waterbirds recorded in the rice fields during the survey period and three major groups (shorebirds, herons, and waterfowls) were characterized according to season and micro-habitat use. Shorebirds visited a flooded paddy for feeding during their spring migration season (April-May), and herons used the rice field as feeding sites during their breeding periods (April-October). Most waterfowls were observed in a dry paddy to feed a fallen rice seed and stubs during the winter season (September-March). Waterbird groups selectively used micro-habitats in rice field. Shorebirds and waterfowls mainly preferred at rice paddies, while herons were attracted to most habitat types. CONCLUSION(S): Rice fields supported various waterbirds all year round and waterbird communities using the rice fields were dramatically changed according to seasonal change of rice field condition.

Regional Ecological Network Design for Wild Animals' Movement Using Landscape Permeability and Least-cost Path Methods in the Metropolitan Area of Korea (경관투과성 및 최소비용경로 분석을 통한 수도권 지역의 광역생태축 구축 연구)

  • Lee, Dong-Kun;Song, Won-Kyong;Jeon, Seong-Woo
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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    • v.11 no.3
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    • pp.94-106
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    • 2008
  • As populations inhabiting in natural ecosystem are fragmented by artificial barriers and habitats are destructed by development, extinction possibility of species is getting higher. It is necessary to design and to manage conservation areas and corridors considering animals' movement and migration for sustainable species diversity in present circumstances. 'Least-cost modeling' is one commonly employed approach in which dispersal costs are assigned to distinct habitat types and the last-costly dispersal paths among habitat patches are calculated using a geographical information system (GIS). This study aims to design ecological corridor using least-cost path method and to apply it to a regional ecological network considering movability of medium-large size mammals. This study was carried out over the metropolitan area, which has been deforested by rapid urbanization. Nevertheless there is connected with Gangwon province, Baekdudaegan mountain range and DMZ, considered where many forest species can migrate to this region. This study employs such an approach to develop least-cost path models for medium-large size mammals, have inhabited for this entire region. Considering those species, two forest areas as a source of species supply and forest areas more than 1,000ha are selected as focal forest areas. Movement and migration paths from species supply sources to focal forest areas are calculated by applying landscape permeability theory using land cover map, road density map and land slope map. Results showed least-cost paths from species supply sources to focal forest areas on two species. Wildcat and roe deer are different in some least-cost paths caused by their landscape permeability but paths show generally same specifics. The result of considering regional distribution of expected movement and migration paths to regional ecological network, low altitude mountains of western metropolitan area are evaluated important area for species connectivity. In national or regional levels ecological connectivity is essential to promote species diversity and to preserve integrated ecosystem. This study concludes that developing least-cost models from similar empirical data could significantly improve the utility of these tools.

High-Value Materials from Microalgae (미세조류 유래 고부가 유용물질)

  • 오희목;최애란;민태익
    • Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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    • v.31 no.2
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    • pp.95-102
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    • 2003
  • Microalgae are a diverse group of photosynthetic organisms and abundant in every ecosystem in the biosphere. They are common in aqueous environments including marine, brackish and fresh waters and in some habitats that lack eukaryotic life such as some hot springs and highly alkaline lakes. Microalgal biotechnology that is focused on the microalgae-based production of a variety of useful materials such as pharmaceutical comfounds, health foods, natural pigments, and biofuels is considered as an important discipline with the development of biotechnology. In addition, the mass cultivation of microalgae can also contribute to improving the environmental quality by reducing the concentration of $CO_2$ which is one of major gases lead to global warming. Consequently, it seems that the microalgae can be used as an efficient, renewable, environmentally friendly source of high-value biomaterials such as chemicals, pigments, energy, etc. and the microalgal biotechnology will most likely represent a larger portion of modern biotechnology.

The Paradox of the Plankton (플랑크톤 패러독스)

  • Lee, Hak Young;Moon, Sung-Gi;Huh, Man-Kyu
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.25 no.5
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    • pp.601-606
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    • 2015
  • Hutchinson (1961) proposed that the large number of species in most plankton communities is remarkable in review of the competitive exclusion principle, which suggests that in homogeneous, well-mixed environments species that compete for the same resources cannot coexist. The principle of competitive exclusion would lead us to conclude that only a few species could coexist in such circumstances. Nevertheless, numerous competing species in most natural habitats are able to coexist, while generally only few resources (niches) limit these communities. It is coined “the paradox of plankton” by Hutchinson. We reviewed some literature of the proposed solutions and give a brief overview of the mechanisms proposed so far. The proposed mechanisms that we discuss mainly include spatial and temporal heterogeneity in physical and biological environment, externally imposed or self-generated spatial segregation, horizontal mesoscale turbulence of ocean characterized by coherent vortices, oscillation and chaos generated by several internal and external causes, stable coexistence and compensatory dynamic under fluctuating temperature in resource competition, and finally the role of toxin-producing phytoplankton in maintaining the coexistence and biodiversity of the overall plankton populations. Especially we sited Roy and Chattopadhyay’s reviews and their toxin-producing hypothesis by phytoplankton. This review may be some information to study plankton communities and effect to put the solutions to the paradox that have been proposed over the years into perspective.

Alternaria mycotoxins and its incidence in fruits and vegetables

  • Patriarca, Andrea
    • 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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    • 2018.05a
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    • pp.13-13
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    • 2018
  • Alternaria is a ubiquitous fungal genus, widely distributed in the environment and a range of different habitats. It includes both plant pathogenic and saprophytic species, which can affect crops in the field or cause post-harvest spoilage of plant fruits and kernels. Numerous Alternaria species cause damage to agricultural products including cereal grains, fruits and vegetables, and are responsible for severe economic losses worldwide. Most Alternaria species have the ability to produce a variety of secondary metabolites, which may play important roles in plant pathology as well as food quality and safety. Alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), tenuazonic acid (TeA), tentoxin (TEN) and altenuene (ALT) are considered the main Alternaria compounds thought to pose a risk to human health. However, food-borne Alternaria species are able to produce many additional metabolites, whose toxicity has been tested incompletely or not tested at all. Both alternariols are mutagenic and their presence in cereal grain has been associated with high levels of human esophageal cancer in China. TeA exerts cytotoxic and phytotoxic properties, and is acutely toxic in different animal species, causing hemorrhages in several organs. The possible involvement of TA in the etiology of onyalai, a human hematological disorder occurring in Africa, has been suggested. Altertoxins (ALXs) have been found to be more potent mutagens and acutely toxic to mice than AOH and AME. Other metabolites, such as TEN, are reported to be phytotoxins, and their toxicity on animals has not been demonstrated up to now. Vegetable foods infected by Alternaria rot are obviously not suitable for consumption. Thus, whole fresh fruits are not believed to contribute significantly with Alternaria toxins to human exposure. However, processed vegetable products may introduce considerable amounts of these toxins to the human diet if decayed or moldy fruit is not removed before processing. The taxonomy of the genus is not well defined yet, which makes it difficult to establish an accurate relationship between the contaminant species and their associated mycotoxins. Great efforts have been made to organize taxa into subgeneric taxonomic levels, especially for the small-spored, food associated species, which are closely related and constitute the most relevant food pathogens from this genus. Several crops of agricultural value are susceptible to infection by different Alternaria species and can contribute to the entry of Alternaria mycotoxins in the food chain. The distribution of Alternaria species was studied in different commodities grown in Argentina. These food populations were characterized through a polyphasic approach, with special interest in their secondary metabolite profiles, to understand their full chemical potential. Alternaria species associated with tomato, bell pepper, blueberry, apples and wheat cultivated in Argentina showed a surprisingly high metabolomic and mycotoxigenic potential. The natural occurrence of Alternaria toxins in these foods was also investigated. The results here presented will provide background for discussion on regulations for Alternaria toxins in foods.

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A taxonomic review of Scrophularia kakudensis Franch. and its relatives (큰개현삼과 근연분류군의 분류학적 재검토)

  • Jang, Hyun Do;Kim, Tae Hoon;Oh, Byoung Un
    • Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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    • v.41 no.4
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    • pp.345-352
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    • 2011
  • The morphological characters of Scrophularia kakudensis Franch. and its relatives were examined. The major features of S. kakudensis were determined to resolve the taxonomic confusion with the closely related taxa of S. kakudensis var. microphylla, S. pilosa and S. cephalantha. S. kakudensis is characterized by its flowering in Jul. to Sep., the node numbers on a stem, the size of the leaves, the development of inflorescences and the presence of glandular trichomes on its stems and leaves. S. cephalantha is distinct from S. kakudensis by the earlier flowering season, fewer node numbers on a stem, and fewer numbers of flowers on shorter rachis. Smaller sizes of S. kakudensis var. microphylla, considered to be a problematic character previously, are stable and distinctive from other taxa in the natural habitats of the multiple populations investigated in the study. Therefore, the taxon should remain as a variety of S. kakudensis. An examination of the diagnostic characteristics of S. pilosa, such as its inflorescence type and the presence of a stem with pubescence, does not provide sufficient distinction from S. kakudensis. A type specimen and habitat survey also support the merging of the two taxa. S. pilosa should be treated as a synonym of S. kakudensis, because it is considered to be a misidentification of S. kakudensis.

The Application of Island Biogeography and Habitat Fragmentation Theory to the Conservation of Protected Areas in Korea (우리나라 보호지역의 보존에 대한 도서생물지리학과 서식처 분획화 이론의 적용)

  • 김용식;마이클모운더
    • Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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    • v.6 no.1
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    • pp.12-24
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    • 1992
  • The application of island biogepgraphy and habitat fragmentation theory to protected area management in Korea is discussed. The accelerating destruction and degradation of natural habitats, with the associated erosion of biodiversity, demands and urgent response and a critical review of attitudes to protected area management. The flora of Korea will continue to change in both distribution and status in response to these man induced changes. The conservation and management of ecosystems, because of the variety of threats and the varying levels of biodiversity to be conserved, requires an integrated approach. Such an approach assesses the variety of threats, prevalent and potential, and responds with a strategy combining habitat, species and population management. The application of island biogeography, habitat fragmentation and edge effects theory to conservation strategies in Korea will assist in the understanding of the dynamic relationships between the isolation. degradation and fragmentation of surviving habitat patches. The application of such approaches is discussed with recommendations made for the adoption of an increasingly scientific approach to plant conservation based upon a knowledge of the conservation status and distribution characteristics of the Korean flora. Such data combined with demographic studies on topics such as Minimum Viable Population Size will allow an integrated approach to plant and habitat conservation to progress.

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