• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.46 no.3
• /
• pp.172-182
• /
• 2022

Background: The coronavirus problem is an ecological problem stemming from a sudden change in the relationship between parasites and hosts. Ecologists judge organisms that are established out of their original territory as exotic species. Unlike in their original habitat, these exotic species become very aggressive in their newly settled habitat. Coronavirus infection damage was bigger in Europe or the United States than that in the country of its origin, China, and its neighboring countries. Therefore, coronavirus infection damage resembles the damage due to the invasive species. Results: Exotic species are found in places with similar environmental conditions to those of their origin when introduced to other ecological regions. However, there are few ecological ill effects in their place of origin, while the damage is usually severe in the ecological regions in which it is introduced. According to historical records, exotic infectious diseases, such as European smallpox and measles, also showed a similar trend and caused great damage in newly established places. Therefore, it is expected that measures to manage exotic species could be used for the prevention of exotic infectious diseases such as the coronavirus. Conclusions: Prevention comes first in the management of exotic species, and in order to come up with preventive measures, it is important to collect information on the characteristics of related organisms and their preferred environment. In this respect, ecosystem management measures such as exotic species management measures could be used as a reference to prevent and suppress the spread. To put these measures into practice, it is urgently required to establish an international integrated information network for collecting and exchanging information between regions and countries. Furthermore, a systematic ecosystem-management strategy in which natural and human environments could continue sustainable lives in their respective locations may serve as a countermeasure to prevent infectious diseases.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
• /
• v.53 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2023

Sustainable habitats play a significant role in determining the survival and habitat preservation of endangered species. To conserve the endangered species Iris dichotoma Pall. and its habitat in Taeanhaean National Park, we collected seeds from a natural population and germinated and propagated them in a greenhouse. In 2019, the propagated individuals of I. dichotoma were transplanted at two study sites in Taeanhaean National Park. After conservation translocation, annual monitoring was conducted from 2020 to 2022, and factors related to the survival and growth of I. dichotoma (clonal propagation rate [%], the flowering rate [%], the population density [individual/m²], the maximum leaf bundle length [height; cm], the maximum leaf bundle width [cm], and the pedicel length [cm]) were measured. According to the results of the monitoring of the flowering and fruiting periods for three years after transplantation, 82.4% of individuals in total were found to have survived. During 2020 to 2022, the mean population density (individual/m²) increased from 0.36 to 0.42 and the size of the leaf bundle length and the width both decreased compared to the corresponding figures in 2019 (p < 0.05). According to the findings here, the transplanted population of I. dichotoma is considered to have adapted successfully to its new site in Taeanhaean National Park.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.44 no.1
• /
• pp.14-20
• /
• 2016

A new species and 2 new records of lichen genus Buellia were discovered from Chuja-do Island in Jeju Province during a recent floristic survey: B. chujana X. Y. Wang, S. Y. Kondr., L. $L\ddot{o}k\ddot{o}s$ & J.-S. Hur sp. nov., B. halonia (Ach.) Tuck., and B. mamillana (Tuck.) W. A. Weber. The new species is characterized by a brown, areolate thallus, the presence of perlatolic acid, and a saxicolous habitat. Together with previously recorded species, 10 Buellia species were confirmed from Jeju-do Island. Among these species, 3 growing in the exposed rocky area contained xanthone (yellowish lichen thallus, UV + orange), indicating that production of xanthone in this genus might be a defense strategy against the harm of UV light. Although the genus Buellia has been thoroughly studied in Korea before, novel species have been discovered continuously, and large species diversity has been found in this crustose genus, even from a small rocky island. This study indicates that the coastal area harbors a vast number of crustose lichen species, and there is great potential to discover unknown lichens in the coastal rocky area in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.473-493
• /
• 2012

Malaria infection is sensitively influenced by regional meteorological conditions along with global climate change. Remote sensing techniques have become an important tool for extraction of climatic and environmental factors, including rainfall, temperature, surface water, soil moisture, and land use, which are directly linked to the habitat qualities of malaria mosquitoes. Improvement of sensor fidelity with higher spatial and spectral resolution, new multinational sensor development, and decreased data cost have nurtured diverse remote sensing applications in malaria research. In 1984, eradication of endemic malaria was declared in Korea, but reemergence of malaria was reported in mid-1990s. Considering constant changes in malaria cases since 2000, the epidemiological management of the disease needs careful monitoring. Geographically, northmost counties neighboring North Korea have been ranked high in the number of malaria cases. High infection rates in these areas drew special attention and led to a hypothesis that malaria dispersion in these border counties might be caused by north-origin, malaria-bearing adult mosquitoes. Habitat conditions of malaria mosquitoes are important parameters for prediction of the vector abundance. However, it should be realized that malaria infection and transmission is a complex mechanism, where non-environmental factors, including human behavior, demographic structure, landscape structure, and spatial relationships between human residence and the vector habitats, are also significant considerations in the framework of medical geography.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.121-133
• /
• 2016

It was required to evaluate ecological restorations in a comprehensive way in order to systematically manage conservation areas such as DMZ and national parks in South Korea. In this research we developed a new approach to evaluating ecological restorations with more various indexes than vegetation covering-related indexes. By analyzing damaged areas in the vicinity of DMZ, major damaged types were identified as six classes: landform modification, surface loss, soil pollution, soil physio-chemical modification, vegetation decline and vegetation damaged. From literature review, 39 indexes were selected and were grouped into four divisions: soil property, vegetation growth & structure, habitat property and landscape structure & functions. By conducting a survey with the selected indexes targeting relevant experts, data on relative importance among the divisions and indexes by damaged type were collected. As a result, it was found that the orders and values of weighted values of the divisions were different by damaged type: for example, soil property (0.402), vegetation growth & structure (0.209), habitat property (0.225), landscape structure & function (0.163) for "landform modification"; but soil property (0.171), vegetation growth & structure (0.401), habitat property (0.270), landscape structure & function (0.158) for "vegetation decline". Similarly, evaluation indexes showed different orders and values of relative importance, easiness in field measurement and representativeness for the division by damaged type, and the values were used for calculating importance factor for each index. In the evaluation table, score1 and score2 were made by the importance factors of indexes multiplied by distribution values which present grades and by the weighted values of divisions. In conclusion, while dealing with the damaged type was considered significant for evaluating and managing restorations, further tests on this table with a range of cases were needed to improve its quality.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.41-52
• /
• 2014

Little is known about foraging and roosting habitat of tree-roosting bats in Korea. In the present study, we studied on characteristics of foraging and roosting habitats by Ikonnikov's whiskered bats (Myotis ikonnikovi) in the South Korea, using trapping and radiotelemetry. We captured the bats at 15 sites during nights (foraging times) using mist-nets. Based on characteristic analyses of forests within a radius 500 m from each capture site, forests of M. ikonnikovi habitat are similar characteristics to the old-growth forests. They foraged at forests dominated by boradleaf stands which are older than than 30-year-old and thicker than 20 cm in diameter at breast height (DBH). We used radio-transmitters to locate and characterize day-roosts of Myotis ikonnikovi, and totally the roost use patterns of three bats were surveyed. They roosted in trees (both live and dead) with exfoliating bark, extensive vertical cracks, or cavities, and thier roosting sites were located about 500 m from the initial capture location. The bats had a number of roost in a short-distance, some used new roost every day and the same roost sometimes were used repeatedly. To increase the diversity of the tree-dwelling bats including Myotis ikonnikovi, management practices that the higher food and roost availablility can be sustained in forests are needed.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.37 no.5
• /
• pp.318-326
• /
• 2023

The floristic target species (FTS) has been widely used as a important tool for environmental assessment in Korea. Here the floristic district is a key criterion for the selection and evaluation of FTS. The aim of this study is to clarify the intellectual meaning of the floristic district i.e. a sort of phytogeographical subunit. We reviewed 7 main literatures related to the floristic district. Nakai's 1919 Ulleungdo flora survey report was first to mention a region and/or province in terms of general geographical divisions. In 1977, the floristic district map of the Korea vascular plants was first described by Oh. In 1978, Lee & Yim proposed a new floristic district map dividing the central and southern regions, and the district boundaries have been adjusted by many other researchers. In the end, the floristic district map modified slightly from Lee & Yim's map was nationally recognized in 2018. However, the boundaries of floristic districts were inconsistent, both in their setting and adjustment, as well as the indicator species of the district. No basis for this inconsistency could be confirmed. We concluded that all district maps depend on arbitrary lines drawn a priori, and finally proposed the following two ecological strategies to ensure the effectiveness and practicality of the FTS as a scientific means for environmental impact assessment and national flora evaluation: (i) designing to achieve the flora list and the floristic district based on nativeness of plant distribution, (ii) constructing a habitat-based floral monitoring system.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.65-74
• /
• 2013

A research program for the roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) has been set up at the Jeju Experimental Forest of Warm-temperate and Subtropical Forest Research Center in Jeju Island. To explore the home range size and habitat environment, 3 males and 3 females have been captured and released with GPS-CDMA based telemetry since 24th April 2012. Among them 2 females were captured at Hannam Forest of Seoguipo, were pregnant and monitored by the tracking system. There are significantly different patterns in behavior around the parturition. After parturition they show recurrence behavior toward one point in the forest, while they have irregular patterns in moving before. To calculate the home range size, the MCP (minimum convex polygon) and Kernel Method are applied through the extension of ESRI ArcView GIS 3.2a. The pregnant female captured 9th May 2012 has the size of MCP=67ha and Kernel 95%=0.5ha and the pregnant female captured 12th July 2012 has the size of MCP=82ha and Kernel 95%=0.9ha. Although a fawn could move immediately just after the birth likely others to avoid any risks, they stay at very narrow space significantly, and the size become wider when more time goes by. Furthermore, they mainly have a home range away from human activity area such as forest tracking roads. The habitat environment for the parturition is summarized as 40years old cryptomeria forests with new sprouting shrubs for foods, which are the controlled forest through the thinning and removing shrubs 2 years ago. This means that forest works could cause positive results for the parturition and survival of young. The period of parturition is earlier than highland in Jeju Island, the size of home range is narrower than other countries, and the habitat environment of the shelter for a fawn is similar to previous research in other countries.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.125-132
• /
• 2003

Uzi fly (Exorista bombycis Louis) is one of the major larval endo-parasitoid of silkworm (Bombyx mori). It causes extensive damage to sericulture industry. The application of synthetic organic pesticides has tremendous impact on minimizing pest population but their overuse and frequent misuse and high sensitivity towards the silkworms, has forced the entomologists to search for alternatives to chemical control, which is safe to silkworm, environment and farm workers. Biological control continues to offer exciting possibilities for the control of fly pest population. It is environmentally safe alternative to chemical control and offering a long-term protection. Several potential hymenopteran parasitoids have been screened. Among successful natural enemies, Nesolynx thymus, Trichomalopsis apanteloctena, Trichopria sp., Brachymeria lasus, Pediobius sp., Spalangia sp., Spilomicrus karnatakensis and Dhirhinus sp. are important. It is essential to predict accurately the efficacy of these natural enemies in a new habitat prior to its introduction. The important desirable attributes of these potential parasitoids viz., host searching capacity, specificity, power of increase and fitness and adaptability of the parasitoid in new environment has been recorded. Results of the host parasitoid interaction indicate that the aging of the host function as a factor that influence the host finding efficiency of the parasitoid. It is highly scored with 15-20 hrs old pupa of the host. However, aging of the parasitoid does not significantly affect it. The sex ratio is female biased which is advantageous from biological control point of view, Biological suppression methods involving conservation and utilization of natural enemies have been discussed in detail.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
• /
• v.45 no.3
• /
• pp.239-242
• /
• 2015

Rhododendron keiskei Miq. var. hypoglaucum Suto & Suzuki (Ericaceae) was found in Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do, Korea. This species is distinguished from related taxa in Korea by lepidote hairs entire, flower-bud terminal, inflorescences umbel-like racemes, corolla lepidot outside, white tinged with yellow. This taxon was named 'Seom-Jin-Dal-Lae' in Korean based on its habitat. We provide its description, illustrations, photographs and a key of related taxa in Korea.