• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.10-20
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• 2024

The study investigated species diversity, relative abundance, and decline of flying insects and plants within a fragmented forest in the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, Nigeria. It is known that habitat fragmentation can reduce biodiversity. Thus, it is important to perform comprehensive assessments to understand implications of the habitat fragmentation for flora and fauna. Species richness and abundance of flying insects and plants across fragmented forest patches were quantified using field surveys and taxonomic identification. This study revealed shifts in species diversity, with fragmented areas exhibiting reduced biodiversity compared to contiguous forest ecosystems. Flying insects crucial for ecosystem functioning and pollination services demonstrated decreased species richness and relative abundance within fragmented habitats. This decline was attributed to habitat loss, altered microclimates, and limited movement pathways known to hinder insect dispersal. Similarly, plant species richness and abundance showed decline in fragmented forest due to disrupted mutualistic interactions with pollinators, altered nutrient cycling, and increased competition among plant species. This study underscores the importance of maintaining intact forest habitats to sustain healthy ecosystems and preserve biodiversity. Effective conservation strategies should focus on habitat connectivity, reforestation efforts, and protection of essential ecological corridors to mitigate effects of fragmentation. In conclusion, this investigation provides empirical evidence for effects of habitat fragmentation on flying insects and plants in a forest ecosystem in FUTA Akure, Nigeria. Findings emphasize an urgency of adopting conservation measures to safeguard these invaluable components of biodiversity and ecosystem stability in the face of ongoing habitat loss and fragmentation.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.94-104
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• 2018

The Soyangho Reservoir in Korea has a large drawdown zone, with an annual maximum water level fluctuation of 37 m due to dam operations to maintain a stable water supply and control flooding, especially during the monsoon period. The floristic composition, distribution and biomass of the major plant communities in the drawdown zone of the Soyangho Reservoir were assessed in order to understand their responses to the wide water level fluctuation. Species richness of vascular plants was low, and species composition was dominated by herbaceous annuals. Principal coordinates analysis using both flora and environmental data identified slope angle and the distance from the dam as important factors determining floristic composition. The species richness was low in the steep drawdown zone close to the dam, where much of the soil surface was almost devoid of vegetation. In shallower slopes, distant from the dam plant communities composed of mainly annuals were found. The large fluctuation in water level exposed soil where these annuals could establish. An overall biomass of 122 t (metric tons) Dry Matter was estimated for the reservoir, containing ca 3.6 t N (nitrogen) and ca 0.3 t P (phosphorus); the role of the vegetation of the drawdown zone in carbon sequestration and water pollution were briefly discussed.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.136-159
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• 2019

This study was carried out to investigate the flora of six islands belonging to the Gogunsan Archipelago (i.e., Sinsi-do, Seonyu-do, Munyeo-do, Yami-do, Bian-do, and Duri-do) in the Korean Peninsula. As results of five field surveys from March to October of 2016, we have identified 575 total taxa, representing 527 species, five subspecies, 42 varieties, and one hybrid, placed in 358 genera and 118 families. Of these 575 taxa, four are endemic to Korea, six taxa are listed on the Korean Red List of threatened species, 67 are floristic regional indicator plants, and 74 are invasive alien species. In this study, we compared species richness among the islands, and find that the larger the islands, the higher the species richness. In the case of habitat affinity types, forest species were most common, followed by farmland, seacoast, bare ground and wetland species. From similarity analyses based on the composition of vascular plants, each island did not exhibit either local specificity or unique diversity. On the contrary, the proportion of invasive alien and ruderal species may increase by human activities. Investigations and analyses of island flora such as this are important to assess the current status of the flora, predict future vegetation patterns and the spread of the alien species, and establish managment plans of plant diversity.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2023

Background: The positive effects of Arctic plants on the soil environment and plant-species co-occurrence patterns are known to be particularly important in physically harsh environments. Although three dominant plants (Cassiope tetragona, Dryas octopetala, and Silene acaulis) are abundant in the Arctic ecosystem at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, few studies have examined their occurrence patterns with other species and their buffering effect on soil-temperature and soil-moisture fluctuation. To quantify the plant-species co-occurrence patterns and their positive effects on soil environments, I surveyed the vegetation cover, analyzed the soil-chemical properties (total carbon, total nitrogen, pH, and soil organic matter) from 101 open plots, and measured the daily soil-temperature and soil-moisture content under three dominant plant patches and bare soil. Results: The Cassiope tetragona and Dryas octopetala communities increased the soil-temperature stability; however, the three dominant plant communities did not significantly affect the soil-moisture stability. Non-metric multidimensional scaling separated the sampling sites into three groups based on the different vegetation compositions. The three dominant plants occurred randomly with other species; however, the vegetation composition of two positive co-occurring species pairs (Oxyria digyna-Cerastium acrticum and Luzula confusa-Salix polaris) was examined. The plant species richness did not significantly differ in the three plant communities. Conclusions: The three plant communities showed distinctive vegetation compositions; however, the three dominant plants were randomly and widely distributed throughout the study sites. Although the facilitative effects of the three Arctic plants on increases in the soil-moisture fluctuation and richness were not quantified, this research enables a deeper understanding of plant co-occurrence patterns in Arctic ecosystems and thereby contributes to predicting the shift in vegetation composition and coexistence in response to climate warming. This research highlights the need to better understand plant-plant interactions within tundra communities.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.319-325
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• 2017

Marine algal flora and community structures were examined seasonally at three sites around the Shingori Nuclear Power Plant, Korea from February to November 2016. A total of 76 species were identified, including 9 green, 14 brown and 53 red algae. The greatest number of species occurred at Daesongri (51 species) followed by Sinamri (43 species) and at the discharge area (38 species) during the study period. Of the 76 seaweeds, 59 annuals and 17 warm tolerant species were recorded. Annual average biomass in dry weight varied from $168.02g/m^2$ at the discharge area to $222.53g/m^2$ at Sinamri. The coarsely branched form was the dominant functional form of seaweeds at the three sites. Seaweed community structures at the discharge site were distinguishable by decreasing species richness, biomass, species diversity index, richness index, and evenness index. The ratio of warm tolerance species and the dominance index values were remarkably higher at the discharge than those at the other sites.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.183-189
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• 2009

This research focused on the effects of fragmentation on moth diversity in an agricultural land-scape by comparing moth species richness and abundance between hillocks and young secondary forests. We examined five sites from the southwestern part of South Korea: three sites from hillock forest and two from secondary forest. We collected moths bi-weekly from April to October for a 2-year period (2006-2007) with a UV light trap that usually attracts moths within 30 meters. Tree species richness and abundance in $20m{\times}20m$ plots at each moth sampling site showed a substantial difference in tree diversity between the two types of forest habitats. The total abundance and richness of moth species were higher in secondary forests (541 species with 4,998 individuals) than in hillock forests (423 species with 3,913 individuals), irrespective of the distance among the sites. An ordination analysis with NMDS showed that habitat is the most important factor of grouping sites. The food preferences of the dominant moth species i,n each habitat were closely related to the habitat type.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.177-186
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• 2023

Background: Inner Mongolia, desertification is happening due to climate change and land use alterations. In order to evaluate desert restoration effectiveness, this study compares number of species and species diversity in restored (with planted trees), unrestored area, and the reference ecosystem (Ref-E, typical steppe and woody steppe). Results: The Ref-E had the most plant species (64 taxa), while the unrestored area had the fewest (5 taxa). Among restored areas (restored in 2012, 2008, 2005), older restoration sites had more species (18-42). Similarly, species richness (3.93-0.41) and diversity (1.99-0.40) were highest in the Ref-E and lowest in unrestored areas, with older restored sites having higher values. Conclusions: More plant species and diversity in older restoration areas suggest progress toward ecosystem stabilization, approaching the Ref-E. Therefore, tree planting in Inner Mongolia's Hulunbuir semi-arid desert is a successful restoration effort.

• ALGAE
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.151-162
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• 2008

Marine algal flora and community structure were seasonally examined at three sites in the vicinity of the Wolseong nuclear power plant in Korea from February to November 2006. A total of 126 seaweeds including 25 green, 31 brown, 70 red algae, and 1 marine plant were identified. The greatest number of species occurred at Jeonchonri (101 species) followed by intake (88 species) and discharge (29 species) during the study period. Of 126 seaweeds, 76 annuals and 13 warm tolerance species were recorded. Dominant species based on important value (IV > 10) were Ulva pertusa and Enteromorpha linza at intake, U. pertusa and Padina arborescens at discharge, and Sargassum horneri and Corallina pilulifera at Jeonchonri shore. Annual average biomass exhibited a wide range of variations, from 40.67g m-2 in dry weight at discharge to 133.69g m-2 at Jeonchonri. Among six functional groups, dominant group was coarsely-branched form at intake and Jeonchonri, but it was different at discharge site as filamentous form. Seaweed community structures of discharge site were distinguishable in decreasing species richness, biomass, species diversity index (H’), richness index (R), and evenness index (J’). Also, the ratios of green algae, warm tolerance species, annual algae, filamentous form and dominance index (DI) remarkably increased. Such phenomenons of discharge site are usually found under environmentally stressful conditions such as high disturbance. Thus, I can conclude that the heated effluents of nuclear power plant act as environmental stress influencing seaweed community structures and it can be detected with various community indices.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.79-89
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• 2012

This study was conducted with the intention of clarifying the effects of land-use types on a species of ground beetle's richness, abundance, and composition; the study focused on urban landscapes. We also selected the potential bioindicators classifying land-use types; eleven sites were selected from an urban landscape in Korea. Overall, land-use types in urban landscapes did not appear to cause significant decrease in species richness or the abundance of total ground beetle assemblage. According to habitat preferences, several land-use types and distances from the forest significantly affected the species richness and abundance, while the open-habitat species were not affected by these variables. Land-use types were classified into two major groups, forest and non-forest areas, based on ground beetle assemblage; several indicators, such as $Dolichus$ $halensis$ $halensis$ and subfamily Carabinae species, were of particular consideration. In conclusion, environmental change by anthropogenic disturbance can cause different effects on ground beetle assemblages, and forest specialists can be negatively affected.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.469-479
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• 1991

The abundance and local distribution of birds around the three atomic power plants were studied during summer in 1998 and winter 1989. It was particularly pointed out how to determine species diversity indices, rarefaction model appeared and habitat use. During the study over 2,200 birds were censused; black-tailed gull, terek sandpipper, asian wandering tattler and australian curlew accountedfor over 76% of the observed birds in summer. Black-tailed gull, black-headed gull, mallard, ancient murrelet and tree sparrow accounted for 76% of the observed birds in winter. overall, 53 species were occurred ; 23 have been observed on yonggwang-gun, 16 used on ulchin-gun, 12 used on kyungju-gun in summer. 18 on yonggwang-gun,,14 on ulchin-gun,12 on kyungju-gun in winter respectively. These three habitats in terms of their of species richness were computed as follows; yonggwang-gun has the highest richness with an expected species number of 17.5 as the same as two season. Kyungju-gun has the lowest with an expected species number of 8.2 in summer and 11.5 in winter.