• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.460-467
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• 2022

In this study, we collected snake roadkill data from 2006 to 2017 and developed a species distribution model to identify the pattern of snake roadkill and predict the potential hotspot of snake roadkill in the Odaesan National Park of South Korea. During the study period, snake roadkills occurred most frequently on the road, which passes through between forest and stream at an altitude of about 600 m. The modeling result showed that the occurrence probability of snake roadkill was high on a road with a gentle slope at a distance of 25 m from the stream and an altitude of 600 m. The most susceptible regions for snake roadkill in the Odaesan National Park were located on National Route 6, about 2.2 km and 11.7 km away from the southern border of the park, and on Local Road 446, 3.44 km away from the southern border of the park. The results of this study suggest that providing alternative basking places and eco-corridors and installing protection fences that block the inflow of snakes into roads, preferentially around roads and streams at an altitude lower than 700 m would be an effective way of reducing snake roadkill in the Odaesan National Park.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.112-119
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• 2021

In 2012, the National Park Service conducted an ecological health assessment to efficiently preserve and manage the ecosystem. The need for improving pre-existing management indicators was recognized from the revised Natural Park Act because, while the indicators of the existing evaluation system focused on endangered species, ecosystem disturbance, diversity, water quality (BOD, DO), and habitat fragmentation, they did not reflect the lack of indicators for marine ecological assessment, policy changes, and the time demands. The evaluation results comprised a five-point grading system, which made the analysis of immediate changes, difficult. Therefore, the benthic pollution index (BPI) and habitat restoration indicators were added to improve the evaluation system. The National Park was assessed using 10 classifications, however, only four classifications were evaluated. The ratings were divided into five states, and ten classes were presented as pictograms. The assessment results showed a similar trend as the indicators were improved, increasing from level 3 to level 5. However, the results of the Wolaksan National Park after improvement in the indicators were lower than that before the improvement, whereas, for the Juwangsan National Park, it was higher. This study aims at contributing to the scientific and systematic management of the national park ecosystem by improving the ecological health assessment system.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.262-269
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• 2022

A distribution survey was conducted from 2018 to 2020 to evaluate the distribution status, habitat characteristics, and extinction threat of the short ninespine stickleback Pungitius kaibarae (Gasterosteidae). Literature reports of P. kaibarae distribution have been sorted by each period, 1980~1996, 1997~2005, and 2007~2017, and the samples were collected in 32, 43, and 64 stations for each period. Among the 75 streams and 193 sampling sites investigated during the study period, 1,400 P. kaibarae individuals were collected from 26 streams at 39 sites. The main habitat of P. kaibarae was downstream or brackish water zones with a low altitude, slow water velocity, and many aquatic plants. The main reasons for the decline in population size were assumed to be drought and flood, river work for flood restoration and river maintenance, bridges construction, and predation by the exotic fish species Micropterus salmoides. Previous evidence reported a 42.6% reduction in occupancy within 10 years, a decline in habitat quality, and the spread and impact of the exotic fish species Micropterus salmoides. Therefore, P. kaibarae is now considered a Vulnerable (VU A2ace) species based on the IUCN Red List categories and criteria. Therefore, P. kaibarae should be redesignated as an endangered species by the Ministry of Environment and systematically managed.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.408-416
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• 2023

The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems serves as a global standard for assessing and identifying ecosystems at high risk of biodiversity loss, providing scientific evidence necessary for effective ecosystem management and conservation policy formulation. The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems has been designated as a key indicator (A.1) for Goal A of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The assessment of the Red List of Ecosystems discerns signs of ecosystem collapse through specific criteria: reduction in distribution (Criterion A), restricted distribution (Criterion B), environmental degradation (Criterion C), changes in biological interaction (Criterion D), and quantitative estimation of the risk of ecosystem collapse (Criterion E). Since 2014, the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems has been evaluated in over 110 countries, with more than 80% of the assessments conducted in terrestrial and inland water ecosystems, among which tropical and subtropical forests are distributed ecosystems under threat. The assessment criteria are concentrated on spatial signs (Criteria A and B), accounting for 68.8%. There are three main considerations for applying the Red List of Ecosystems assessment domestically: First, it is necessary to compile applicable terrestrial ecosystem types within the country. Second, it must be determined whether the spatial sign assessment among the Red List of Ecosystems categories can be applied to the various small-scale ecosystems found domestically. Lastly, the collection of usable time series data (50 years) for assessment must be considered. Based on these considerations, applying the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems assessment domestically would enable an accurate understanding of the current state of the country's unique ecosystem types, contributing to global efforts in ecosystem conservation and restoration.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.403-414
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• 2023

This study aimed to evaluate the ecosystem services and environmental sustainability index(ESI) of the Hasidong-Anin coastal sand dune ecological and landscapes conservation area using rapid assessment tools. As a result, the analysis of the environmental sustainability index, derived from the evaluation of ecosystem services in the Hasidong-Anin coastal sand dune ecological and landscapes conservation area, revealed that regulating services, cultural services, and supporting services were all rated below 50%. Especially, cultural and supporting services were identified as lacking. With these results, a SWOT analysis was conducted to develop strategies for enhancing ecosystem services in the Hasidong-Anin coastal sand dune ecological and landscapes conservation area. Six approaches were formulated, involving leveraging strengths as opportunities (SO strategy), minimizing threats using strengths (ST strategy), utilizing opportunities to address weaknesses (WO strategy), and mitigating weaknesses and threats (WT strategy). In the future, when promoting projects to enhance ecosystem services in the Hasidong-Anin coastal sand dune ecological and landscapes conservation area, it will be essential to address issues such as the restoration of currently damaged areas and prevention of future erosion-related damages. This will lead to an elevation of the value of the Hasidong-Anin coastal sand dune ecological and landscape conservation area.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.32-40
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to collect basic information about Narrow-mouthed Toad (Kaloula borealis) by analyzing the morphological characteristics of Narrow-mouthed Toad (Kaloula borealis) caught in pitfall traps. The study site is in Godeok-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, and a total of 1,063 individuals were captured using pitfall traps for a total of four years from July 2016 to November 2020. Narrow-mouthed Toad (Kaloula borealis) were classified into adult and immature individuals based on length (SVL), and differences in sex ratio and shape were confirmed for adults. As a result, all adult males had a pair of white bands observed in the abdomen, and females had eggs identified in the abdomen. Through previous studies, a pair of white bands on the abdomen were determined to be male gonads, and were also confirmed in some immature individuals. The sex of the Narrow-mouthed Toad (Kaloula borealis) could be distinguished by the presence or absence of a pair of white bands located on the abdomen, and it is believed that this can be used as a sex classification method that can be confirmed in the field. During the study period, the adult sex ratio was confirmed to be 697 male (65.57%) and 366 female (34.43%), with more males. It is expected that this method of sex ratio and male/female sex ratio will be used not only for species restoration and monitoring of migration and alternative habitats due to development, but also as basic data for various ecological studies.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.324-337
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• 2024

Aquatic macrophytes are important factors in determining species diversity and abundance of cladocerans, but the effects of cladocerans on plant species composition or structure have not been fully considered. In South Korea, wetlands and reservoirs that are prone to covering aquatic macrophytes are scattered across the country, so it is necessary to consider on aquatic macrophytes study, when aquatic animals including cladoceran were studied. in this study, the species and abundance of cladocerans community in six microhabitat types are investigated, and based on these results, habitat conservation and efficient management are suggested. The high species numbers and abundance of cladocerans communities were found in mixed plant communities consisting of free-floating, floating-leaved, and submerged plants. The inclusion of submerged plants in plant communities contributes significantly to the complexity of habitat structures, and may increase species and abundance of cladocenran communities. This can be compared to a plant community consisting only of free-floating and floating-leaved plants in the absence of submerged plants, thereby identifying the efficiency of submerged plants. In the mixed plant communities, species diversity was the highest due to the emergence of cladoceran species (Graptoleveris testudinaria, Ilyocryptus spinifer, and Leydigia acanthococcides) absent from other plant communities. The gradual increase in the biomass (g) of submerged plants in the mixed plant communities significantly increased the species numbers and abundance of cladoceran communities (p<0.05). This is strong evidence that the increase of submerged plants in mixed plant communities has a positive effect on efficiency as a habitat for cladocerans. Although submeged plants do not contribute significantly to their landscape/aesthetic value because they are submerged in water, they have the effect of increasing species diversity in terms of biology, so they should be considered important when creating/restoring wetlands.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.249-257
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• 2010

The purpose of this paper is to weigh the possibility of endangered Jang-hang wetland at the estuary of Han River to be included on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance and come up with ways to manage the wetland depending on its biotope patterns. The target area is located between Gimpo bridge and Isanpo I.C. with about $2.7km^2$ area. Through the analysis of RIS(Information Sheet for Ramsar Wetlands), it was known that the wetland is located on the sedimentary topography and formed as a result of sediment at the estuary of the river owing to the concentration of rainfall during summer. The vegetation environment in the area is divided into brackish water and fresh water areas depending on salinity. Rhizosphere soil(RS) of the area was analyzed to be Silt loam while bottom RS to be Sand loam. The plant ecology was composed of 52 families 135 species and 11 varieties and 146 types. Among indigenous species found are Salix koreensis, Phragmites communis and Miscanthus sacchariflorus. The analyzed results of the actual vegetation showed that willow community accounts for 37% of the area and rice field is 13.5%. As for animal ecology, total of 62 species and 25,977 individual wild birds were observed. After comparing and analyzing the RIS we compiled with the Ramsar Site designation standards, it turns out that the Jang-hang wetland meets criteria 1(biographic region), criteria 2,3 and 4(species and ecological communities) and criteria 5 and 6(water birds). Thus, Jang-hang wetland is eligible for the Ramsar site. As a result of establishing and evaluating the biotope types for setting management areas, Jang-hang wetland has a total of 13 different types, and the grade I represents 75.4% of the area while the grade III 0.8% of the land status. We categorized four management zones for the wetland depending on the biotope patterns - preservation, restoration, use and buffer zones and suggested management methods for each zone.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.39-50
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• 2024

In ecosystems within limited resources, interspecific competition is inevitable, often leading to the competitive exclusion of inferior species. This study aims to provide foundational information for the conservation and restoration management of Microphysogobio rapidus by evaluating species' ecological response to biological factors within its habitat. To understand this relationship, we collected food web organisms from site where M. rapidus coexist with Microphysogobio yaluensis, a specie ecologically similar to M. rapidus, and evaluated the trophic levels (TL), isotopic niche space (INS), and the overlap of INS among fishes within the habitat using stable isotope analysis. Our analysis revealed that the M. rapidus exhibited a higher TL than M. yaluensis, with TL of 2.6 and 2.4, respectively. M. yaluensis exhibited a broad INS, significantly influencing the feeding characteristics of most fish. Conversely, M. rapidus showed a narrow INS and asymmetric feeding relationships with other species, in habitats with high competition levels. This feeding characteristics of M. rapidus indicate that the increase in competitors sharing the similar resources lead to a decrease in available resources and, consequently, is expected to result in a decrease in their density.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2024

Most wetlands worldwide have suffered from extensive human exploitation. Unfortunately they have been less explored compared to river and lake ecosystems despite their ecological importance and economic values. This is the same case in Korea. This study was aimed to estimate the assemblage attributes and distribution characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrates for fifty wetlands distributed throughout subtropical Jeju Island in 2021. A total of 133 taxa were identified during survey periods belonging to 53 families, 19 orders, 5 classes and 3 phyla. Taxa richness ranged from 4 to 31 taxa per wetland with an average of 17.5 taxa. Taxa richness and abundance of predatory insect groups such as Odonata, Hemiptera and Coleoptera respectively accounted for 67.7% and 68.2% of the total. Among them Coleoptera were the most diverse and abundant. Taxa richness and abundance did not significantly differ from each wetland type classified in accordance with the National Wetland Classification System. There were three endangered species (Clithon retropictum, Lethocerus deyrolli and Cybister (Cybister) chinensis) and several restrictively distributed species only in Jeju Island. Cluster analysis based on the similarity in the benthic macroinvertebrate composition largely classified 50 wetlands into two major clusters: small wetlands located in lowland areas and medium-sized wetlands in middle mountainous regions. All cluster groups displayed significant differences in wetland area, long axis, percentage of fine particles and macrophyte composition ratio. Indicator Species Analysis selected 19 important indicators with the highest indicator value of Ceriagrion melanurum at 63%, followed by Noterus japonicus (59%) and Polypylis hemisphaerula (58%). Our results are expected to provide fundamental information on the biodiversity and habitat environments for benthic macroinvertebrates in wetland ecosystems, consequently helping to establish conservation and restoration plans for small wetlands relatively vulnerable to human disturbance.