• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.169-172
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• 2008

Sequences of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome b gene (1,140 bp) and control region (803 bp) of Siberian flying squirrels from Korea (Pteromys volans aluco) and Mt. Changbai of northeast China (P. v. arsenjevi) were obtained to reexamine the taxonomic status of the Korean subspecies. In the cytochrome b gene, six haplotypes of P. v. aluco formed a clade with six haplotypes of P. v. arsenjevi, and in control region, seven haplotypes of P. v. aluco formed a clade with six haplotypes of P. v. arsenjevi. Furthermore, six haplotypes of cytochrome b gene of P. v. aluco from this study formed a clade with four haplotypes of P. v. arsenjevi in far-east Russia obtained from GenBank. We also investigated the research papers previously published that reported the length of tail vertebrae of P. volans, and found that the length was not sufficiently large as to be a key character of P. v. aluco. This result is not consistent with morphological description for its haplotype. Therefore, we conclude that P. v. aluco from Korea might possibly be a synonym of P. v. arsenjevi from northeast China and nearby Russia.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.380-390
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• 2015

The morphological characters were observed in six taxa in the genus Dioscorea of Korea (D. polystachya, D. japonica, D. nipponica, D. quinqueloba, D. tenuipes, and D. dokoro). The underground structure and the formation of bulbil were useful characters for separating sect. Enanatiophyllum from sect. Stenophora. The important characters for discriminating taxonomic entities were as follows: the position of the anther and the shape of the pistil in the microstructural characters, including the protuberance of the base of the petiole, the shape and color of the flower, the shape of the fruit, and the shape of the seed wing. Based on the results, a key to Korean Dioscorea is provided and the distribution of these species in Korea is described.

• Mycobiology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.183-190
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• 2013

Amanita Pers. is a well-known monophyletic mushroom genus with a broad distribution. However, the diversity of Korean Amanita species has been underestimated, and most taxonomic studies conducted in Korea have only investigated their morphological characteristics. This approach is frequently insufficient for correct identification in fungal classification; therefore, we constructed a phylogeny of Amanita subgen. Lepidella in order to understand the phylogenetic placements of 16 Amanita specimens collected in Korea in 2012. The phylogeny constructed using the sequence data of the internal transcribed spacers and the partial large subunit of ribosomal RNA identified nine Amanita species (A. citrina, A. excelsa var. spissa, A. flavipes, A. fritillaria, A. oberwinklerana, A. pallidorosea, A. rubescens, A. subjunquillea, and A. volvata); of these, A. fritillaria, A. oberwinklerana, and A. pallidorosea are new to Korea.

• Mycobiology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.225-230
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• 2015

The polypore genus Abundisporus Ryvarden is characterized by resupinate to pileate fruitbodies with a purplish brown hymenophore, slightly thick-walled, pale yellowish and non-dextrinoid basidiospores, and causing white rot. A purple color hymenophore, an easily observable and striking character, was considered the main distinctive feature at the generic level within polypores. However, due to highly similar basidiocarp features, species identification within these purple polypores is particularly difficult. Three species of purple colored polypores have been reported in Korea (Abundisporus fuscopurpureus, A. pubertatis, and Fomitopsis rosea). Based on morphological re-examination, ecological information, and sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer, we showed that previous classification was incorrect and there is only one species (A. pubertatis) in Korea. We provide a detailed description of A. pubertatis in Korea, as well as a taxonomic key to distinguish wood rot fungi with a purple hymenophore.

• ALGAE
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.243-267
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• 2018

A taxonomic study was recently carried out on species of the tribe Ceramieae (Ceramiaceae, Rhodophyta), following an evaluation of previously published records and on the basis of field and laboratory investigations. In Morocco, the tribe is represented by 5 genera: Ceramium (21 taxa at specific and infraspecific levels), Gayliella (3 species), and by one species each of Centroceras, Corallophila and Microcladia. Among these, there are five new records for Morocco: Centroceras gasparrinii, Ceramium botryocarpum, Ceramium cingulatum, Ceramium echionotum var. mediterraneum, and Gayliella taylorii. The report of C. echionotum var. mediterraneum from the Atlantic coast of Morocco is one of the rare records from outside the Mediterranean. Ceramium ciliatum var. robustum and Ceramium codii are recorded for the first time from the Atlantic coast of Morocco. Centroceras clavulatum is excluded from Moroccan flora having been misidentified for C. gasparrinii. This paper summarizes the taxonomic characters of these species with images and presents a key for their identification. This report is the first detailed record of the species of the tribe Ceramieae for Morocco. As a result, the total number of taxa at both specific and infraspecific levels accepted in the tribe Ceramieae for Morocco, under current taxonomy and nomenclature, is 27.

• Mycobiology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.308-345
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• 2021

Lactifluus (Pers.) Roussel is an ectomycorrhizal genus that was recently recognized to be distinct from the genus Lactarius. To date, 226 Lactifluus species have been reported worldwide. Misidentification of Lactifluus species is common because of intraspecific morphological variation, cryptic diversity, and the limited number of taxonomic keys available. Molecular data are indispensable for species delimitation; a multilocus phylogenetic analysis showed that most Asian Lactifluus species are not conspecific with morphologically similar species present on other continents. In particular, Korea has misused European and North American Lactifluus names. In this study, we evaluated the taxonomy of Lactifluus in Korea using both morphological and multilocus molecular (ITS, nrLSU, rpb1, and rpb2) data. We examined 199 Lactifluus specimens collected between 1980 and 2016, and a total of 24 species across the four Lactifluus subgenera were identified. All Korean species are distinct and clearly separated from European and North American species. Five taxa corresponded to previously described species from Asia and the remaining 19 taxa are confirmed as new species. Herein, we provide keys to the Korean Lactifluus species within their subgenera, molecular phylogenies, a summary of diversity, and detailed description of the new species.

• Mycobiology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.235-248
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• 2021

This study aimed to understand whether the geo-ecological segregation of native plant species affects the root-associated fungal community. Rhizoplane (RP) and rhizosphere (RS) fungal microbiota of Sedum takesimense native to three geographically segregated coastal regions (volcanic ocean islands) were analyzed using culture-independent methods: 568,507 quality sequences, 1399 operational taxonomic units, five phyla, and 181 genera were obtained. Across all regions, significant differences in the phyla distribution and ratio were confirmed. The Chao's richness value was greater for RS than for RP, and this variance coincided with the number of genera. In contrast, the dominance of specific genera in the RS (Simpson value) was lower than the RP at all sites. The taxonomic identity of most fungal species (95%) closely interacting with the common host plant was different. Meanwhile, a considerable number of RP only residing fungal genera were thought to have close interdependency on their host halophyte. Among these, Metarhizium was the sole genus common to all sites. These suggest that the relationship between potential symbiotic fungi and their host halophyte species evolved with a regional dependency, in the same halophyte species, and of the same natural habitat (volcanic islands); further, the fungal community differenced in distinct geographical regions. Importantly, geographical segregation should be accounted for in national culture collections, based on taxonomical uniqueness.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2019.04a
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• pp.78-78
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• 2019

Gnaphalium L. is a small herbaceous genus comprising up to 80 species in worldwide (Asia, North to South America, Africa, and Oceania). This genus is highly polymorphic which embrace uncommon broad morphological boundary, and thus further studies were needed to proper taxonomic delimitations for the genus and its relatives. Gnaphalium uliginosum L. was usually found in moist sites such as margins of lake, pond, reservoir, stream banks and paddy field. This squat plant is solely known species in Korean Gnaphalium. During the revisionary study of the tribe Gnaphalieae (Asteraceae) in Korea, however, we found several materials in domestic herbaria (e.g., SNU, KWNU) that identified as G. uliginosum or Gamochaeta pensylvanica (Willd.) Cabrera collected from central to northern Korea, but clearly differ to the morphology of G. uliginosum. The external morphology of the materials is seemingly the only feature at odds with G. uliginosum. However, its morphological characters such as tall erected stems (ca. 30cm), hairs on seeds and whitish tomentose hairs on the whole plants are easily distinguished from G. uliginosum, and rather it looks like G. tranzschelii Kirp. Although the name G. tranzschelii have been treated as synonym of G. uliginosum by several authors, its distinct morphology might be sufficient to separate to two independent taxa. Generally, the morphological polymorphisms and hybridization of G. uliginosum complicate the taxonomy of the species, and thus further investigation for their habitat, distribution and morphology were needed to their taxonomic entity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.91-104
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• 2019

The taxonomic and functional characteristics of bacterial communities in the pre-chlorinated rapid filters and ozonated biological activated carbon (BAC) filters were compared using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) based on sole-carbon-source utilization patterns. Both the rapid filters and BAC filters were dominated by Rhizobiales within ${\alpha}-proteobacteria$, but other abundant orders and genera were significantly different in both types of filter. Firmicutes were abundant only in the intermediate chlorinated rapid filter, while Acidobacteria were abundant only in the BAC filters. Bacterial communities in the rapid filter showed high utilization of carbohydrates, while those in the BAC filters showed high utilization of polymers and carboxylic acids. These different characteristics of the bacterial communities could be related to the different substrates in the influents, filling materials, and residual disinfectants. Chlorination and ozonation inactivated the existing bacteria in the influent and formed different bacterial communities, which could be resistant to the oxidants and effectively utilize different substrates produced by the oxidant, including Phreatobacter in the rapid filters and Hyphomicrobium in the BAC filters. Bradyrhizobium and Leptothrix, which could utilize compounds adsorbed on the GAC, were abundant in the BAC filters. Ozonation increased taxonomic diversity but decreased functional diversity of the bacterial communities in the BAC filters. This study provides some new insights into the effects of oxidation processes and filling materials on the bacterial community structure in the biological filters of drinking water treatment plants.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1490-1500
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• 2021

Various microorganisms reside in the human vagina; the vaginal microbiome is closely linked to both vaginal and general health, and for this reason, microbiome studies of the vagina are an area of research. In this study, we analyzed the vaginal microbiome of women before and after menopause to further increase our understanding of the vaginal microbiome and its contribution to general health. We did a 16s rRNA gene-based metagenomic analysis on the vaginal fluids of 11 premenopausal and 19 postmenopausal women in Korea. We confirmed that the taxonomic composition was significantly different between the two groups. In postmenopausal women, species richness was significantly decreased, but species diversity was significantly increased. In particular, among the taxonomic components corresponding to all taxon ranks of the vaginal microbiome, a reduction in Lactobacillus taxa after menopause contributed the most to the difference between the two groups. In addition, we confirmed through metabolic analysis that the lactic-acid concentration was also decreased in the vaginal fluid of women after menopause. Our findings on the correlation between menopause and the microbiome could help diagnose menopause and enhance the prevention and treatment diseases related to menopause.