• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.292-303
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• 2022

Background: Climate change significantly influences the geographical distribution of plant species worldwide. Selecting indicator species allows for better-informed and more effective ecosystem management in response to climate change. The Korean Peninsula is the northernmost distribution zone of warm temperate evergreen broad-leaved (WTEB) species in Northeast Asia. Considering the ecological value of these species, we evaluated the current distribution range and future suitable habitat for 13 WTEB tree species designated as climate-sensitive biological indicator species. Results: Up-to-date and accurate WTEB species distribution maps were constructed using herbarium specimens and citizen science data from the Korea Biodiversity Observation Network. Current northern limits for several species have shifted to higher latitudes compared to previous records. For example, the northern latitude limit for Stauntonia hexaphylla is higher (37° 02' N, Deokjeokdo archipelago) than that reported previously (36° 13' N). The minimum temperature of the coldest month (Bio6) is the major factor influencing species distribution. Under future climate change scenarios, suitable habitats are predicted to expand toward higher latitudes inland and along the western coastal areas. Conclusions: Our results support the suitability of WTEB trees as significant biological indicators of species' responses to warming. The findings also suggest the need for consistent monitoring of species distribution shifts. This study provides an important baseline dataset for future monitoring and management of indicator species' responses to changing climate conditions in South Korea.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.99-114
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• 2023

Patanga japonica Bolívar, 1898 (Orthoptera: Acrididae) is listed as a climate-sensitive indicator species in South Korea and is called southern group of insects in that the main distributional range is southern region of South Korea and Asian continent. In South Korea, thus, the species was distributed mainly in southern region of South Korea including southward a remote Jeju Island, but recently the species has often been detected in mid to northern region of South Korea, implying northward range expansion in response to climate change. Understanding the characteristics of the changes in genetic diversity during range expansion in response to climate change could be a foundation for the understanding of future biodiversity. Thus, in this study, we attempted to understand the changing pattern of the genetic diversity of the P. japonica in newly expanded regions. For the purpose of study, we collected 125 individuals from seven localities throughout South Korea including two newly distributed regions (Pyeongtaek and Yeongwol at ~37° N). These were sequenced for a segment of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and analyzed for genetic diversity, haplotype frequency, and population genetic structure among populations. Interestingly, northward range expansion accompanied only haplotypes, which are most abundant in the core populations, providing a significant reduction in haplotype diversity, compared to other populations. Moreover, genetic diversity was still lower in the expanded regions, but no genetic isolation was detected. These results suggest that further longer time would take to reach to the comparable genetic diversity of preexisting populations in the expanded regions. Probably, availability of qualified habitats at the newly expanded region could be pivotal for successful northward range expansion in response to climate change.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.1141-1152
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• 2013

Insect fauna were surveyed in 2011 at Ungok wetland, Obeygol, located in Gochang, Jeonbuk, Korea. In total, 149 species belonging to 11 orders and 57 families were surveyed. Among them, Lepidopterans composed 23.5% (35 species) of the total insect numbers surveyed, comprising the most abundant group, and followed by Coleoptera, Hemiptera, and Odonata with a composition of 22.1% (33 species), 17.4% (26 species), and 10.1% (15 species), respectively. Bothrogonia japonica Ishihara was the most dominant species, and followed by Gastrophysa atrocyanea Motschulsky and Celastrina argiolus (Linnaeus). Phytophagous insects accounted for 60 percent of the total species. Dominance index was the highest in spring by 0.21. Diversity, richness, and evenness indices were the highest in summer by 4.07, 11.84 and 0.96, respectively. In the study area, the legally-protect species were grouped into five groups; 9 export-restricted species, 17 endemic species, 28 indicator species, 1 climate-sensitive biological indicator and 3 southern characteristic species. Additionally, twenty forest insect pest species were surveyed, belonging to 5 orders and 15 families. Therefore, it is required to conduct long-term monitoring and appropriate management based on the ecological characteristic of the habitats to continuously conserve and maintain of wetland.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.114-126
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to develop a Korean thermality index (KTI) based on the distribution patterns of benthic macroinvertebrates according to altitude and latitude. Analyzing seasonal data (4,853 sampling units) surveyed and collected during 2007 ~ 2011 at 846 sites in South Korea, we estimated thermal valency, thermal value and indicator weight value of 208 species. Among them, 40 species in 6 orders (Decapoda 1 species, Collembola 1 species, Ephemeroptera 5 species, Plecoptera 17 species, Diptera 3 species, Trichoptera 13 species) were selected as the candidate indicator species sensitive and vulnerable to warmth along with climate change. KTI and Benthic macroinvertebrate index (BMI) were tested at three clean streams (Hangye stream, Buk stream and Bangtae stream). KTI showed significant differences according to altitude and water temperature whereas the saprobity index BMI showed little differences. This result means that KTI can be applicable to assess the impact of water temperature independently of organic pollutants.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.202-207
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• 2010

The most useful criteria and selection procedures of biological indicators have been developed in Korea because they have taken into account local and national concerns on biological responses against climate change. On the basis of these criteria and selection procedures, 100 climate-sensitive biological indicator species were selected to predict biodiversity distribution shift by climate change and manage biological resources integratedly at the national level. It is expected that selection and monitoring of biological indicators by climate change will provide significant information to prepare protective strategies of vulnerable species against climate change and adaptive policies under the changing environment in Korea. In this paper, we have reviewed what kinds of criteria were considered in selecting bioindicators to assess responses of biological organisms against climate change. Definition and selection steps of bioindicators were proposed, and the 100 species of climate- sensitive biological indicators were selected out of 33,253 taxa reported in Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.313-327
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• 2021

Background: Citizen science is becoming a mainstream approach of baseline data collection to monitor biodiversity and climate change. Dragonflies (Odonata) have been ranked as the highest priority group in biodiversity monitoring for global warming. Ischnura senegalensis Rambur has been designated a biological indicator of climate change and is being monitored by the citizen science project "Korean Biodiversity Observation Network." This study has been performed to understand changes in the distribution range of I. senegalensis in response to climate change using citizen science data in South Korea. Results: We constructed a dataset of 397 distribution records for I. senegalensis, ranging from 1980 to 2020. The number of records sharply increased over time and space, and in particular, citizen science monitoring data accounted for the greatest proportion (58.7%) and covered the widest geographical range. This species was only distributed in the southern provinces until 2010 but was recorded in the higher latitudes such as Gangwon-do, Incheon, Seoul, and Gyeonggi-do (max. Paju-si, 37.70° latitude) by 2020. A species distribution model showed that the annual mean temperature (Bio1; 63.2%) and the maximum temperature of the warmest month (Bio5; 16.7%) were the most critical factors influencing its distribution. Future climate change scenarios have predicted an increase in suitable habitats for this species. Conclusions: This study is the first to show the northward expansion in the distribution range of I. senegalensis in response to climate warming in South Korea over the past 40 years. In particular, citizen science was crucial in supplying critical baseline data to detect the distribution change toward higher latitudes. Our results provide new insights on the value of citizen science as a tool for detecting the impact of climate change on ecosystems in South Korea.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.41-54
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• 2023

The blue-tailed damselfly, Ischnura elegans Van der Linden, 1820 (Odonata: Coenagrionidae), is a climate-sensitive indicator species in South Korea. In this study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of I. elegans collected from South Korea for subsequent population genetic analysis, particularly to trace population movements in response to climate change. The 15,963 base pair (bp)-long complete mitogenome of I. elegans has typical sets of genes including a major non-coding region (the A+T-rich region), and an arrangement identical to that observed in ancestral insect species. The ATP6, ND3 and ND1 genes have the TTG start codon, which, although rare, is the canonical start codon for animal mitochondrial tRNA. The A/T content was 71.4% in protein-coding genes, 72.1% in tRNAs, 72.9% in the whole genome, 74.7% in srRNA, 75.3% in lrRNA, and 83.8% in the A+T-rich region. The A+T-rich region is unusually long (1,196 bp) and contains two subunits (192 bp and 176-165 bp), each of which is tandemly triplicated and surrounded by non-repeat sequences. Comparison of the sequence divergence among available mitogenomes of I. elegans, including the one from the current study, revealed ND2 as the most variable gene, followed by COII and COI, suggesting that ND2 should be targeted first in subsequent population-level studies. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on all available mitogenome sequences of Coenagrionidae showed a strong sister relationship between I. elegans and I. senegalensis.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.260-277
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• 2015

The object of this study was the climate change sensitivity assessment of Korean Fir and Khinghan Fir as a representative subalpine plant in South Korea. Using species distribution models, we predicted the probability of current and future species distribution. According to this study, potential distribution that have been predicted based on the threshold (MTSS) is, Khinghan Fir was higher loss rate than Korean Fir. And in the climate change sensitivity assessment using the scalar sensitivity weight ($W_{is}$), $W_{is}$ of Korean Fir was higher relatively than the sensitivity of Khinghan Fir. When using the species distribution models as shown in this study may vary depending on the probability of presence data and spatial variables. Therefore should be prior decision studies on the ecological environment of the study species. Based on this study, if it is domestic applicable climate change sensitivity assessment method is developed. it would be important decision-making to climate change and biological diversity of adaptation policy.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.246-254
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• 2021

Subalpine and alpine ecosystems are especially vulnerable to temperature increases. Betula ermanii Cham. (Betulaceae) is a dominant broad-leaved tree species in the subalpine zone and is designated as a 'Climate-sensitive Biological Indicator Species' in South Korea. This study aimed to predict the potential distribution of B. ermanii under current and future climate conditions in South Korea using the MaxEnt model. The species distribution models showed an excellent fit (AUC=0.99). Among the climatic variables, the most critical factors shaping B. ermanii distribution were identified as the maximum temperature of warmest month (Bio5; 64.8%) and annual mean temperature (Bio1; 20.3%). Current potential habitats were predicted in the Baekdudaegan mountain range and Mt. Hallasan, and the area of suitable habitat was 1531.52 km², covering 1.57% of the Korean Peninsula. With global warming, future climate scenarios have predicted a decrease in the suitable habitats for B. ermanii. Under RCP8.5-2070s, in particular, habitat with high potential was predicted only in several small areas in Gangwon-do, and the total area suitable for the species decreased by up to 97.3% compared to the current range. We conclude that the dominant factor affecting the distribution of B. ermanii is temperature and that future temperature rises will increase the vulnerability of this species.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.673-684
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• 2011

Shinan-gun in Jeollanam-do has 1,004 islands which is the biggest number in the whole country. As most of the islands in Korea are secluded from the mainland or other islands, biological surveys are very important for the biogeographical perspective. Especially, the species diversity of insecta on an island plays an important role in the food stability of top predators, including birds. This study provides baseline academic resources for the preservation and management of uninhabited islands by providing information about the status of insects on the uninhabited islands in Docho-myeon, Jeollanam-do, Korea. As far as the appearance aspects of the insects in 28 uninhabited islands were 921 individuals, 122 species, 60 families or 12 orders. Ga Island showed the highest appearance as 32 species, 22 families or 9 orders. Appearance of specific insects was investigated unknown species: 1 species, southern characteristic species: 3 species, coastal dune species: 1 species, climate-sensitive indicator species: 1 species.