• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.219-225
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• 2019

In order to assess the impacts of drawdown for land-use change on a Sphagnum-marsh, we compared the vegetation and flora of the wetland before and after the drawdown with focusing on the population of Sphagnum palustre L. Remarkable changes in the coverage of S. palustre and the major vegetational components of the wetland were observed. The coverage of S. palustre markedly decreased by about 75% (from approx. 247 ㎥ in 2011 to approx. 62 ㎥ in 2015) after the drawdown. Tree species such as Salix spp. extended (from about 70% to about 83% in the total coverage of the wetland), whereas herbaceous species shrunk after the drawdown. Upland-inhabiting species such as obligate plants for uplands (OBU) increased, whereas wetland-inhabiting species such as facultative plants for wetlands (FACW) and OBW decreased in terms of vegetational coverage. The total number of plant species decreased from 70 species to 62 species after the drawdown, including the disappearance of some wetland-inhabiting species from the wetland. We suggest that the attention for further studies on the abandoned paddy terraces (APTs) and effort for the management and conservation of APTs and APT-inhabiting species that are vulnerable to human-induced disturbances have to be paid more.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.161-171
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• 2017

Global environmental changes have the capacity to make dramatic alterations to floral and faunal composition, and elucidation of the mechanism is important for predicting its outcomes. Studies on global climate change have traditionally focused on statistical summaries within relatively wide scales of spatial and temporal changes, and less attention has been paid to variability in microclimates across spatial and temporal scales. Microclimate is a suite of climatic conditions measured in local areas near the earth's surface. Environmental variables in microclimatic scale can be critical for the ecology of organisms inhabiting there. Here we examine the effect of spatial and temporal changes in microclimates on those of carabid beetle communities in Hyangnobong, Korea. We found that climatic variables and the patterns of annual changes in carabid beetle communities differed among sites even within the single mountain system. Our results indicate the importance of temporal survey of communities at local scales, which is expected to reveal an additional fraction of variation in communities and underlying processes that has been overlooked in studies of global community patterns and changes.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.148-159
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• 2020

This study investigated the seasonal and inter-annual changes in vertical distribution and size spectrum of walleye pollock, Gadus chalcogrammus inhabiting middle eastern coast of Korea (hear after pollock). Pollock was distributed between 50 m and 600 m depth range, and body size (total length) ranged from 16.6 cm to 81.5 cm. The trends of population body size were increased in autumn and winter and decreased in spring and summer. Vertical distribution of pollock showned depth-dependent patterns with distributing smaller individuals mainly in the upper layer (shallower depth), while larger fish in deeper habitats. Those patterns in vertical distribution of pollock population is probably due to be the results of energy-saving strategy, metabolic effects, and changes in prey selections according to pollock growth, derived from spatial and temporal changes in oceanic condition in habitat grounds. When water temperature in upper layer were increased and that of below thermocline depth became decreased in 2017, the ratio of smaller (<35 cm) and larger (≥35 cm) individuals was biased toward larger fishes, extending their distribution into shallow depth, and consequently main fishing ground was formed in far from coastal area. In addition, the ratio of smaller individual distributing between 100~300 m was increased with decreasing temperature gradient between below thermocline and bottom layer. Changes in spatial and temporal distributions of pollock population likely be related with vertical and horizontal changes in oceanic conditions and, consequently food supplies.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.175-184
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• 2012

Changes of fish assemblage inhabiting around Dae Island in Gwangyang Bay, Korea were investigated using a small beam trawl monthly from March 2009 to February 2010. These data were compared with those obtained in previous studies(1990~1991 and 1995~1996) at our study sites. A total of 8,133 fish belonging to 74 species in 38 families were collected. Leiognathus nuchalis, Argyrosomus argentatus, Acentrogobius pellidebilis, Sillago japonica, Apogon lineatus, Thryssa hamiltoni, Repomucenus richardsonii, Pholis nebulosa, Pleuronichthys cornutus, Hexagrammos otakii, and Limanda yokohamae dominated, and these were responsible for 89.5% and 58.9% in the number of individuals and in biomass, respectively. These were primarily small species or early juveniles of larger species. Seasonal variation in both species composition and abundance was large: the peak number of fish species occurred in May and October 2009, whilst both number of individuals and biomass were the highest in May 2009. Fish numbers as well as biomass was lowest in January and February 2010. Seasonal changes in the abundance of fishes corresponded with temperature. Compared with the previous studies, the total number of individuals and biomass per unit area($m^2$) were higher, and the predominance of L. nuchalis occurred while abundances of Liparis tanakai were significant decreased. These results seemed to be change of species composition in fish assemblage which was due to variation of annual environmental characteristics in Gwangyang Bay.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.605-617
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• 2021

The recovery of the sedimentary environment around a fallowing shellfish farm during its rest period after 20 years of long-running operation, was explored in Tongyeong Bay of Korea. Seasonal survey on macrobenthos community was conducted from July 2016 to September 2018 at five stations, which included the fallowing shellfish farm after 20-year operation (FF), a newly installed shellfish farm (NF), a shellfish farm for comparison around the closed shellfish farm (CF), and control stations with no farming activities (Con1, Con2). The total number of species and the density of macrobenthos were higher at the shellfish farm stations than the non-shellfish farm station, and their seasonal changes were significant. The dominant species at the shellfish farm stations was Capitella capitata while Paraprionospio patiens was dominant at the non-shellfish farm stations. The two dominant species were potential organic contamination indicators usually inhabiting the areas with dense organic matter. This suggests that the overall survey area was highly polluted with organic matters. Multivariate analysis showed that the macrobenthic community of CF changed to a level similar to that of Con1 immediately after the investigation, but not to a state above the Con1 level. Furthermore, the changes in NF were not significant when compared to those in CF.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.767-772
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• 2008

Studies regarding the application of the impervious cover rate as a watershed management index have increased in number due to concerns over watershed management. The impervious cover rate is suggested as an index that can manage not only water quality but also water volume and the water ecosystem. This study intends to prove its applicability through the interconnection of the impervious cover rate and the water environment in Korea. Analysis of a selected watershed with reference to impervious cover rates showed that a watershed with an impervious cover rate of over 30% had a direct runoff in excess of 60% of precipitation, while a watershed with an impervious cover rate of 7% had a direct runoff of 39%. Watersheds with higher impervious cover rates were also found to have higher BOD, though different watersheds showed slightly different aspects in connection with BOD. Monitoring of benthic macroinvertebrates showed that species inhabiting clean water appear more frequently in areas with lower impervious cover rates than areas with higher impervious cover rates, and in mainstream areas, relatively larger numbers of species appeared in areas with lower impervious cover rates. This suggests that impervious cover rates can be appropriately used as an index for watershed management, as it effectively represents changes to the water environment.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.366-377
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• 2019

Paddy wetlands are a critical habitat for a variety of wild animals, and their rapid development and environmental changes pose a threat to the conservation of agrobiodiversity. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the habitat characteristics of anuran inhabiting paddy wetlands and identify major environmental variables affecting their distributions. The study was conducted in the Daeho reclaimed area in Dangjin, from March to October 2018. In this study, we found three anuran species (Pelophylax nigromaculatus, Hyla japonica and Pelophylax chosenicus). The environmental factors affecting the three species were identified as air temperature, humidity, water-depth, and micro-habitats. H. japonica were affected by water temperature, and P. chosenicus were affected by rice height and types of farming practices. All the three species richness was correlated with air temperature, humidity, and water-depth positively, and the three species used rice transplanted paddy fields the most. It was also found that paddy is the most preferred of the micro-habitats during the breeding season, so the survey area is considered to be used as the major breeding sites for the three species. P. chosenicus were more observed on environmental-friendly paddy fields than conventional paddy fields, which appears to be differences in their surroundings environment caused by predators and weeding. It will be needed to identify their relationship with predators, their preferred food resources and the richness and diversity of wild vegetation around paddy wetlands.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.345-352
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• 2022

In this study, the dietary habits of the spinyhead sculpin Dasycottus setiger were investigated based on 156 specimens collected seasonally between May 2018 and February 2019 from the East Sea off the Korean coast. In terms of the weight contribution (%W), the main food items of the spinyhead sculpin were found to be teleosts (33.5%), followed by carid shrimps (13.8%), amphipods (13.3%), cephalopods (12.0%), and polychaetes (7.1%). Dietary analyses based on the weight contribution of different prey taxa in the diet of the spinyhead sculpin revealed considerable variation in the dietary composition in terms of the sampling region and fish size implying intra-specific dietary segregation. The spinyhead sculpin showed a size-related trends in dietary shift from amphipods to carid shrimps and teleosts in northern region, and from carid shrimps and mysids to teleosts and cephalopods in middle eastern coast. Multivariate analyses of dietary changes revealed that the dietary composition of spinyhead sculpin is significantly associated with the sampling site, but not the fish size. Amphipods contributed more to the diets of the northern population, while mysids typified the diets of spinyhead scuplin inhabiting the middle eastern coast, indicating differences in available food resources between the two study regions.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2024

Light is a major external environmental factor that influences the circadian rhythm of photosynthetic organisms and various physiological phenomena, such as growth, maturation, and behavior. The number of light-reaching organisms changes depending on the season and atmospheric conditions, and the intensity and wavelength of light differ depending on the organisms inhabiting the environment. Altered light changes the circadian rhythm of fish, which is controlled by clock genes, such as period 2 (Per2), cryptochrome 1 (Cry1), and melatonin. In this study, we set the zeitgeber time (ZT; 14 light-10 dark, LD) based on the actual sunrise and sunset times and examined Per2 and Cry1 activities, levels of aralkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT), and melatonin in Pholis nebulosa, a drifting seaweed species exposed to irregular light. Per2 and Cry1 levels increased during the daytime and decreased after sunset. The AANAT levels decreased during the daytime and increased during the night. Melatonin concentration was highest around midnight (ZT21, 23:30), but exhibited similar concentrations during the daytime. While the activity of Per2, Cry1, and AANAT levels exhibited a typical circadian rhythm observed in most vertebrates, melatonin concentrations did not show a significant difference between the daytime and nighttime. These findings provide insights into the circadian rhythm patterns of organisms exposed to irregular light environments, such as P. nebulosa, which differ from those of typical fish species.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.873-883
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• 2015

From August 2012 to April 2013, the ichthyofauna and post-restoration properties of Yangjae stream were investigated. A total of 1,503 fish of 2 forms, 16 species and 5 families were studied during the survey period. A survey of the distribution of freshwater fish inhabiting Yangjae stream after restoration of the stream showed large populations of Zacco platypus and Rhynchocypris oxycephalus. From the frequency distribution of the total length for the Zacco platypus population inhabiting Yangjae stream, it was estimated that there are 4 distinct age groups, with an abundance of the 27-63 mm (Age $0^+$) category accounting for 51.3% of the population. The regression coefficient (b) for the length-weight relationship in Zacco platypus was 3.27, while the slope of the condition factor was positive, demonstrating that stable growth conditions are being maintained. Analysis of tolerance and trophic guilds showed a decrease in the numbers of sensitive species and insectivore species further downstream, and an increase in tolerant species and omnivore species. Principal component analysis using community indices and indices of biotic integrity (IBI) showed that there were differences according to the survey time: the first and second surveys showed major changes on certain single species populations while during the third survey, it was analyzed that the populations of various types of fish had established balance.