• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.21 no.3 s.61
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• pp.27-36
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• 2006

For the last 20 years, China has transformed itself from a rural economy into an industrial giant, averaging over 8 % annual growth of GDP. Unfortunately, this rapid growth has taken a significant toll on its natural resource base as well, particularly water resources. These problems have been exacerbated by a low level of sewage treatment technology and by the operating and maintenance (O&M). In case of urban areas, most big cities in China have a well functioning sewage system comprised of sewers and sewage treatment plants (STPs). Nevertheless, the existing STPs are still not capable of properly treating the sewage, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The rural areas in China cover a large land, with two-third of the nation's population. The low educational and poor economic states make it hard to process self-protection and management. In the surveyed area in Henan, there was no STPs put into use as of 2004, and the sewer lines are not well organized. The big issue for the currently planned STPs is the collection system not included in the plans.

• Mycobiology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.121-125
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• 2013

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have mutualistic relationships with more than 80% of terrestrial plant species. This symbiotic relationship is ancient and would have had important roles in establishment of plants on land. Despite their abundance and wide range of relationship with plant species, AMF have shown low species diversity. However, molecular studies have suggested that diversity of these fungi may be much higher, and genetic variation of AMF is very high within a species and even within a single spore. Despite low diversity and lack of host specificity, various functions have been associated with plant growth responses to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonization. In addition, different community composition of AMF affects plants differently, and plays a potential role in ecosystem variability and productivity. AMF have high functional diversity because different combinations of host plants and AMF have different effects on the various aspects of symbiosis. Consequently, recent studies have focused on the different functions of AMF according to their genetic resource and their roles in ecosystem functioning. This review summarizes taxonomic, genetic, and functional diversities of AMF and their roles in natural ecosystems.

• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.149-158
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• 2016

Plants have evolved a vast chemical cornucopia to support their sessile lifestyles. Man has exploited this natural resource since Neolithic times and currently plant-derived chemicals are exploited for a myriad of applications. However, plant sources of most high-value natural products (NPs) are not domesticated and therefore their production cannot be undertaken on an agricultural scale. Further, these plant species are often slow growing, their populations limiting, the concentration of the target molecule highly variable and routinely present at extremely low concentrations. Plant cell and organ culture constitutes a sustainable, controllable and environmentally friendly tool for the industrial production of plant NPs. Further, advances in cell line selection, biotransformation, product secretion, cell permeabilisation, extraction and scale-up, among others, are driving increases in plant NP yields. However, there remain significant obstacles to the commercial synthesis of high-value chemicals from these sources. The relatively recent isolation, culturing and characterisation of cambial meristematic cells (CMCs), provides an emerging platform to circumvent many of these potential difficulties.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.315-337
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• 2018

Korean government temporarily shut down the coal-fired power plants built before 30 years and more from 6/1/2017 to 6/31/2017. This treatment provides a credible natural experiment regarding the regional $PM_{2.5}$ concentration and coal-fired generators. Based on this feature of the treatment, this study analyzed the causality between the old coal-fired power plants and regional $PM_{2.5}$ concentration. To be specific, we categorized two pollution monitoring stations nearby coal-fired power plants in Yeongdong into a treatment station and a control station based on the distance from the power plants. The control station is similar to the treatment station geographically and topographically, but its $PM_{2.5}$ concentration would not be directly affected by coal-fired power plants in Yeongdong. A difference-in-difference method was applied to identify the effects of the old coal-fire power plants on regional $PM_{2.5}$ concentration. The results show that the temporary shutdown would decrease $PM_{2.5}$ concentration nearby coal-fired power plants in Yeongdong by $3.7{\sim}4.4{\mu}g/m^3$.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.347-376
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• 2021

Investigating and evaluating regionally distributed plant resources provide fundamental information (inventory) to conserve plant diversity in target areas. Nevertheless, the examination of inventory to collect information in areas with little interest has been insufficient. In this study, the vicinity of Mt. Baegamsan(1,004m) was investigated for plant resources in the central and southern part of the Korean peninsula, which has received low interest. Nine surveys identified a total of 638 taxa consisting of 108 families, 339 genera, 572 species, 12 subspecies, 49 varieties, and 5 forms. One taxon was designated to be the endangered wild plant by the Ministry of Environment, and a total of 29 taxa were designated to be endemic species in Korea. Floristic target species identified by the surveys included 1 taxon for grade V, 13 taxa for grade IV, 36 taxa for grade III, 29s taxa for grade II, and 34 taxa for grade I. A total of 38 taxa were identified to be naturalized plants, and 3 of them were designated as invasive alien plants by the Ministry of Environment. There was a difference in plant distribution between western and eastern areas of Mt. Baegamsan. The endangered and valuable plants for conservation were mainly identified from Mt. Baegamsan peak area, the ridge, and the western area. Considering the plant distribution, the Mt. Baegamsan region, located on Nakdong-jungmaek, was estimated to be dispersal routes for plant expansion and retreat.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.193-203
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• 2014

Natural Monument is a designated cultural property as part of the country. According to Article 2 of the Cultural Properties Protection Act, a national, ethnic and global heritage artificially or naturally formed, with a great historical, artistic, scientific and landscape significance is defined as a cultural heritage. Animals, plants, topography, geology, minerals, caves, biological products and special natural phenomena, having a great of historic, scenic and scientific value, are defined as the monument. According to Article 3 of Cultural Properties Protection Act, the conservation, management and utilization of National Heritage should be kept intact in its original form. So, Natural monuments are managing as retained its original form under the Basic Principles of current law. The highest population of coniferous tree in natural monument plant is ginkgo tree including 22 objects, followed by pines, junipers that order. And in case of broadleaf tree, there are zelkova trees, retusa fringe trees, pagoda trees, cork oaks, silver magnolias and etc. There are many of reported efficacy in available natural monument plants. The efficacy of plant species on pharmaceutical like anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, antioxidant activity, neuroprotective, improves cholesterol, anti-inflammatory, liver protection and anti-bacterial efficacy, on cosmetics and beauty like the inhibiting formation of skin wrinkles, whitening effect, variety of materials and the efficacy of the proposed utilization of its various papers and etc have been widely reported. Before the Nagoya Protocol enters into force, the future role of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties Administration of Cultural Heritage should be obtain a legal right to manage the social, cultural and national natural monument with emotional value to the plant genetic resource as a natural monument efficient ways to study and preserve traditional knowledge biological resources by securing a claim to the sovereignty of the material will be ready.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.48-67
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• 2021

Plant species exhibit current characteristics as a result of interactions with environmental conditions. The plants of Viola sp. have selected chasmogamous flowers with vigorous vegetative propagation or development of cleistogamous flowers as an adaptation strategy. Viola websteri is distributed on the Korean peninsula and the eastern part of Jilin Province, China. The center and edge of the distribution are expected to exhibit different population-dynamics. It is necessary to investigate the cause of its current limited distribution even though V. websteri has a mixed-mating strategy. Firstly, We examined the vegetation environment of habitats and evaluated its characteristics. Growth characteristics were examined through plant phenology. We then evaluated the population structure, characteristics of chasmogamous flowers, and productivity of cleistogamous flowers. Moreover, we compared population sizes between 2014 and 2018. Most habitats were located in deciduous broadleaf mixed forests adjacent to valleys. V. websteri produced chasmogamous flowers with self-incompatibility in April-May and cleistogamous flowers in June-September. The cleistogamous flower production is a strategy ensuring seed production under uncertain environmental fluctuations; these were approximately twice as numerous as chasmogamous flowers. The population structure was distinguished into stable and very unstable regions. There were sites where the population experienced a sharp decline in the 2018 compared to that of 2014. This large decline was found in the edge populations. The habitats had different microsites depending on the natural disturbances of drought and the matrix constituting the habitat, thus supporting various plants. Ensuring the production of seeds through cleistogamous flowers, it was determined that rapid seedling re-establishment and population replenishment were possible when the natural disturbance factor was removed. Environmental factors did not equally affect all populations or individuals. Therefore, it was expected that it would be able to persisted in a long time, despite the rapid decrease in the number of individuals in the population regionally. Local extinction and re-establishment are likely to repeat according to environmental change. We propose the additional population investigation based on this works are required. We also suggest a need to assess the long-term population dynamics and the genetic characteristics of chasmogamous flowers and cleistogamous flowers to establish and implement effective conservation strategies.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.237-255
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• 2021

Lychnis wilfordii (Regel) Maxim. is one of the wetland specialists mainly distributed in peatlands at high latitudes. In Korea, it is isolated in two regions. This study investigated habitats, growth traits, and self-compatibility of L. wilfordii and assessed the internal dynamics of its population persistence. Its population has remained stable in the Yongneup Wetland Protected Area (YWPA). There was a clear difference in vegetation environment between YWPA and the distribution area in Daegwallyeong (DWL), Pyeongchang-gun. It has self-compatibility while pollinators facilitate its seed production. It produces a large number of hibernacles and bears the maximum number of branches and fruits in soil with rich organic contents. However, it grows and bears fruits even under the condition of low organic contents. In YWPA, L. wilfordii is not distributed in high moor but widely distributed in low moor where tussocks by Carex thunbergii var. appendiculata are developed. It is mainly distributed on the top of tussocks also. Therefore, it is judged that the formation, growth, and extinction of tussocks by C. thunbergii var. appendiculata is closely related to the establishment, growth, and extinction of plants distributed in this space. It is assessed that the current YWPA has well-developed tussocks in which L. wilfordii is widely distributed, and extinction and re-establishment progress well. Accordingly, the L. wilfordii population is expected to be sustainable in the long term given if its current ecological process is maintained well.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.95-105
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• 2021

Background and objective: A biosphere reserve is a complex concept that combines the preservation of biodiversity and the sustainable development with the region, outstanding ecosystems with worth conserving in worldwide. The purpose of this study is to suggest the way of zoning that can perform the functions of conservation, development, and logistics support of biosphere reserves. Methods: To meet the purpose of this study, the designation criteria, restrictions, and permissions of the protected area specified in the law for domestic protected areas were reviewed to classify the functions of a biosphere reserve. Results: Through this classification, 10 domestic protected areas with high ecological protection value, such as the natural beauty of the ecosystem, biodiversity, and habitats for wild animals and plants were derived as the core areas of the biosphere reserves. Also, a total of 21 protected zones that can function as a buffer to protect the core of the natural ecosystem from indiscriminate development such as resource protection, recovery, pollution prevention, and improvement were derived as appropriate sites for a buffer. In the review process, issues such as different behavioral restrictions and ranges of permission due to the application of different laws were identified, if two or more protected areas exist within one of the protected areas, there is a protected area that does not meet the criteria for designating use zone, or where behavior restrictions do not meet the zoning criteria of biosphere reserve, under the laws of domestic protected areas. Conclusion: Although this study was not able to carefully review most of the laws on domestic protected areas that are linked to other laws, it was able to categorize appropriate domestic protected areas that can act as the core and buffer zones of biosphere reserves.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.347-355
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• 2011

Effects of forest thinning on community level properties have not been understood yet in Korea. We investigated regeneration patterns and trajectories after a disturbance by applying a chronosequence approach. Light availability, litter and woody debris cover, and species composition were determined for twenty 50 m line-transect samples representing a disturbance duration gradient (within 11 years). Environmental factors such as light availability and coverage of woody debris and litter changed abruptly after thinning and then returned to the pre-disturbance state. Although species richness was gained at shrub and ground layer in a limited way in both forests, cover of various functional types revealed diversity in their responses. Notably, Alnus firma stands exhibited a larger increment of cover in woody plants. Ordination analysis revealed different regeneration trajectories between natural and planted stands. Based on ordination analysis, rehabilitated stands showed movement to alternative states compared with natural ones, reflecting lower resilience to perturbation (i.e., lower stability). Our results suggest that community resilience to artificial thinning depends on properties of the dominant species. But to get more explanatory ecological information, longer-term static observations are required.