• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.24 no.2 s.62
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• pp.160-165
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the prey composition and utilization of the Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra, in the ecosystem conservation region of the Seomjin River. The study was conducted for a 12-month period from March 2003 to February 2004 by spraints analysis and an investigation using artificial holts. We found seasonal variation in the number of spraints and composition of prey items. Fish were the main prey items throughout the period (82%), and other prey items included birds (14%), amphibians (2%) and arthropods (1%). In addition to prey identification, we investigated habitat utilization by otters through spraints distribution. The traces of otters were discovered in five of the six total artificial holts. However, the utilization of the artificial holts in the study area seemed to be limited as evidenced by the low frequency of traces in the holts.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.54-58
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• 2018

Diet composition of amphibians usually reflects the distribution of potential prey within habitats, as well as their diet preference. We identified the diet items of Japanese tree frog (Hyla japonica) using a stomach flushing method in a rice paddy for the establishment of bio-monitoring systems of landscape changes. During the reproductive period, 71% of calling males had empty stomachs. All prey items in the stomachs belonged to the phylum Arthropoda, from eight orders of Insecta and one order of Arachnida. Among insect prey, the most common items in the stomachs were adults of beetles, flies and bugs, and larvae of butterflies and moths. There was a significant positive correlation between the body mass of Japanese tree frogs and the volume of prey items. Our results can provide a basic framework to guide the monitoring systems using prey identification of Japanese tree frogs.

• ALGAE
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.67-74
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• 2017

The heterotrophic dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis marina is known to produce high levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) when fed on diverse algal prey. However, large-scale culturing of algal prey species is not easy and requires a large amount of budget, and thus more easily cultivable and low-cost prey is required. Dried yeast was selected as a strong candidate for an alternative prey in our preliminary tests. Thus, we explored the fatty acid composition and DHA production of O. marina fed on dried yeast and compared these results to those of O. marina fed on two algal prey species: the phototrophic dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae and chlorophyte Chlorella sp. powder. O. marina fed on dried yeast, which does not contain DHA, produced the same high level of DHA as those fed on DHA-containing A. carterae. This indicates that O. marina is likely to produce DHA by itself regardless of prey items. Furthermore, the DHA content (and portion of total fatty acid methyl esters) of O. marina satiated with dried yeast, 52.40 pg per cell(and 25.9%), was considerably greater than that of O. marina fed on A. carterae (26.91 pg per cell; 15.7%) or powder of Chlorella sp. powder (21.24 pg per cell; 16.7%). The cost of dried yeast (approximately 10 US dollars for 1 kg dried yeast) was much lower than that of obtaining the algal prey (approximately 160 US dollars for 1 kg A. carterae). Therefore, compared to conventional algal prey, dried yeast is a more easily obtainable and lower-cost prey for use in the production of DHA by O. marina.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.168-176
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• 2023

Background: Many insectivorous bats have flexible diets, and the difference in prey item consumption among species is one of the key mechanisms that allows for the avoidance of interspecies competition and promotes coexistence within a microhabitat. In Korea, of the 24 bat species that are known to be distributed, eight insectivorous bats use forest areas as both roosting and foraging sites. Here, we aimed to understand the resource partitioning and coexistence strategies between two bat species, Myotis ikonnikovi and Plecotus ognevi, cohabiting the Mt. Jumbong forests, by comparing the differences in dietary consumption based on habitat utilization. Results: Upon examining their dietary composition using the DNA meta-barcoding approach, we identified 403 prey items (amplicon sequence variants). A greater prey diversity including Lepidoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, and Ephemeroptera, was detected from M. ikonnikovi, whereas most prey items identified from P. ognevi belonged to Lepidoptera. The diversity index of prey items was higher for M. ikonnikovi (H': 5.67, D: 0.995) than that for P. ognevi (H': 4.31, D: 0.985). Pianka's index value was 0.207, indicating little overlap in the dietary composition of these bat species. Our results suggest that M. ikonnikovi has a wider diet composition than P. ognevi. Conclusions: Based on the dietary analysis results, our results suggests the possibility of differences in foraging site preferences or microhabitat utilization between two bat species cohabiting the Mt. Jumbong. In addition, these differences may represent one of the important mechanism in reducing interspecific competition and enabling coexistence between the two bat species. We expected that our results will be valuable for understanding resource partitioning and the coexistence of bats inhabiting the Korean forests.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.54-61
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• 2020

Background: Most fish undergo prey switch from juvenile to adult. It is thought that slightly different feeding habits occur among adult fishes due to growth, spawning, habitat change, and so on. Therefore, the diet of the John Dory Zeus faber (≥ 24 cm TL) was studied in the coastal waters of Korea by analysis of stomach contents, with comparison by season and size class of diet composition and prey diversity. Monthly samples were taken from February 2017 to January 2018. Results: The results showed that the John Dory was a piscivorous predator, and pisces had occupied 82.3% of IRI%. Trichiurus lepturus and Trachurus japonicus were important preys in all size classes and seasons. Diet composition differed among the size classes and seasons (Chi-square test, P < 0.05). As body size of Z. faber increased, the occurrence of benthic fish (Glyptocephalus stelleri) tended to increase. The seasonal prey composition also changed depending on the abundant species of each season. Conclusions: Z. faber is a piscivorous predator. The consumption habits of Z. faber appear to different results by their size and seasons. This study suggests that Z. faber could be considered an opportunistic predator.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.117-126
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• 2021

Diet composition and trophic level of Trachurus japonicus were studied using 417 specimens collected by trawls, set nets and purse seine fisheries from March 2019 to February 2020 in the South Sea of Korea. The size of T. Japonicus ranged from 7.0 to 49.8 cm in total length. T. japonicus were a carnivore that fed mainly on euphausiids and pisces. In eddition, T. japonicus fed on small quantities of cephalopods, crabs etc. T. japonicus showed ontogenetic changes in feeding habits. The proportion of euphausiids decreased inversely proportional to body size whereas the consumption of pisces gradually increased. As body size of T. japonicus increased the mean number of prey per stomach and the mean weight of prey per stomach tended to increase, but the mean number of prey per stomach was not significantly different. As a result of the feeding strategy analysis, T. japonicus were specialized feeders with pisces and euphausiids as their dominant prey. The trophic level ranged between 3.57 ± 0.54 and 3.91 ± 0.65, and increased asymptotically with size of specimens. The average trophic level of the T. japonicus was 3.79 ± 0.61.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.728-733
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• 2023

The diet composition of octopus Octopus vulgaris was studied using 392 specimens collected from January to December 2020 in the coastal waters of Yeosu, Korea. The body weight ranged from 86.4 to 3,645.4 g. The most important prey item in the diet of O. vulgaris was decapods, which constituted 43.9% in ranking index (%RI). The second largest prey item was Pisces (%RI=27.9%), and cephalopods (%RI=21.8%) constituted the third largest prey item. The average trophic level of O. vulgaris was 3.97±0.59. Ontogenetic changes were significant among size classes (<400 g, 400-800 g, ≥800 g). The small size class (<400 g) mainly fed on decapods, whereas the medium (400-800 g) and large size (≥800 g) classes mainly fed on cephalopods and Pisces, respectively. The dietary composition varied significantly with season.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 2014

Feeding habits of white croacker, Pennahia argentata, were analyzed by using the stomach contents of 153 specimens caught by bottom trawl from May 2011 to March 2012 in the Sejon island, Korea. To know feeding habits of the white croacker, P. argentata, a species composition and it's fluctuation were analyzed based on growth. White croacker, P. argentata caught in the area composes 15 species. The most species in an number of the prey was Macrura which was occupied at 66.4% from whole prey, the second most species was Pisces which was occupied at 20.3%. The most species in an wet-weight of the prey was Pisces which was 49.3% out of the whole specimens. The second most species was Macrura which was 43.3%. The frequency occurrence of the prey was Macrura which was 68.6%, the next one was Pisces which was 28.8%. The highest Index of Relative Importance (IRI) of the prey was Macrura which was 78.2%, the next one was Pisces which was 28.8%. A number of the prey per specimen of small, middle and large class were 1.3, 1.5, 1.7, respectively. A wet weight of the prey per specimen of small, middle and large class were 0.2, 0.6, 0.2 g, respectively.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.20-30
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• 2022

The present study was carried out to investigate the food and feeding habits of Oreochromis niloticus in Lake Shala to manage this species in this high Soda Lake. Stomachs of 226 fish (65.9%) had different food items, while those of 117 fish (34.1%) were empty. Phytoplankton was the dominant food categories occurring in 90.3% of the stomachs estimated and contributed 75.5% of the total volume. Bacillariophyceae (Nitzschia, Anomoeoneis, Navicula and Melosira) were identified as the most desired phytoplankton item. The prey items of O. niloticus differed among size classes (ANOVA, p < 0.05). The main prey items were zooplankton by the smaller-size class, and phytoplankton in fish of the larger-size class. Seasonal variation in the diet composition was evident (t-test, p < 0.05) and zooplankton, chironomids, nematodes, fish scales and detritus were important during the wet season, while phytoplankton predominates during the dry season. This study concludes that O. niloticus had a phytoplanktivores feeding mainly on phytoplankton and their feeding habits influenced by season and fish size in Lake Shala.

• ALGAE
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.277-292
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• 2020

Omega-3 fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are polyunsaturated fatty acids beneficial to human health. A limited number of microalgae have been used for commercial omega-3 production, which necessitates the identification of new microalgae with high omega-3 contents. We explored the fatty acid composition and EPA and DHA contents of the mixotrophic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium smaydae fed with the optimal algal prey species Heterocapsa rotundata. Cells of G. smaydae were found to be rich in omega-3 fatty acids. In particular, the DHA content of G. smaydae was 21 mg g^-1 dry weight, accounting for 43% of the total fatty acid content. The percentage of DHA in the total fatty acid content of G. smaydae was the highest among the reported microalgae except for Crypthecodinium cohnii. Moreover, to determine if the prey supply interval affected the growth rate of G. smaydae and its fatty acid content, three different prey supply intervals (daily, once every 2 d, and once for 4 d) were tested. Daily prey supply yielded the highest total fatty acid and DHA contents in G. smaydae. Furthermore, we successfully produced high-density G. smaydae cultures semi-continuously for 43 d with daily prey supply. During the semi-continuous cultivation period, the highest density of G. smaydae was 57,000 cells mL^-1, with an average growth rate of 0.7 d^-1. Taken together, the percentage of EPA and DHA in the total fatty acid content was maintained in the range of 54.2-56.9%. The results of this study support G. smaydae as a promising microalgal candidate for commercial DHA production and demonstrate that daily supply of prey can efficiently produce high-density G. smaydae cultures for more than a month.