• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.359-364
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• 2001

Regional variations of Dictyostelid cellular slime molds were examined using molecular data. The intertranscribed spacer regions including the 5.8S ribosomal DNA of 2 species(D. purpureum, P. violaceum) of Cellular Slime Molds were sequenced and analyzed. Among 13 strains of D. purpureum and 12 strains of P. violaceum analyzed, each two strains were obtained from ATCC and the others were isolated from the forest soils in Korea. The sequences of the 5.8S ribosomal DNA were conserved among the strains of the same species, but unexpectedly highly variable among species. A high level of genetic diversity was found which was best resolved at the genus/species level as well as the family level by sequence data from the ITS 1 and ITS 2 regions. According to the sequence alignments by CLUSTAL X and the phylogeographic analyses by PAUP, 12 strains of P. violaceum were divided into three groups among which there were no difference of the morphological characteristics. Among 13 strains of D. purpureum, genetic variations were related to two morphological types, the temperate and subtropical type. There was no variation pattern according to geography in Korea, but there were some variations between Korea and other countries.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.64-70
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• 2012

This study compares the abundance and community structure of zooplankton organisms from the littoral and pelagic regions, and considers particularly trophic levels vs. zooplankton abundances. Zooplankton samples, collected every 3 months over a year from 2010 to 2011 at 29 temperate lakes and reservoirs, which belong to two different river basins (Youngsan and Seomjin River). The spatial pattern of rotifers was similar to that of total zooplankton abundance. This reflected the fact that rotifers strongly dominated the zooplankton community. There were considerable spatial variations in total zooplankton abundance (ANOVA, p<0.01), while there were no significant differences both in littoral and pelagic regions in abundance of zooplankton (ANOVA, p=0.205). The mean abundance of zooplankton in eutrophic systems was much higher than that of mesotrophic systems, while significant difference in number of species and diversity index were not shown in both trophic systems.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.205-216
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• 2010

This research identified a disturbance regime caused by wild boar in a mature Quercus mongolica forest and analyzed the impact of this disturbance on the structure and distribution of herbaceous plants in Mt. Jeombong, Korea. We demonstrate that disturbance by wild boar was most frequent from winter to early spring, but also occurred year round. Areas which were frequently disturbed by wild boar included the mountain ridge, the mild slope on the north face, and sites with high concentration of Erythronium japonicum. The disturbance cycle by the wild boar in this region was estimated at approximately 2.8 years. The wild boar's reduced the community's species diversity and herbaceous coverage, and increased its evenness. This disturbance reduced the coverage of spring ephemeral; Veratrum nigrum var. ussuriense, Symplocarpus niponnicus, Anemone koraiensis and Corydalis turtschaninovii were particularly sensitive. In addition, summer green herbaceous plants such as Astilbe chinensis, Ainsliaea acerifolia, Meehania urticifolia, and Pimpinella brachycarpa were sensitive to the wild boar's. It was found that wild boar ate E. japonicum most selectively of all plants in this investigation area. In conclusion, together with micro-topography, wind, formation of gaps of a forest and rearrangement of litter layer, wild boar's disturbance is an important factor influencing the dynamic changes of an herbaceous community in a mature temperate hardwood forest.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.19-29
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• 2013

Cicuta virosa is an endangered species in Korea, which is a southern marginal area. To conserve and restore habitats of this plant, we investigated water and soil environmental characteristics and vegetation at four habitats during the growing season. The C. virosa habitats differed in community structure, water and substrate properties, and water regime. Although the total distribution ranges of the water and soil environments for C. virosa were wide and overlapped with the optimal environmental range of distribution of accompanying species, the optimal water level range for C. virosa was defined as $7{\pm}3.5$ cm. Water level was adjusted by substrate structure such as a mound of P. japonica and a floating mat comprised of accompanying species. A floating mat was an aid to maintain an optimal and stable water level in deep or fluctuating water and to prevent strong competition with prolific macrophytes. The GS sampling site, which had floating mats, could be a good model for C. virosa conservation in a warm temperate region, whereas the PC sampling sites, which experienced a water shortage in spring, provided a clue about the decline in C. virosa population size.

• ALGAE
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.267-280
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• 2013

The marine algal flora of the Keret Archipelago ($66^{\circ}$ N, $33^{\circ}$ E) in the White Sea, Russia was investigated during 2008. Over 250 algal records from more than 15 islands and several sites on the adjoining mainland produced a total of 62 algal species. This raised the total from 56 to 88 species of Chlorophyta (23 species), Phaeophyceae (31 species), Rhodophyta (33 species), and Tribophyceae (1 species) of which seven were new records or verifications of ambiguous records for the White Sea and 11 species are new for the Keret Archipelago. The new or confirmed records included species of Blidingia, Eugomontia, Prasiola, Rosenvingiella, and Ulothrix (Chlorophyta), Acrochaetium, Colaconema (Rhodophyta), and Vaucheria (Tribophyceae). Five species of flowering plants (Aster, Plantago, Triglochin, and Zostera) were associated with the macrophytic algal vegetation of the region. Five fucoid algae in Pelvetia, Fucus, and Ascophyllum provide a picture of a temperate flora. Regardless, the overall species richness is consistent with an arctic nature to the flora. This discrepancy is attributed to the 'filter' provided by the Barents Sea of the Arctic Ocean for post-glacial colonization of the White Sea.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2001

Ruminal degradation characteristics of dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and crude protein (CP) in fresh leaves of two Japanese native grasses (Zoysia japonica and Miscanthus sinensis) and one sown temperate grass (Dactylis glomerata) were investigated by an in sacco method in spring (mid-May), summer (mid-July) and autumn (mid-September). Japanese native grasses had higher NDF and lower CP concentrations than D. glomerata, and the CP concentration in native grasses decreased in autumn. Ruminal degradability of DM, NDF and CP was lower in native grasses than in D. glomerata (p<0.05) in all seasons. DM and NDF degradability decreased in summer for Z. japonica and D. glomerata, while it decreased in autumn for M. sinensis. CP degradability in Z. japonica was constant throughout the seasons, whereas that in M. sinensis greatly decreased in summer and autumn (p<0.05). It was concluded that Z. japonica could stably supply ruminally digestible nutrients for grazing animals in Japanese native pasture. However, the degradation characteristics of freshly chopped native grasses did not fit the exponential model of $D=a+b(1-e^{-ct})$ proposed by Ørskov and McDonald.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.468-473
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• 2007

White rot fungi, Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Phanerochaete sordida, have been mostly studied in a variety of industrial processes like biopulping and pulp bleaching as well as in bioremediation. Whereas P. sordida is widely distributed in the North Temperate Zone, P. chrysosporium is reported in the restricted area and hundreds of reports have been described from a few strains of P. chrysosporium, which are deposited at various fungal collections in the world. The isolates of two species are not easily discriminated because of their morphological and molecular similarity. Through the ITS sequence analyses, a region containing substantial genetic variation between the two species was identified. PCR amplification using two specific primers was successfully used to differentiate P. chrysosporium from P. sordida. These results were supported by cultural studies. The growth rates at $37^{\circ}C$ on PDA, MEA, and Cza and the microscopic features of conidia on PDA and YMA were also very useful to differentiate those two species.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.279-289
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• 1998

To monitor vegetation structure of evergreen broad-leaved forest, twenty plots were set up at Wando Arboretum in 1996. Twenty plots were divided into ten experimental plots and control plots. A few evergreen broad-leaved species were planted after selective cutting at ten experimental plots. Dominant species of twenty plots were Quercus acuta, Q. acuta and Carpinus tschonoskii, Pinus densiflora, etc.. Vegetation structure of the experimental plots showed seral stage of succession from P. densiflora community or deciduous broad-leaved forest to Q. acuta community. Dominant species of the experimental plots were changed to Q. acuta or P. densiflora after selective cutting. And a number of species and individuals, coverages etc. were increased at shrub and ground cover layer after treatment.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.414-422
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• 2008

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and methane emissions from landfill sites have been linked to global warming. In this study, LandGEM (Landfill Gas Emission Model) was applied to predict landfill gas quantity over time, and then this result was compared with the data surveyed on the site, Cheongju Megalo Landfill. LandGEM allows the input of site-specific values for methane generation rate (k) and potential methane generation capacity $L_o$, but in this study, k value of 0.04/yr and $L_o$ value of $100\;m^3$/ton were considered to be most appropriate for reflecting non-arid temperate region conventional landfilling like Cheongju Megalo Landfill. Relatively high discrepancies between the surveyed data and the predicted data about landfill gas seems to be derived from insufficient compaction of daily soil-cover, inefficient recovery of landfill gas and banning of direct landfilling of food waste in 2005. This study can be used for dissemination of information and increasing awareness about the benefits of recovering and utilizing LFG (landfill gas) and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.160-165
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• 2009

The temperate Staphylococcus aureus phage ${\Phi}11$ harbors cI and cro repressor genes similar to those of lambdoid phages. Using extremely pure ${\Phi}11$ Cro (the product of the ${\Phi}11$ cro gene) we demonstrated that this protein possesses a single domain structure, forms dimers in solution at micromolar concentrations and maintains a largely $\alpha$-helical structure even at $45^{\circ}C$. ${\Phi}11$ Cro was sensitive to thermolysin at temperatures ranging from $55-75^{\circ}C$ and began to aggregate at ${\sim}63^{\circ}C$, suggesting that the protein is moderately thermostable. Of the three homologous 15-bp operators (O1, O2, and O3) in the ${\Phi}11$ cI-cro intergenic region, ${\Phi}11$ Cro only binds efficiently to O3, which is located upstream of the cI gene. Our comparative analyses indicate that the DNA binding capacity, secondary structure and dimerization efficiency of thermostable ${\Phi}11$ Cro are distinct from those of P22 Cro and $\lambda$ Cro, the best characterized representatives of the two structurally different Cro families.