Black fungus gnats play an important role as the decomposers in the forest ecosystem. Their larvae live on various organic matters, and the subfamily Sciarinae, in particular, have restricted habitats that feed on dead woods in the deep forest. We compared the biodiversity of family Sciaridae from two different habitats, the clear-cutting area (CA) and the pitch pine forest (PF) by the emergence traps (ET) and the pitfall traps (PT) from May to October, 2010. A total of 12 species were reliably identified to the species among 19 unique taxa belonging to 9 genera 4 subfamilies from 716 collected black fungus gnats. Taxonomic studies show that Corynoptera bicuspidata (Lengersdorf, 1926) (200 individuals, 27.9 % of total) and Cory. sinedens Hippa, Vilkamaa & Heller, 2010 (74 individuals, 10.3 % of total) dominate in the PF and the CA, respectively. Species richness and abundance of CA is lower than those of PF. Any species of subfamily Sciarinae were not collected in the CA. These findings indicate that the biodiversity of Sciaridae was influenced by forest management such as clear cutting, which leads to the changes of canopy cover, dead woods and leaf litter layer.

The present study is aimed to evaluate forest health in a fragmented urban forest using insects which are rarely used for evaluation of forest health. It is supposed that forest would be health if insect community in an urban forest is similar to that in healthy forests. Ants (Formicidae) and ground beetles (Carabidae) surveyed by pitfall trap method in the Hongneung forest located in the urban area of Seoul were compared with those in the Gwangneung forest. The Gwangneung forest is supposed to be health due to its high biodiversity and well-conserved nature. Ants of the Hongneung forest was much more abundant compared with those of the Gwangneung forest. However, ground beetles showed the opposite patterns; much more abundant in the Gwangneung forest than in the Hongneung forest. Species richness was higher in the Gwangneung forest than in the Hongneung forest, but species diversity was higher in the Hongneung forest. This dominance decreased species diversity in the Gwangneung forest. Thus, characteristics of insect community in the Hongneung forest were greatly different with that in the Gwangneung forest. This great difference of insect communities between the target and reference sites may indicate whether the Hongneung forest would not be health according to the working hypothesis, or may indicate simply the characteristic of the fragmented urban forest. In order to determine the significant decision, the repetitive studies are needed on this regard.

Distributions of ants are mainly dependent on temperature. Hence, global warming would lead to shifts of distribution and abundance in ants. We surveyed ants at 366 forest sampling sites in South Korea using pitfall traps to predict change of ant abundance. Abundances of ant species were projected on the projected temperature based on A1B climate scenario. Common species (> 10 % occurrence) were analyzed on the relationship between abundance and temperature, and 16 species of the common species were selected for projection of abundance owing to future climate warming. Abundance of the selected species were projected on 900 m2 grid cells in 2011 and 2060 using GIS tool. In the projection, 11 species are predicted to decrease in 2060, whereas 5 species are predicted to increase. Myrmica kotokui, a most dominant highland species is expected to decrease up to 2.5% of current abundance in 2060, whereas Pachycondyla chinensis is expected to increase up to 264%. This abrupt change of ants would lead to cascade effects on other organisms such as insects, plants, mushrooms, and birds, which would disturb various functions and services of forest ecosystems.

This study was carried out to clarify the response of butterfly communities on forest degradation in the Gwangneung Forest, Korea. We monitored butterfly communities with varying degrees of human activities by conducting line transect twice a month in 2011. A total of 70 species and 4,676 individuals butterflies were observed in four sites: natural forest, plantation forests, and Korean National Arboretum. Species richness increased with increasing open land. The result on niche breadth and habitat type of butterfly was consistent with our predictions; specialist species and forest interior species were abundant in natural forest, whereas generalist species and grassland species were abundant in Korea National Arboretum, the most modified area. Also, habitat breadth of butterflies clearly indicated the difference on the degree of forest degradation. Butterfly diversity associated with landscape patterns based on aerial photographs supported mosaic concept which indicates that species diversity increases as habitat heterogeneity and variability increase. Forest management plan that maintains various habitats and ensures grasslands is necessary to increase butterfly diversity in forest.

In the Northern Hemisphere, northward shifts due to global warming are apparent in various organisms such as butterflies, birds, and plants. In South Korea, ranges of butterflies are expected to shift northwards. We tested whether distribution limits of Korean butterflies shift northwards. We used two Korean butterfly atlases (1938-1950, 1977-2011) for analysis of the range shifts. Northern limits of southern species moved significantly northward (ca. 60 km) for 50 years, whereas southern limits of northern species did not significantly move northwards nor southwards. This finding parallels with other studies on butterflies and birds in Europe and North America.

녹색 섬의 형태로 존재하는 도시숲은 대도시에 서식하는 생물들의 주 서식공간이다. 도시숲은 면적이 적고, 임연부의 비율이 높다. 이러한 특성 때문에 도시 외곽의 산림의 나비군집에 비해 도시숲의 나비군집는 종다양성이 낮고, 초지종, 숲가장자리종과 생태지위 범위가 더 넓은 일반종의 비율이 높을 것으로 예상된다. 이러한 사실을 밝히기 위해 전형적인 도시숲인 홍릉숲에서 나비를 선조사법으로 주별로 조사하였다. 홍릉숲의 나비군집은 도시외곽의 산림에 사는 나비군집에 비해 종다양성이 월등히 낮았고, 초지종, 숲가장자리종과 일반종의 비율이 높아 예측되는 것과 동일한 결과를 얻었다. 홍릉숲에서 멸종위기 2급종인 쌍꼬리부전나비가 관찰됨으로서, 도시숲은 희귀종의 보존에 중요한 역할을 한다고 할 수있다

It is expected that the successful nationwide reforestation and the increased temperature would greatly change butterfly fauna in South Korea. We compared current data (2002~2007) regarding abundance and presence of butterfly species at two sites in the central portion of the Korean Peninsula to data from late 1950s and early 1970s for the same sites. The expected changes were documented by abundance change of butterflies at two study sites in the previous study. Using the same data, the greatly changed species and the change of species presence were analyzed. Population changes of 99 butterfly species which occurred at both sites were significantly correlated between two sites. The greatly increased species included three Southern (S) species and one Northern (N) species. However, the greatly declined species included five N species and no S species. This change is coincided with the expectation from the northward movements of butterfly species due to global warming. The current status of the greatly changed species was discussed on the review with other studies. The binary data(presence/absence) in present study support the expected changes of butterfly species based on global warming and reforestation. The interactive effect of two environmental changes was also recognized as like the change of abundance in the previous study.

Pine wilt disease (PWD) represents a major threat to forest ecosystems worldwide. Although PWD is now better understood, effective control measures for this disease have still not been devised. Here, we report several years of field studies on preventative silvicultural control of PWD. Silvicultural control through preventative clear-cutting and the manual removal of logs was implemented between 2005 and 2009 in 16 Korean districts that had newly PWD-infected stands. Preventative clear-cutting of neighbouring asymptomatic pine trees (within a 10 to 50-m radius ofwilt trees) and the removal of felled logs or branches suppressed spread of PWD. Occurrences of PWD wilt pines in districts (city or county) subjected to this silvicultural control method were significantly reduced compared with those in districts using conventional controls (physical or chemical treatment of wilt pine trees). Through silvicultural control, PWD was successfully suppressed in 11 of 16 districts investigated. In contrast, successful control was achieved in only 1 among 18 districts subjected to conventional control. Our results will be of considerable interest to those engaged in the very difficult battle against the global spread of PWD.

Ant species were reported to have specific vertical distribution in high mountains in Korea. The vertical distribution was recognized in Hanla mountain being highest in South Korea using pitfall traps in 2006. This phenomena suggests that temperature may be a main factor for distribution of ant species, since 0.5~0.6℃ of temperature decrease per each 100 m of altitude. The present study was carried out to test this hypothesis. Ant communities were surveyed using pitfall traps (ten traps per each site) at 234 sites, which included 9 high mountains in South Korea. The vertical distribution of ant species were found in all the high mountains. Abundance data (probability of occurrence, %) of seventeen abundant ant species which occurred at more than 10% of the study sites were analyzed using multiples regression analysis with four independent factors such as temperature, precipitation, light intensity, and NDVI. As results of the regression analysis, temperature was most important in determining the abundance in 11 of 17 species. Light intensity was most important in 3 species, and precipitation in 1 species. In the 11 species being highly dependent on temperature, determination index (R2) of regression model with one factor of temperature was approximately 90% of determination index of the regression model with all four factors. On the base of dependence on temperature and of ecological characteristics (ground foraging), six species such as Paratrechina flavipes, Myrmica kotokui, Pachycondyla javana, Pristomyrmex pungens, Camponotus atrox, and Crematogaster osakensis were selected as bioindicator for global warming. In the bioindicator ant species, M. kotokui and C. atrox were predicted to decline in abundance and distribution in Korean peninsula as temperature increases, whereas other four species including P. flavipes, P. javana, P. pungens, C. osakensis were predicted to increase. Temperature-Distribution models were established in four most temperature-responsive species including P. flavipes, P. javana, P. pungens, and M. kotokui, and distribution maps of the species were made from the model. Reversely, temperature was estimated from ant data of five bioindicator species using regression model, of which R2 is 0.66.

We've collected litter-dwelling predatory arthropods (spiders and carabid beetles) by using pitfall traps at four different fire intensity treatment areas (control, ground fire, canopy fire, and canopy fire with plantation) at four different regional areas in 2005. We analyzed the arthropod community structures with PC-Ord for the difference of arthropod community among the various fire intensity treatments and control. Our objective was to verify if there was any difference between fired areas and non fired area (control) and between canopy fire with plantation and canopy fire without plantation. From our arthropod community structures, we found there was distinct community composition difference between fired areas and non-fired area as well as between control and canopy fire treatment with plantation or non-plantation. However, we are not sure yet that there was any distinct difference between control and ground fire treatments. Our results from the multivariate analysis, Non-parametric Multidimensional Scaling ordination, could be relatively conclude that the main difference of arthropod community between fired areas and non-fired areal and canopy fire with plantation or non-plantation was caused from the difference of arthropod habitat pattern such as litter depth, litter volumem, CWD cover or volume, and et. al. When we compared to control and other treatments, we could also conclude that the canopy fire treatment with non-plantation was relatively closed to control than the canopy fire treatment with plantation.