Springtails (class Collembola) play a crucial role in soil ecosystems. They are commonly used as standard species in soil toxicity assessments. According to the ISO 11267 guidelines established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Allonychiurus kimi uses adult survival and juvenile production as toxicity assessment endpoint. Conventional toxicity assessment methods require manually counting adults and larvae under a microscope after experiments, which is time-consuming and laborintensive. To overcome these limitations, this study developed a model using YOLOv8 to detect and count both adults and juveniles of A. kimi. An AI model was trained using a training dataset and evaluated using a validation dataset. Both training and validation datasets used for AI model were created by picturing plate images that included adults and larvae. Statistical comparison of validation dataset showed no significant difference between manual and automatic counts. Additionally, the model achieved high accuracies (Precision=1.0, Recall=0.95 for adults; Precision=0.95, Recall=0.83 for juveniles). This indicates that the model can successfully detect objects. Additionally, the system can automatically measure body areas of individuals, enabling more detailed assessments related to growth and development. Therefore, this study establishes that AI-based counting methods in toxicity assessments with offer high levels of accuracy and efficiency can effectively replace traditional manual counting methods. This method significantly enhances the efficiency of large-scale toxicity evaluations while reducing researcher workload.

Ecosystems provide various ecosystem services based on biodiversity. However, biodiversity is facing crises due to anthropogenic factors such as pollution, land use change, and climate change. Threats to biodiversity can significantly impact the provision and stability of ecosystem services, extending beyond simple species decline. To address threats to biodiversity, it is crucial to evaluate how anthropogenic factors affect not only biodiversity but also ecosystem services. This study aims to investigate the energy flux in a post-mining area based on the biodiversity of soil ecosystems and assess its suitability as an evaluation metric. It was observed that as the concentration of the primary pollutant, arsenic, increased, both the biomass of soil organisms and energy flux decreased. Furthermore, soil ecosystem multifunctionality may be negatively affected by pollution. These findings contribute to understanding the impact of pollution on soil ecosystem biodiversity and energy flux in post-mining areas and provide important information for more effective conservation and management of ecosystem services.

The ecosystem provides a diverse array of environmental conditions for organisms, and only those that are capable of successfully adapting to these conditions within their habitats can endure, thrive, and proliferate. Further, the environmental conditions within these habitats can significantly affect the bioavailability of chemicals that are introduced therein, thus resulting in varied adverse impacts on the organisms. The present study aims to evaluate the sensitivity of Yuukianura szeptyckii - a species adapted to riparian - to heavy metals following ISO guideline 11276, with the objective of assessing its potential as an indicator species for ecotoxicological evaluations in riparian habitats. The findings revealed that cadmium and copper both had significant toxic effects depending on their concentrations. For cadmium, the LC50 was 280 mg kg-1, EC50 was 66 mg kg-1, and NOEC and LOEC were 25 and 50 mg kg-1, respectively. For copper, the LC50 was 911 mg kg-1, EC50 was 151 mg kg-1, and LOEC was 50 mg kg-1. Comparative analysis with previous results for the international standard species Folsomia candida and the domestic standard species Allonychiurus kimi indicated that Y. szeptyckii exhibited even greater sensitivity to toxicity values. The adverse effects on survival and reproduction were closely associated with the influx concentration of heavy metals in their bodies. Altogether, the results suggest that Y. szeptyckii is a sensitive species for ecotoxicological assessments in riparian habitats, thus making it suitable as an indicator species, particularly in riparian ecosystems that are characterized by relatively high humidity conditions.

Many changes in the scale and structure of the Korean rice cropping system have been made over the past few decades. Still, insufficient research has been conducted on the sustainability of this system. This study analyzed changes in the Korean rice cropping system’s sustainability from a system ecology perspective using an emergy approach. For this purpose, an emergy table was created for the Korean rice cropping system in 2011, 2016, and 202, and an emergy-based indicator analysis was performed. The emergy analysis showed that the total emergy input to the rice cropping system decreased from 10,744E+18 sej year-1 to 8,342E+18 sej year-1 due to decreases in paddy field areas from 2011 to 2021, and the proportion of renewable resources decreased by 1.4%. The emergy input per area (ha) was found to have decreased from 13.13E+15 sej ha-1 year-1 in 2011 to 11.89E+15 sej ha-1 year-1 in 2021, and the leading cause was a decrease in nitrogen fertilizer usage and working hours. The amount of emergy used to grow 1 g of rice stayed the same between 2016 and 2021 (specific emergy: 13.3E+09 sej g-1), but the sustainability of the rice cropping system (emergy sustainability index, ESI) continued to decrease (2011: 0.107, 2016: 0.088, and 2021: 0.086). This study provides quantitative information on the emergy input structure and characteristics of Korean rice cropping systems. The results of this study can be used as a valuable reference in establishing measures to improve the ecological sustainability of the Korean rice cropping system.

Glyphosate, a worldwide most used herbicides, can have complex implications for terrestrial ecosystems, extending beyond its intended target, weed control. This study investigated the cascading effects of glyphosate application on both plant and collembolan communities. Our findings reveal that glyphosate application can reduce the richness of plant communities, and these effects can be pronounced in areas with low initial plant diversity. Furthermore, our results confirm that the fluctuations in plant community composition induced by glyphosate application can also impact the richness of collembolan communities. This research highlights the importance of considering both plant and invertebrate communities when assessing the impacts of herbicide use in agroecosystems.

The effects of temperature and salinity on egg development and settlement of the ascidian Herdmania momus were investigated. Adult specimens were collected from the Dodu Yacht facility in Jeju Island, Korea (33°30′30.54″N, 126°27′55.46″E) in August 2018. Egg development and larval settlement were observed and recorded at 8 h intervals using a stereomicroscope, under nine temperature (10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, and 34°C), and four salinity regimens (28, 30, 32, and 34 psu). The highest hatching rate (82.8±7%) was observed at 32 psu and 25°C and the lowest hatching rate (1.0±2%) was at 34 psu and 13°C. The developmental rate (0.222±0.0994) was highest at 28 psu and 28°C, and lowest (0.016±0.008) at 30 psu and 13°C. The highest settlement success rate (77.1±5%) was at 32 psu and 25°C and the lowest (0.1±1.0%) was at 30 psu, and 13°C. The rate of settlement (0.080±0.000) was highest at 28 psu and 28°C, and lowest (0.013±0.000) at 30 psu and 13°C. Both hatching and settlement success rates increased as temperature increased and tended to decrease beyond an optimal temperature range. Herdmania momus preferred 30-34 psu salinity and 22-25°C temperature. This study provides baseline information about the life history of H. momus, and important data to control the damage caused by the increase in number and distribution of this invasive ascidian.

본 연구의 목적은 질산, 황산, 암모니아수, 과산화수소에 대한 생태독성평가를 통해서 사고대비물질들에 대한 기초 독성 데이터베이스를 구축하여, 향후 화학사고 발생시 환경 피해에 관한 의사결정에 과학적 근거를 제공하는 데 있다. 이를 위해 본 연구에서는 사고대비물질 중 토양의 물리·화학적 성질을 변화시킬 수 있는 질산, 황산, 암모니아수, 과산화수소를 대상으로 국내 토착 절지동물인 김어리 톡토기 (Paronychiurus kimi)를 이용한 생태독성평가를 수행하였다. 7일간의 급성독성평가와 28일간의 만성독성평가를 수행하였으며, 시험물질 농도에 따른 토양의 pH 변화를 관찰하였다. 토양의 pH는 질산, 황산, 과산화수소, 암모니아수의 농도가 10,000 mg kg-1 soil dry wt.일 때, 각각 2.86, 2.72, 7.18, 9.69이었다. 질산, 황산, 과산화수소, 암모니아수에 대한 만성독성평가 결과, LC50 값은 각각 2,703, 5,414, 3,158, 859 mg kg-1 soil dry wt.이었으며, P. kimi의 산란 수에 대한 EC50 값은 각각 587, 2,148, 1,300, 216 mg kg-1 soil dry wt.이었다. 비록 본 연구에서는 사고대비물질들의 유입에 따른 토양 pH의 변화만이 조사되었지만, 본 연구의 결과는 P. kimi가 사고대비물질에 의해 변화된 토양의 pH뿐만 아니라 사고대비물질의 유입에 의해 감소된 유기물 함량과 생성된 반응 산물에 의해서도 사망률과 산란수에 영향을 받을 수 있음을 의미한다. 대부분의 사고대비물질들이 토양의 특성을 변화시킬 수 있다는 점을 감안할 때, 토양의 특성 변화와 이에 따른 생물 영향을 고려한 화학사고 후 평가 및 복원 방법이 필요하다.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the toxic effects of zinc in collembolan Paronychiurus kimi at the individual (survival and juvenile production) and population (population growth and age structure) levels after 28 days of exposure in artificially spiked soil. These toxic effects were interpreted in conjunction with the internal zinc concentrations in P. kimi. The EC50 value for juvenile production based on the total zinc concentration was 457 mg Zn kg-1 dry soil, while the LC50 value for adult survival and ri=0 value for population growth were within the same order of magnitude (2,623 and 1,637 mg Zn kg-1 dry soil, respectively). Significant differences in adult survival, juvenile production, and population growth compared with the control group were found at concentrations of 1,500, 375, and 375 mg Zn kg-1 dry or higher, respectively, whereas significant differences in the age structure, determined by the proportion of each age group in the population, were observed in all treatment groups. It appeared that the internal zinc level in P. kimi was regulated to some extent at soil zinc concentrations of ≤375 mg Zn kg-1 dry soil, but not at high soil zinc concentrations. These results indicate that, despite zinc being regulated by P. kimi, excess zinc exceeding the regulatory capacity of P. kimi can trigger changes in the responses at the individual and population levels. Given that population dynamics are affected not only by individual level but also by population level endpoints, it is concluded that the toxic effects of pollutants should be assessed at various levels.

During a recent study to understand an interaction of Collembola community and their environmental factors, two species in the genus Folsomia, F. quadrioculata Tullberg 1871 and F. octoculata Handschin 1925, were found in the forest of South Korea. From 2013 to 2015, these two species were sampled from six mountains and F. quadrioculata or F. octoculata was the dominant species in 5 sampling sites among 6 sampling sites. F. quadriocualta and F. octoculata were found in litter of deciduous and pine forest, respectively. Therefore, the major tree species seems to be one of the important factors determining their habitat. F. quadiroculata is newly recorded from the Korean Peninsula and F. octoculata is redescribed based on new materials from South Korea.

In this study, Folsomia octoculata and Folsomia quadrioculata which is common and representative Collembola species in temperate forests of Korea, were selected as potential bioindicator species. Through three years of survey of the density of the two Folsomia species and environmental factors of the sampling sites, the distribution and habitat preference of the two Folsomia species was investigated. The habitats of the two species were highly distinguished, mainly due to differences in preference for temperature, organic matter content, pH, available phosphorus. In addition, these two-species showed different preferences for vegetation. F. quadrioculata and F. octoculata were mainly found in habitat which Quercus and Pinus sp. live, respectively. This is because the distributions of two tree species are the result of interaction with temperature, available phosphoric acid, and soil organic matter content.