Present study investigated fish community at 12 sites within Yudeungcheon Stream in October 2018 and May 2019 to understand the inhabit status of the endangered species Pseudopungtungia nigra. We collected 39 species and 2,554 individuals of fish, and the Fish Assessment Index (FAI) was evaluated as “Good (B)” with an average score of 66.8. Among collected fishes, 15 endemic and 2 invasive species, Micropterus salmoides and Lepomis macrochirus were identified. In the distribution survey of P. nigra, it appeared in a range of approximately 12 km from Maebawiyuwonji Park (St. 5) to Budnaedari Bridge (St. 10). Based on population collected in May, the age of P. nigra (female) were divided into three groups by the length-frequency distribution method: 1 year old (60~76 mm), 2 years old (82~99 mm), and more than 3 years old (100~117 mm). Total length of the minimum maturity individual was 60 mm, and was a 1 year old. The estimated average population size using the Jolly-Seber method was 5,804 individuals in the Suryeongyo Bridge. Our study provides fundamental information about the fish community and River health assessment in Yudeungcheon Stream. Furthermore, we are expected to provide ecological information of the P. nigra, consequently helping to establish conservation and restoration plans for endangered species.

This study presents a fine scale distribution of the endangered species, Odontobutis obscura, through field surveys and literature reviews. Using the mark-recapture method, the population size in major habitats was determined. Field surveys conducted on 18 streams in Geoje Island revealed that the O. obscura was only found in the main streams and tributaries of the Sanyang, Gucheon, and Buchun Streams, which are part of the Sanyang Stream watershed. The O. obscura exhibited relative abundances ranging from 0.5% to 35.3% at different locations, with certain spots showing higher relative abundances (18.8% to 35.3%), indicating major habitat areas. A review of six literature studies confirmed the presence of the O. obscura, although there were differences in occurrence status depending on the purpose, scope, and duration of the studies. Combining the results of field and literature surveys, it was found that the O. obscura inhabits the main and tributary streams of the Sanyang, Gucheon, and Buchun Streams, from the upper to lower reaches. Currently, the O. obscura population in the Sanyang Stream watershed maintains a stable habitat, but its limited distribution range suggests potential issues such as genetic diversity deficiency in the long term. The population size of the O. obscura was confirmed at two specific locations, with densities of 0.5 to 1.5 individuals per m2. The average movement distance from the release point was 13.1 m, indicating the limited mobility characteristic of ambush predators. Understanding the distribution and population size of endangered species is the first step towards their conservation and protection. Based on this information, further research could significantly contribute to the conservation of the O. obscura.

This study utilizes association rule learning and clustering analysis to explore the co-occurrence and relationships within ecosystems, focusing on the endangered brackish-water snail Clithon retropictum, classified as Class II endangered wildlife in Korea. The goal is to analyze co-occurrence patterns between brackish-water snails and other species to better understand their roles within the ecosystem. By examining co-occurrence patterns and relationships among species in large datasets, association rule learning aids in identifying significant relationships. Meanwhile, K-means and hierarchical clustering analyses are employed to assess ecological similarities and differences among species, facilitating their classification based on ecological characteristics. The findings reveal a significant level of relationship and co-occurrence between brackish-water snails and other species. This research underscores the importance of understanding these relationships for the conservation of endangered species like C. retropictum and for developing effective ecosystem management strategies. By emphasizing the role of a data-driven approach, this study contributes to advancing our knowledge on biodiversity conservation and ecosystem health, proposing new directions for future research in ecosystem management and conservation strategies.

수염풍뎅이(Polyphylla laticollis manchurica)는 과거에는 흔히 발견되었으나, 1970년대 이후 한반도 내 개체수 가 급격히 감소하여 2005년 환경부에 의해 멸종위기 야생생물 Ⅰ급으로 지정되었다. 또한 해당종의 분자생물학적 연구는 멸종위기종이라는 특성으로 인해 제한적으로 진행되었다. 그로 인해 NCBI 등 공공 데이터베이스에서 제공되는 서열정보들 또한 부족한 실정이다. 이 연구는 이러한 한계를 극복하고 수염풍뎅이의 유전적 특성을 규명하기 위해 생물정보학적 기술을 활용하여 전사체 분석을 진행하였다. Illumina HiSeq 2500 플랫폼을 사용하여 53,433,048개의 RNA reads를 얻었으며, Trinity와 TGICL을 이용한 De novo 어셈블리 분석을 통해 18,172개의 unigenes를 생성하였다. 생성된 unigenes는 GO, KOG, KEGG, PANM DB를 활용하여 annotation을 진행하였다. 그 결과, GO 분석에서는 ‘binding and catalytic activities’와 관련된 항목이 높은 발현을 보였으며, KOG 분석의 경우 ‘Cellular Processes and Signals’ 범주가 높은 비율을 나타내었다. KEGG 분석을 통해 2,118개의 unigenes가 metabolic 카테고리에 annotation된 것을 확인하였다. SSR 모티프 분석에서는 AT/AT (42.90%) 모티프, AAT/ATT (13.13%) 모티프 순으로 많이 나타나는 것을 확인하였다. 이 연구를 통해 분석한 결과 들을 이용하여 유전자원 및 종 정보를 실시간 제공 및 정보 공유가 가능하도록 Database 및 web-interface를 구축하 였으며, 이러한 자료들은 국내 멸종위기종인 수염풍뎅이의 고유한 유전적 특성을 발굴 및 확보할 수 있는 기반자 료로써 활용될 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

애기뿔소똥구리 (Copris tripartitus)는 배설물 분해를 통해 환경정화와 생태계 균형에 기여하는 것으로 알려져 있다. 그러나 무분별한 농약 사용과 서식지 파괴로 인해 개체수가 감소되고 있어 2017년 환경부에서 애기뿔소똥 구리를 멸종위기 야생생물 Ⅱ급으로 지정하였다. 애기뿔소똥구리의 미토콘드리아 유전자를 활용한 선행연구가 발표되었지만 유전자원 확보는 여전히 미비한 실정이다. 이번 연구는 애기뿔소똥구리의 성장, 면역 및 생식과 관련된 유전 정보를 확보하기 위해 Illumina HiSeq 4000 platform을 활용하여 전사체 분석을 실시하였다. Illumina HiSeq 4000을 통해 확보된 전사체 데이터를 Trinity 프로 그램을 통해 de novo assembly를 진행하여 contigs를 생성하였다. 생성된 contigs를 TGICL 프로그램을 통해 clustering 하여 unigenes을 확보하였다. 이후 확보된 unigenes는 PANM DB 및 Swiss-Prot, KOG, InterProScan, GO, KEGG를 기반으로 한 BLASTx를 사용하여 annotation을 진행하였다. 25,106개의 unigene 중에서 23,289개가 PANM DB에 annotation 되었으며, Swiss-Prot, InterProScan에서는 각각 19,660개, 13,545개의 unigene이 annotation 되었다. KOG 분석에서는 ‘general function prediction only’ 범주에서 높은 비율로 나타났으며, GO 분석에서는 ‘Molecular Function’ 카테고리에서 가장 많이 annotation 되었다. KEGG 분석을 통해서는 ‘Environmental information processing’ 항목이 높은 발현을 보였다. 이번 연구를 통해 확보된 기능적 데이터는 야생에서의 보존 계획을 수립하는 데 있어 기초 자료로써 활용될 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

The Korea Forest Service has designated seven alpine tree species—Abies koreana, A. nephrolepis, Juniperus chinensis, Picea jezoensis, Pinus pumila, Taxus cuspidata, and Thuja koraiensis—as threatened with extinction in Korea. In 2023, we conducted a study on the seasonal occurrence of insect pests, focusing mainly on two coleopteran taxa (Cerambycidae and Scolytinae) and two hemipteran taxa (Aphrophoridae and Cicadellidae) in subalpine forests dominated by A. koreana, A. nephrolepis, Picea jezoensis, Thuja koraiensis, and Taxus cuspidata. We utilized three types of traps—Malaise trap, Lindgren funnel trap, and window trap—in eight investigation locations in Korea. In this presentation, we present the study results and discuss the effects of insect pests on alpine coniferous trees in Korea.

벽계천의 어류군집 특성 및 멸종위기 4종의 서식 양상을 밝히기 위해 2020년 4월부터 9월까지 조사를 실시하였다. 조사기간 동안 7개 지점을 선정하여 조사한 결과, 채집된 어류는 9과 31종 3,415개체였다. 출현종 중 우점종은 참갈겨니 (Zacco koreanus, 31.2%), 아우점종은 피라미(Z. platypus, 15.0%), 다음으로 돌고기(Pungtungia herzi, 11.7%), 줄납자 루(Acheilognathus yamatsutae, 5.4%), 납자루(A. lanceolata intermedia, 4.8%), 밀어(Rhinogobius brunneus, 4.4%), 가는돌고기(Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa, 4.3%) 등의 순으로 우세하였다. 출현종 중 한국고유종은 19종(고유화율 61.3%)이었고, 기후변화민감종(냉수성 어종)은 금강모치(Rhynchocypris kumgangensis)와 둑중개(Cottus koreanus) 2종이 확인되었다. 법정보호종은 환경부지정 멸종위기 야생생물 II급인 묵납자루(A. signifer)와 가는돌고기, 한강납줄 개(Rhodeus pseudosericeus), 둑중개 4종이 출현하였으며, 주로 묵납자루와 가는돌고기는 중·하류에, 한강납줄개는 중류에, 둑중개는 최상류에 서식하고 있었다. 이중 가는돌고기는 출현개체수가 가장 많았고, 전장빈도분포도로 연령을 추정한 결과, 7월기준 전장 24~35㎜는 당년생, 54~75㎜는 1년생, 82~97㎜는 2년생, 104~109㎜는 3년생 이상으로 추정되었다. 군집분석 중 우점도는 상류에서 높고 하류로 갈수록 낮아지는 경향을 보이나 다양도와 균등도, 풍부도는 상류에서 낮고 하류로 갈수록 높아지는 경향을 보였다. 하천건강성(FAI)은 매우 좋음 5개 지점, 좋음 2개 지점으로 나타나 양호하였다. 벽계천은 비교적 서식지가 잘 보존되고 있었으나 멸종위기종이 많이 서식하는 중·하류부 일부는 하천공사가 진행되면서 서식지가 교란되고 있어 보존대책이 요구되었다.

Captive breeding and reintroduction are crucial strategies for conserving endangered species populations. However, fish raised in predator-free environments, show a lack of recognition of predationrelated stimuli such as chemical and visual signals. It is critical to recognize chemical signals from injured conspecifics, also known as alarm signals, and the order or shape of predators to indicate the spread of predation risk in the habitat. We conducted a laboratory experiment to determine and adjust the optimal exposure period to induce appropriate anti-predator behavior response to different types of stimuli (Chemical, Visual and Chemical+Visual) for the endangered species Microphysogobio rapidus. Our results demonstrate that predator avoidance behavior varies depending on the types of stimuli and the duration of predation risk exposure. First, the results showed captive-breed M. rapidus show lack of response against conspecific alarm signal (Chemical cue) before the predation risk exposure period and tend to increase response over predation risk exposure time. Second, response to predator (visual cue) tend to peak at 48 hours cumulative exposure, but show dramatic decrease after 72 hours cumulative exposure. Finally, response to the mixed cue (Chemical+visual) tend to peak prior to the predation risk exposure period and show reduced response during subsequent exposure periods. This experiment confirms the lack of responsiveness to conspecific alarm signals in captive-bred M. rapidus and the need for an optimal nature behavior enhancement program prior to release of endangered species. Furthermore, responsiveness to predator visual signal peak at 48 hours cumulative exposure, suggest an optimal predation risk exposure period of up to 48 hours. Key words: predator cognition, captive breeding, chemical signal, visual signal, endangered

To determine the cause of the population decline in Gobiobotia naktongensis, substrate preference and burying behaviour were investigated in this study. In general, the species was shown to prefer a substrate size of 1 mm or less, depending on the flow. In addition, the burying depth varied according to the size of the fish and increased with a decrease in water temperature. Our findings showed that the main cause of the population reduction was the physical changes in the substrate structure due to the dams or barrages construction. Notably, the accumulation of silt and mud in the substrate upon the formation of an upstream lentic water region for structural construction and bed armouring caused by scouring and reduced downstream inflow of fine sediment were deterministic in the fish habitat changes, causing problems in burying. As sand substrate structure is critical for the survival and inhabitation of psammophilous species, efficient strategies should be developed with proper habitat management to reduce the anthropogenic damage

Microphysogobio rapidus is designated as endangered species class I by Ministry of Environment, and its distribution and population have been gradually declining, and it is now limited to the Nam River and some tributary streams of the Nakdong River Watershed. For the restoration of this highly endangered species, it is important to identify the causes of the decline and establish appropriate restoration plans. However, due to lack of basic data and ecological research, most steps are stagnant. Therefore, in this study, we identified the differences in the physical, biological, and sociological habitats between current and past distributed sites through field surveys and literature reviews. As a result of the field survey, there were differences in conductivity between the current and past distributed sites, and fish communities were also showed differences. The literature data also showed that the physico-chemical values of the past distributed sites were generally unfavorable, which generated negative consequences on biological factors. In particular, the effects of urbanization were found to be a major factor affecting the habitat of M. rapidus. Habitat stabilization is crucial for the recovery of this endangered species. However, in the past distributed sites, disturbances such as stream development and weir construction have altered streams physico-chemically and result in changes of M. rapidus. Therefore, a comprehensive plan that considers both stream connectivity and water quality is needed to manage and restore the habitat of M. rapidus.

In terms of habitat conservation, it is essential to develop a habitat assessment system that can evaluate not only the suitability of the current habitat, but also the health and stability of the habitat. This study aimed to develop a methodology of habitat quality assessment for endangered species by analyzing various existing habitat assessment methods. The habitat quality assessment consisted of selecting targeted species, planning of assessment, selecting targeted sites, assessing performance, calculating grade, and expert verification. Target sites were selected separately from core and potential habitats using a species distribution model or habitat suitability index. Habitat assessment factors were classified into ecological characteristic, landscape characteristic, and species-habitat characteristic. Ecological characteristic consisted of thirteen factors related to health of tree, vegetation, and soil. Landscape characteristic consisted of five factors related to fragment and connectivity of habitat. Species-habitat characteristic consisted of factors for evaluating habitat suitability depending on target species. Since meanings are different depending on characteristics, habitat quality assessment of this study could be used by classifying results for each characteristic according to various assessment purposes, such as designation of alternative habitats, assessment of restoration project, and protected area valuation for endangered species. Forest habitat quality assessment is expected to play an important role in conservation acts of endangered species in the future through continuous supplementation of this system in regard to quantitative assessment criteria and weighting for each factor with an influence.