This study aimed to compare terrestrial insect communities in forests and grasslands to explore habitat-specific differences. Grassland and undisturbed forest zones in Buk-sil-ri, Jeongseon-eup, Gangwon-do were surveyed in August and September of 2022 and 2023 using visual inspection and light traps. A total of 1,369 individuals from 447 species, 56 families, and 13 orders were recorded. Lepidoptera was the most dominant (44.0%, with 239 species and 602 individuals) order, followed by Hemiptera (17.6%, 81 species and 241 individuals) and Odonata (11.4%, 13 species and 156 individuals). While most orders, including Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, and Diptera, showed higher abundance and richness in forests than in grasslands, the diversity index was greater in grasslands. The presence of diverse vegetation including invasive species in grasslands likely influenced insect diversity and composition. These findings can enhance our understanding of insect community dynamics across forest and grassland habitats.

본 연구는 부산시 영도구 중리산에 위치하는 환경부 지정 멸종위기야생생물Ⅱ급 칠보치마의 자생지 환경특성과 식물상을 조사하여 자생지 보전을 위한 기초자료를 제공하고자 수행되었다. 칠보치마 자생지에 분포하는 관속식물은 69과 164속 216종 1아종 21변종 6품종 1교잡종으로 총 245분류군이 확인되었다. 칠보치마는 주로 해발고도 35~72m, 경사는 10~15°의 범위에 분포하였고, 사면향은 주로 북사면에서 나타났다. 주변 식생은 전형적인 부산시 해안림 곰솔군 락의 식생구조 특성을 보였다. 토양 체적함수율은 칠보치마 출현지역이 평균 체적함수율 23.6%으로 비출현지 14.6%보 다 높았다. 토양 공극률 또한 출현지역 51.7%, 비출현지역 49.1%로 출현지역이 높았다. 토양산도는 평균 4.97로 산성이 었고, 총질소·유효인산·양이온치환용량·치환성 양이온함량(K, Ca, Mg)이 낮은 수준이었는데 토양 내 무기양분이 적은 척박한 토양이라 볼 수 있었다. 본 연구 결과는 칠보치마 개체군 동태를 파악하고 장기적인 보전전략을 수립함에 있어 중요한 역할을 할 것으로 기대된다.

Endemic species are defined as taxa that naturally inhabit and grow within a specific area. Because they easily face regional extinction, continuous management is required. In this study, stable isotope analysis, length-weight relationships (LWRs), and condition factor (K) estimation were applied to oily bitterling Acheilognathus koreensis inhabiting three representative rivers including the Geum River basin, Seomjin River basin, and Tamjin River basin to compare ecological property and related biological conditions. Based on the corrected isotope value to account for difference in carbon isotope ratio (δ13C) of POM, Δδ13CA.koreensis-POM, estimated isotope niche areas of A. koreensis between Geum and Tamjin River populations were highly overlapped while those of the Seomjin River population were discriminated from other habitats, indicating differences in major diet sources among habitats. In addition, LWRs for the Seomjin River population showed a good growth with a b value of 3.155 compared to Geum and Tamjin River populations which showed relatively low growth rates of 2.888 and 2.968, respectively. Fluctuation of the K value of the A. koreensis tended to decrease with growth in the Geum River while that of the Seomjin River population exhibited the highest increasing trend. This study confirmed differences in diet resources among habitats for A. koreensis, which resulted growth and fatness variations for each population. Our results can be used as basic information for effective conservation and management strategies of A. koreensis populations.

This study examined the spatial morphological patterns of forest habitats and the characteristics of roadkill occurrences in the forests of Mungyeong, Yecheon, Yeongju, Andong, and Bonghwa in Gyeongsangbuk-do. It involved building a resistance map between habitats and analyzing connectivity based on the least-cost distance. The analysis of the distance between the forest habitat Cores derived from MSPA and roadkill points showed that roadkill occurrences were concentrated approximately 74.11 m away from the Cores, with most roadkills happening within 360 m from the habitats. The connectivity analysis between core habitats larger than 1 km2 revealed 141 core habitats and 242 least-cost paths between them. The corridor distance value was found to be highest in Mungyeong city, indicating an urgent need for strategies to enhance habitat connectivity there. This research is expected to serve as foundational data for developing strategies to enhance ecosystem connectivity and restore habitats, by analyzing ecosystem connectivity and roadkill issues due to habitat fragmentation.

In the study, a variation of Haemaphysalis longicornis, a major vector of fever-causing conditions, was statistically analyzed to identify the spatial and climatic factors affecting the time-dependent variations of its population. The survey occurred in different habitats in South Korea. In addition, we developed a predictive model by using a probability function to find the peak occurrence time annually. As a result, the numbers of adults and nymphs were found to be related to temperature and relative humidity and their population peaked at the end of May in all habitats except deciduous forests. This study is expected to provide information on habitat types, times, and climate patterns that require attention to help control H. longicornis populations.

This study aims to systematically investigate the insect diversity within the distinct coastal grassland and mountain habitats of East Busan, Busan Metropolitan City. The objective is to gather foundational data that will inform natural environment conservation plans and contribute to policy formulation. Employing a comprehensive collection approach, we utilized trapping nets, pitfall traps, and flying insect traps to capture a broad spectrum of insect species. The investigation identified a rich diversity of 132 species across 9 orders and 52 families. Coleoptera emerged as the most prevalent order with 13 families and 41 species, followed by Diptera with 8 families and 24 species, and Lepidoptera with 9 families and 21 species. To assess the biodiversity and structure of these communities by habitat type, we applied several biodiversity indices: the Shannon-Wiener index (H'), Margalef index (R), and Pielou evenness index. Coastal grasslands exhibited an H' of 3.153, R of 11.08, and a Pielou evenness of 0.371; coastal mountains showed an H' of 2.922, R of 13.02, and a Pielou evenness of 0.202. These metrics reveal no significant differences in diversity and evenness between the two habitats. The endangered Copris tripartitus was notably observed in coastal grasslands, alongside 20 species classified as Least Concern (LC) in the National Red List across both habitats. The comparative analysis of biodiversity and evenness levels across coastal grassland and mountain areas highlights the ecological significance of both habitats in supporting a diverse insect fauna. The detection of endangered and LC species within these areas emphasizes the critical need for ongoing monitoring and the development of effective conservation strategies tailored to protect Busan's coastal ecosystems. The findings underscore the necessity of conducting periodic surveys to monitor faunal changes and inform conservation efforts actively. By ensuring the continued protection of insect diversity, these efforts will play a pivotal role in maintaining the ecological integrity of coastal areas, thereby supporting broader environmental conservation objectives.

This study investigated the distribution and diversity of spider communities living in natural and semi-natural environments located in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea, and thereby emphasizes the importance of urban planning and biodiversity conservation. In this study, we documented 128 spider species through pit-fall trapping, sweeping, and manual collection methods and analyzed their alpha and beta diversity, nestedness, and interactions. As a result, natural habitats (forests) showed higher biodiversity and more complex species interactions. Despite anthropogenic impacts, such as human activities, urban habitats have shown notable biodiversity. Nestedness analysis and association rule learning reveal diverse community structures in multiple habitats and intricate interspecies relationships. This study highlights the importance of habitat heterogeneity in supporting biodiversity and the importance of considering multiple ecological factors in urban planning.

본 연구는 전문가 기반형 모델(Habitat Suitability Index)의 한계로 지적되는 주관적 기준, 통계분석의 부재 등과 통계기반형 모델(MaxEnt)의 한계로 지적되는 현장검증, 전문가 의견 반영 등의 극복을 위하여 각각의 모델을 개발하여 통합하는 방식으로 핵심서식지를 도출하였다. 핵심서식지 발굴을 위해 문헌분석 및 공간분석자료를 바탕으로 전문가 심층면담을 진행하였고, 전문가 자문과 GIS 도면 구축 가능성을 고려하여 모델을 개발하였다. 주요 환경변수는 식생대, 임상, 임분밀도, 연평균 강수량, 유효토심으로 선정되었다. 그 결과 현재 나도승마가 분포하고 있는 16지점 중 15지점이 핵심서식지로 나타났으며, 개발된 모델은 약 93.75%의 높은 정확도를 가지고 있는 것으로 나타났다. 하지만 전체 연구대상지의 약 27.8%가 핵심서식지로 나타남에 따라, 추후 서식변수 및 공간자료 정밀화를 통한 모델의 고도화가 필요할 것으로 판단된다. 따라서 높은 등급으로 확인된 서식지라도 대상종의 서식유무 파악을 위한 현장검증은 필수적으로 수행되어야 한다. 하지만, 이러한 한계에도 불구하고 HSI와 MaxEnt의 상호보완적 활용은 생물종의 분포와 서식지 이용 특성을 통하여 적합 서식지를 예측하고, 신규 서식지 발굴 및 대체서식지 선정 등 다양한 방면으로 활용 가능할 것으로 판단된다.

Mangroves are distributed in intertidal zones of coastal environments or estuarine margins, playing a critical role in the global carbon cycle. However, understanding of the carbon cycle role of mangrove associates in the Republic of Korea is still limited. This research measured soil respiration and leaf gas exchange in three habitats of Hibiscus hamabo (Gimnyeong, Seongsan, and Wimi) and analyzed the impacts on sites and months. Soil respiration was measured once a month from June to October 2022 and leaf gas exchange was measured monthly from June to September 2022. Soil respiration in August (5.7±0.8 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1) was significantly higher than that in other months (p<0.001) and soil respiration increased as air temperature increased (p<0.001). In Seongsan, net photosynthesis in July (9.0±0.9 μmol m-2 s-1) was significantly higher than that in other months (p<0.001). Net photosynthesis increased as stomatal conductance and transpiration rate increased during the entire period (p<0.001). Furthermore, a weak positive linear relationship was observed between soil respiration and net photosynthesis (r2=0.12; p<0.01). The results indicated that soil respiration was influenced not only by air temperature and season but also by net photosynthesis. This study is expected to provide basic information on the carbon dynamics of mangrove associates.

To cultivate pine mushroom (Tricholoma matsutake) artificially, co-cultivation with microorganisms has been introduced. Here, experiments were performed to assess the growth-promoting effect of bacteria on T. matsutake mycelia. Bacteria were isolated from soil samples collected in Yangyang County, Korea. Four of the bacterial isolates (Y22_B06, Y22_B11, Y22_B18, and Y22_B22) exhibited a growth-promoting effect on T. matsutake mycelia (154.67%, 125.91%, 134.06%, and 158.28%, respectively). To analyze the characteristics of the bacteria, especially the antifungal activity, -amylase and cellulase activity assays were performed. In comparison with the controls, the isolated bacteria exhibited low -amylase and cellulase activity. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed to identify the four bacterial isolates. The isolates belonged to the Terrabacteria group and were identified as Microbacterium paraoxydans, Paenibacillus castaneae, Peribacillus frigoritolerans, and P. butanolivorans. These bacterial isolates are expected to have contributed to the growth promotion of T. matsutake mycelia and the artificial cultivation of T. matsutake.

본 연구는 한국 특산식물이고, IUCN Red List의 EN(위기종) 등급에 속하는 개느삼을 대상으로 자생지 분포, 자생지 분포 예측을 하기 위해 수행되었다. 개느삼의 자생지 분포 조사 결과 ,강원도 양구군 13곳, 인제군 3곳, 춘천시 2곳, 홍천군 1곳 총 19곳에 분포하는 것을 확인하였다. 우리나라에서 가장 북쪽 자생지는 양구군 임당리, 동쪽 인제군 한계리, 서쪽 춘천시 지내리, 남쪽 홍천군 성동리로 각각 확인되었다. 개느삼 자생지의 해발고도는 169-711m에 분포하는 것으로 나타났고, 평균 해발고도는 375m로 조사되었다. 개느삼 자생지의 면적은 8,000-734,000㎡인 것으로 분석되었고, 평균 202,789㎡로 조사되었다. 대부분의 개느삼 자생지는 간벌, 가지치기 등과 같은 숲가꾸기가 이루어진 곳으로 조사되었다. 개느삼 잠재 분포지 분석을 MaxEnt 프로그램을 이용하여 수행한 결과, AUC값은 0.9762로 분석되었다. 분포예측 자생지는 강원도 양구 군, 인제군, 춘천시, 화천군 지역에 집중되어 분포하는 것으로 나타났다. 자생지 분포예측에 가장 영향을 많이 미치는 변수는 연간강수량, 토양탄소함유량, 최한월 기온으로 분석되었다. 본 연구 결과를 토대로 개느삼은 광량이 풍부하고 능선부에 주로 서식하는 것을 확인하였고, 향후 본 연구결과의 자생지 정보를 토대로 개느삼 자생지를 보전하기 위한 보호지역 지정 등을 위한 기초자료로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

The estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI, the time that has elapsed since the death) is a critical issue for the biosecurity enforcement officers who implement to the timely establishment of biosecurity zone for preventing susceptible animals from disease transmission given the rapid occurrence of an infectious disease. Increasing attention has been paid to PMI of wild boar (Sus scrofa) carcasses associated with African swine fever epidemics in Korea since October 2019 to explain the geographical transmission of the disease, as well as to provide potential target animals for prevention measures in terms of farm biosecurity. This study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to describe the decomposition process of wild boars in different microhabitats in the country. In the present comparative study, we obtained field data from the decomposition process of the wild boar and domestic pig carcasses continuously exposed aboveground in natural environment settings allowing animal scavenging. This study compared the pattern of decomposition in 16 wild boar carrion and 10 domestic pig carcasses placed between August and November 2019. Quite differences in decomposition rate measured by total body score and tissue's gross morphology over time were observed between wild boars and domestic pigs. Overall, the wild boar decomposed much more slowly than the domestic pig throughout the end of the experimental period. In addition, color changes to the skin were easily seen in domestic pigs, whereas there is much variation in the wild boar, especially carcasses placed in late autumn. Moreover, some wild boar carcasses did not show any sign of bloating. These results indicate that decomposition rates derived from forensic taphonomic studies on domestic pigs may be not directly applicable to the wild boar, hence there is a need to develop regional decomposition models to be employed in different geographical situations to increase the accuracy of PMI of wild boar carcasses.