The two main hypotheses that explain why invasive alien plants successfully colonize new environments are: 1) invasive alien plants are functionally different from native plants in a community, and 2) the plants can adapt well to new environments because they are functionally similar to native plants. The present study investigated the functional traits of naturalized alien herbaceous plants and their native neighbors in a riparian park area near the Hapcheon-Changyeong weir along the Nakdong River to determine which of the two hypotheses applied to the study area. According to the results, leaf functional traits, such as leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf thickness, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen content, and leaf carbon content differed between naturalized alien and native plants, which could be attributed to the higher leaf nitrogen contents in naturalized alien plants than in native plants. The high leaf nitrogen contents are associated with high photosynthetic rates, which lead to effective resource use and rapid growth; therefore, naturalized alien plants growing in the study area were considered to have such functional traits. The results of the present study support the hypothesis that the successful establishment of invasive alien plants is attributed to the functional trait differences between invasive and native plants.

This study was conducted to compare species and functional diversity of terrestrial plants among forest types by analyzing the variations in species and functional trait compositions in a large-scale natural forest ecosystem. Plant data were collected at 1,100 plots and a total of 802 plant species from 97 families and 342 genera were found along the ridge of the Baekdudaegan Mountains in South Korea. Forest types were divided into four categories including Quercus mongolica, Pinus densiflora, other deciduous and other coniferous forest types. To analyze the variations in plant diversity among forest types, we used two species diversity indices such as species richness and the Shannon-Weaver index as well as a newly introduced functional diversity such as Rao’s index. In functional trait composition, megaphanerophyte, geophyte and hemicryptophyte were the dominant traits, whereas the relative proportion of helophyte and hydrophyte and epiphyte indicated less than 1%. In diversity patterns among forest types, species richness and diversity for total plants showed the lowest value in P. densiflora forest type, while other deciduous and Q. mongolica forest types had the highest values of species richness and diversity for woody and herbaceous plants, respectively. However, functional diversity did not depict a clear distinction among four forest types for plant groups. This study suggests that although taxonomical richness and diversity may be different among forest types, there may be no differences in functional diversity. Moreover, these indistinct patterns in functional diversity may be a result of disturbance and successional gradients compounded in a forest type in addition to the type of functional traits used for comparison and contrast among forest types. Therefore, a further study with various functional traits and different environmental gradients should be consistently evaluated to achieve a better understanding of the diversity patterns of plant communities in mountain ecosystems.

다양한 종류의 생약재들이 동물과 인간의 성장률을 증진시키는 활성을 가지고 있는 것으로 보고되고 있다. 선정된 식물의 성장증진 효과를 확인하기 위해 실험동물로서 물고기와 돼지를 이용하였다. 물고기 실험에서 오가피 추출물과인진쑥 추출물이 가장 효과적인 것으로 나타났다 그리고 이들 오가피와 인진쑥 추출물을 돼지에 먹여본 결과 평균일일 증체율이 대조군에 비해 7.06%증가하였다. 이 결과를 검증하기위해 혈액 내 분비된 성장호르몬(GH)과 Insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1)의 양을 측정하였다. 오가피와 인진쑥 추출물을 먹인 돼지는 대조군에 비해 혈액 내로 분비된 GH와 IGF-1의 양이 훨씬 더 많았다. 인간에서 성장증진 효과를 알아보기 위해 본 연구자들은 오가피와 인진쑥 추출물을 혼합하여 쌀에 코팅한 키우미^(TM)(Kiwoomi^(TM))를 제조하였다. 키우미^(TM)를 초등학생들에게 먹였을 때 키 성장에 효과적인 것을 확인하였다. 키우미^(TH)를 먹인 아이들이 먹이지 않은 아이들보다 더 많이 성장하였다(약 2.14배). 결과적으로 이 기능성 쌀(Kiwoomi^(TM))이 다른 부작용 없이 아이들의 성장에 도움을 주는 것으로 판단된다.

Background : Recently, wild ginseng cultured ginseng cultured in a bioreactor is mass produced using biotechnological tissue culture technology. PgTRx1 gene which is involved in the production of useful substances in fermented wild ginseng cultured root was selected and introduced into a model plant (Nicotiana benthamiana) to investigate transformation useful gene expression and possible production of useful substances. Methods and Results : The PgTRx1 gene was amplified and isolated from fermented wild ginseng cultured root. Isolated PgTRx1 gene was ligated to the plant expression vector pMBP1. Overexpression genes were recombined and cloned into E. coli. Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404 was transformed, cultured A. tumefaciens LBA4404 was agro-infiltrated into a model plant for transient assay. Agro-infiltration model plants were sampled on days 0, 1, 2, and 3, and cDNA synthesis was performed after total RNA extraction. The expression level of PgTRx1 gene increased with time, and NbNR, NbHSR, NbAPx, NbSIP, NbPAL, NbPR1a and NbNOA1 genes showed a decrease in the expression level. The samples were taken to determine antioxidant activity, acetylcholine hydrolase inhibitory activity and glutamate content at 0 h, 12 h, 14 h, and 36 h. The highest antioxidant activity was observed at 24 h of sample, acetylcholine hydrolase inhibitory activity at 12 h, and glutamate at 36 h. Conclusion : The possibility of introducing the model plant of the PgTRx1 gene derived from fermented wild ginseng cultured root was confirmed. The results showed that various activities were increased with time of agro-infiltration.

Background : Tetraploid plants are bigger in the size of fruits, leaves, stems, and roots than diploid plants due to bigger cells attributed to chromosome multiplication. The advantage of tetraploid plants includes breakdown of self-incompatibility and increase of disease resistance. This study was carried out to gain tetraploid resources for breeding of new boxthorn varieties having pest resistance, higher yield, and self-compatibility. Methods and Results : Tetraploid lines and maternal varieties used in this study were C0148-10 and C0412-1 from Cheongyang-jaerae, M0148-94 and M0148-120 from Myongan, B0148-43 and B0148-78 from Bulro, D0148-62 and D0148-72 from Cheongdae, and Y0148-2 and Y0148-24 from Youngha. Betaine content was highest as 0.7 - 1.62% in leaf, followed by 0.55 - 1.17% in fruit and 0.04 - 0.23% in root. Betaine content in plant parts of several tetraploid lines increased compared to martenal varieties, higher in fruit for 5 lines including D0148-72, B0148-78, and C0142-1, higher in leaf for 5 lines including C0148-10, C0412-1, and M0148-94, and higher in root for 7 lines including Y0148-2, M0148-94, and M0148-120. Rutin content in leaf ranged 4.0 – 388.55 ㎎% and was highest as 388.55 ㎎% in Y0148-24. Tannin content in leaf of tetraploid lines was 4.70 - 6.12%, highest as 6.12% in Y0148-2 and M0148-120, similar to the maternal varieties. Youngha of the diploid plants showed the highest tannin content of 7.08%. Total free sugar content in tetraploid lines was higher as 8.53 - 12.53% than maternal varieties. Conclusion : Betaine and rutin contents increased in several tetraploid lines and Total free sugar content in tetraploid lines was higher as 8.53 - 12.53% than maternal varieties. This shows tetraploid boxthorn lines are very useful resources in breeding new varieties.

본 연구는 공간의 효율성을 높이고 우수한 디자인 특성을 갖는 기능성 식물용기를 개발하고자 하였다. 개발된 기능성 식물용기를 상품화하기 위해 소비자의 디자인 선호도 조사를 실시하였으며, 실제 주거환경에서 시제품을 사용한 후 선호도와 디자인을 평가하였다. 시제품은 스탠드형과 걸이형 2가지 형태로 제작하였다. 먼저, 372명을 대상으로 두 가지 형태의 기능성 식물용기에 대한 경관선호도와 디자인 평가를 수행하였으며, 다음으로 38명을 대상으로 실내환경에서 한 달간 사용 후 선호도와 디자인 평가를 수행하였다. 평가도구는 경관형용사쌍을 이용한 SD scale을 사용하여 요인분석을 하였으며, 디자인 평가는 한국디자인진흥원(2010)에 제작된 굿디자인(GD) 척도를 사용하였다. 식물화분에 대한 기본인식에 대한 조사 결과, 일반화분(2%) 보다 디자인화분(47%), 특수화분(36%), 기능성화분을(15%) 선호하는 것으로 나타났다. 이는 식물용기에 대한 소비 욕구가 디자인과 기능성에 따라 좌우된다는 것을 의미한다. 경관선호도 요인분석 결과, 본 연구의 기능성 식물용기는 심미성, 장식성, 선호성, 공간성, 편안함의 5개의 요인으로 유형화 되었으며, 두 가지 형태 모두 주거공간에 적합하고 아름다운 디자인과 편안함을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 디자인 평가 결과, 스탠드형이 걸이형에 비해 경제성을 제외한 적합성, 합목적성, 만족성, 사용성, 제품성, 심미성 등 6 항목에서 유의하게 높은 평가를 받았다. 구매의사도 스탠드형이 높게 나타났다. 사용 후 디자인 평가 결과, 스탠드형이 걸이형 보다 우수한 것으로 조사되었다. 따라서 본 연구에서 개발된 스탠드형의 기능성 식물용기는 협소한 장소에 수직적 공간의 활용도를 높여주며, 주거환경에서도 식물을 잘 기르고 감상할 수 있는 디자인으로 판단된다.

Understanding salt tolerance mechanisms is important for the increase of crop yields, and so, several screening approaches were developed to identify plant genes which are involved in salt tolerance of plants. Here, we transformed the Arabidopsis cDNA library into a salt-sensitive calcineurin (CaN)-deficient (cnbD) yeast mutant and isolated the colonies which can suppress salt-sensitive phenotype of cnbD mutant. Through this functional complementation screen, a total of 34 colonies functionally suppressed the salt-sensitive phenotype of cnbD yeast cells, and sequencing analysis revealed that these are 9 genes, including CaS, AtSUMO1 and AtHB-12. Among these genes, the ectopic expression of CaS gene increased salt tolerance in yeast, and CaS transcript was up-regulated under high salinity conditions. CaS-antisense transgenic plants showed reduced root elongation under 100 mM NaCl treatment compared to the wild type plant, which survived under 150 mM NaCl treatment, whereas CaS-antisense transgenic plant leaves turned yellow under 150 mM NaCl treatment. These results indicate that the expression of CaS gene is important for stress tolerance in yeast and plants.

The plant cell wall is an extracellular matrix, which can be viewed as a multifunctional subcellular compartment involving many fields of research: growth and development, plant-pathogen interactions, stress, cell-to-cell signaling, metabolic processes, biomaterials and biofuels, and many others. Given its importance, much of the research effort has been directed toward investigating the plant cell walls containing plant cell wall proteins, which are essential constituents of plant cell walls and play essential roles in many biological processes, and yet there is still not a distinct repertoire of the plant cell wall proteins. Several functional screen procedures including a yeast secretion trap, an Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression assay and a subcellular localization study, have been recently optimised to confirm secretion and localization of an ever-growing list of plant cell wall proteins. These functional screen approaches collectively provide a powerful suite of means to identify and characterize a dynamic and complex plant cell wall proteome. Thus, the potential outcomes of plant cell wall functional genomics will enable plant breeding programs to develop new strategies for improvement of crop quality.

White light and compound light were found to be the ideal light sources for improving the functionality and ornamental value of indoor plants and reducing the cost of maintenance, but because compound light hinders people from recognizing the original color of plants and makes their eyes easily tired, white light was considered the optimal light satisfying all of the ornamental value, economic efficiency and functionality resulting from plant growth. On the other hand, in the results of examining physiological changes before and after treatment on fine dust PM10 and carbon dioxide removal capacity in a closed chamber under an artificial light source, the patterns of carbon dioxide and fine dust removal were similar among the treatment groups according to light condition, but according to plant type, the removal rate per unit leaf area was highest in Spathiphyllum and lowest in Dieffenbachia. In the experiment on dust and carbon dioxide removal, the photosynthetic rate was over 2 times higher after the treatment, and the rate increased particularly markedly under compound light and white light, suggesting that the photosynthetic rate of plants increases differently according to light quality. These results show that light quality has a significant effect on the photosynthetic rate of plants, and suggests that plants with a high photosynthetic rate also have a high carbon dioxide and dust removal capacity. In conclusion, the photosynthetic rate of foliage plants increased under white and blue light that affect photosynthesis and the increased photosynthetic rate reduced carbon dioxide and fine dust, and therefore white and compound light were found to be the optimal light sources most functional and economically efficient in improving ornamental value and indoor air quality.