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- KOREAN
- P-ISSN2287-8327
- E-ISSN2288-1220
- SCOPUS, KCI
ISSN : 2287-8327
Vol.35 No.1
Abstract
To calculate and predict soil carbon budget and cycle, it is important to understand the complex interrelationships involved in soil respiration rate (Rs). We attempted to reveal relationships between Rs and key environmental factors, such as soil temperature, using a laboratory incubation method. Soil samples were collected from mature deciduous (MD),mature coniferous (MC), immature deciduous (ID), and immature coniferous (IC) forests. Prior to measure, soils were pre-incubated for 3 days at 25°C and 60% of maximum water holding capacity (WHC). Samples of gasses were collected with 0, 2, and 4 h interval after the beginning of the measurement at soil temperatures of 5, 15, 25, and 35°C (at 60% WHC). Air samples were collected using a syringe attached to the cap of closed bottles that contained the soil samples. The CO2concentration of each gas sample was measured by gas chromatography. Rs was strongly correlated with soil temperature (r, 0.93 to 0.96; P < 0.001). For MD, MC, ID, and IC soils taken from 0-5 cm below the surface, exponential functions explained 90%, 82%, 92%, and 86% of the respective data plots. The temperature and Rs data for soil taken from 5-10 cm beneath the surface at MD, MC, ID, and IC sites also closely fit exponential functions, with 83%, 95%, 87%, and 89% of the data points, respectively, fitting an exponential curve. The soil organic content in mature forests was significantly higher than in soils from immature forests (P < 0.001 at 0-5 cm and P < 0.005 at 5-10 cm) and surface layer (P = 0.04 at 0-5 cm and P = 0.12). High soil organic matter content is clearly associated with high Rs, especially in the surface layer. We determined that the incubation method used in this study have the possibility for comprehending complex characteristic of Rs.
Abstract
Yellow bitterns (Ixobrychus sinensis) are a small wetland bird common to Asian countries including South Korea, Japan,and China. The aim of this study is to describe diet of yellow bitterns during the breeding season in artificial wetland of northeastern South Korea between May to August 1999-2001. For the purposes of this paper, we observe the frequency of nest visiting by parents during the chick rearing period. A total of 98 boluses regurgitated by 52 chicks aged 1 day to 11 days after hatching form the sample and are shown to contain 323 food items. A bolus contained mean 3.8 items and weighs 0.2 g to 7.7 g. The most regularly occurring food items recorded are fish (63%) and insets (33%). In terms of fish,top mouth minnows (Pseudorasbora parva) and crucian carps (Carassius auratus) are frequently observed. In terms of insects, there are mosquitoes (Diptera), instars of dragonfly (Libelluidae), damselflies (Coenagrinonidae) and water bugs (Diplonychus japonicus). Yellow bitterns were also shown to feed on bull frogs (Rana catesbeiana), shrimp (Palaemonidae),and spiders (Araneae). The size of fish in a bolus ranged from 15.56 mm to 93.73 mm (mean, 37.08 mm). The amount of food can be observed to increase with the age of chicks (r = 0.279, P = 0.025, N = 64) but parents did not provide larger fish as chicks grew. Parent birds visited nests more frequently when they have a larger brood (F1,21 = 14.529, P = 0.001). Our results suggest that fish is the most important prey during the breeding season and that age of chicks is related to amount of diet in yellow bitterns.
Abstract
Time series of ocean climate indices and catch records were used to identify the alternation patterns of pelagic fish populations in relation to climate regime shifts. During 1910-2008, an orderly alternation of dominant pelagic fish groups was observed in the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC; Yellow Sea-East China Sea-East Sea/Japan Sea) and Kuroshio-Oyashio Current (KOC; Northwestern Pacific) regions. After the collapse of herring fishery in the late 1920s, the sardine (A group)dominated in the 1930s, 3 other species (C group; Pacific saury, jack mackerel, and anchovy) dominated in the 1950s-1960s, chub mackerel (B group) dominated in the 1970s, and then sardine (A group) dominated again during cool regime in the 1980s. As sardine biomass decreased in association with the climate regime shift that occurred in the late 1980s,catches of C group immediately increased after the regime shift and remained at high levels during warm regime in the 1990s. Alternations of dominant fish groups occurred 6 times between 1910 and 2008. The dominant period of the 7 species lasted for 10-20 years. The catch of Pacific sardine in the TWC and KOC regions showed a negative correlation with the catch of the other 5 species (Pacific herring, anchovy, jack mackerel, Pacific saury, and common squid), suggesting that the abundance of the 5 species is strongly affected by the abundance of Pacific sardine in relation to the climate regime shifts. The total catch level of the 7 species in the KOC region was generally higher than that in the TWC region before 1991 but was lower after 1992, suggesting that the fish populations in the Pacific side are shifted to the TWC region by zonal oscillation of the oceanic conditions in relation to the climate regime shift in the late 1980s.
Abstract
Typha angustifolia has ecological characteristics of clonal growth similar to Phragmites australis. The plant spreads by clonal growth and seed dispersal. In this study, for the three stands which have different settlement age at the Baksilji wetland in Korea, genetic diversity was estimated by random amplification of polymorphic DNA analysis to evaluate the change in genetic diversity of T. angustifolia during stand development in the same population. Stand (ST) 1 was the oldest and ST 4 was the youngest. ST 5 was in a small ditch out of the Baksilji. Although the ST 1, ST 2, and ST 3 did not differ significantly in vegetational or physical environment, the genetic diversity estimated according to Nei’s gene diversity (h) and the Shannon index (i) increased in the order of ST 1 < ST 2 < ST 3 contrary to formative age. The genetic diversity of ST 4 was much higher than that of the other three stands. ST 4 has similar abiotic environmental conditions with slight T. angustifolia dominance, and seems to be in the early establishment stage. ST 5 differed from the other stands in vegetational and soil environments, which can result in stressful cattail conditions. Even though the ST 5 stand was not younger than the ST 4 stand, ST 5 showed the highest genetic diversity. Our results indicate that after early settlement of the T. angustifolia population, genetic diversity within the species decreased over time and that the decreasing pattern of genetic diversity within T. angustifolia stands is not likely to occur under stressful conditions.
Abstract
In the current study, several carabid beetle species were proposed as potential biological indicators for different habitat types (levee, upland dike, hillock, and streamside) of agricultural landscapes focusing on agrobiont species. Synuchus arcuaticollis and Synuchus orbicollis were found in all habitat types, indicating that they are general species for all habitat types. Harpalus eous and Synuchus cycloderus are potential bioindicator species for the paddy levee and hillock habitats,respectively. Amara pseudosimplicidens, Anisodactylus punctatipennis, and Chlaenius ocreatus, which occurred widely,and Bembidion morawitzi, which occurred only in the streamside habitat, are potential bioindicators for the streamside habitat.
Abstract
To determine the movement patterns, home range, and use of structural features of captive-bred one- or two-year-old Amur ratsnake (Elaphe schrenckii) juveniles in the natural habitat, we radio-tracked a total of 11 juvenile snakes in a mountain valley in Chiaksan National Park, South Korea, between August 21 and September 20, 2010 and between June 13 and July 13, 2011. During the first week of the release, most juveniles moved short distances, daily, but they increased their distances after the first week. The body weight of the juveniles was negatively related with the movement rate (dividing the number of movements by the number of relocations), which was positively related with the mean daily distances moved and the size of both a kernel 50% and 95% home range. During the study period, the juveniles moved daily, approximately 17 m, and the size of the minimum convex polygon and the 50% and 95% kernel home ranges were 1.8 ha, 0.4ha, and 3.0 ha, respectively. The released captive-bred juveniles were more frequently confirmed underground or on the ground rather than on rocks or on trees. Our results suggest that the body condition of released individuals, the seasonal time of the release, and the existence of available prey and shelters in the habitat should be carefully considered when releasing captive-bred Amur ratsnake juveniles for the rehabilitation of field populations.
Abstract
In this study, we investigated carabid beetles residing in the wetlands to understand their ecological adaptation and strategy selection associated with restricted resources and habitat limitation. The species richness, abundance, seasonal activity, and spatial distribution of the carabid beetles between the Mujechi Wetlands (wetland sites) and Mt. Jeongjok (mountain sites) have been compared. A total of 1,733 individual beetles from 30 species were collected and classified at the studied sites. The wetland sites were identified as having lower species richness and abundance for carabid beetles when compared with the adjacent mountain sites, whereas these beetles were observed to be dominant in the wetland sites than in the adjacent mountain sites. Calosoma inquisitor cyanescens, Carabus sternbergi sternbergi, and Carabus jankowskii jankowskii species were dominant in both the wetland and mountain sites. These species showed significantly different seasonal activity patterns in the wetland sites relative to the mountain sites. Although the three listed carabid species were observed to be widely distributed throughout the wetland sites, they still showed preference for drier sites,which clearly shows a distinction in their habitats. The results of the spatial-temporal distribution of carabid beetles in the wetland sites reflect their special strategies regarding space and time partitioning for maintaining their population. The distribution patterns of carabid beetles in the wetland sites also showed the desiccation gradient and environmental changes prevalent in wetlands. Ecological surveys, which use carabid beetles in the wetlands, can then be performed when restoring wetlands and for establishing management practices for improving the habitat quality.