• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.33-55
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• 2018

It has been noted that the main cause of biodiversity loss is influx of alien species. Specifically, habitats destruction, economic loss, and human injury are increasing due to invasive alien species. There were 2,167 alien species in Korea. 21 alien species of extraterrestrials including Lycorma delicatula, Solenopsis invicta, Myocastor coypus, and Spartina alterniflora at high risk through ecological risk assessment, are designated as invasive alien species. Alert species, which may have negative impact on ecosystems when they are introduced into the country, are assigned to 127 species through the ecosystem risk evaluation. To list such alien species to prevent invasion of alien species in advance, and to minimize damage caused by imported alien species, a national level management system called the Conservation and Use of Biological deversity Act was established, but there is a lack of a systematic management system in accordance with degree of risk. There is also a risk assessment chart should be developed thatreflects ecological characteristics of each taxon and evaluation criteria in predicting the risk.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.352-363
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• 2019

Background: Invasive plant species are considered a major threat to biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and human wellbeing worldwide. Climatically suitable ranges for invasive plant species are expected to expand due to future climate change. The identification of current invasions and potential range expansion of invasive plant species is required to plan for the management of these species. Here, we predicted climatically suitable habitats for 11 invasive plant species and calculated the potential species richness and their range expansions in different provinces of the Republic of Korea (ROK) under current and future climate change scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) using the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) modeling approach. Results: Based on the model predictions, areas of climatically suitable habitats for 90.9% of the invasive plant species are expected to retain current ecological niches and expand to include additional climatically suitable areas under future climate change scenarios. Species richness is predicted to be relatively high in the provinces of the western and southern regions (e.g., Jeollanam, Jeollabuk, and Chungcheongnam) under current climatic conditions. However, under future climates, richness in the provinces of the northern, eastern, and southeastern regions (e.g., Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, Gyeongsangnam, Degue, Busan, and Ulsan) is estimated to increase up to 292%, 390.75%, and 468.06% by 2030, 2050, and 2080, respectively, compared with the current richness. Conclusions: Our study revealed that the rates of introduction and dispersion of invasive plant species from the western and southern coasts are relatively high and are expanding across the ROK through different modes of dispersion. The negative impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem dynamics, and economy caused by invasive plant species will be high if preventive and eradication measures are not employed immediately. Thus, this study will be helpful to policymakers for the management of invasive plant species and the conservation of biodiversity.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.305-317
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• 2023

This study suggested a citizen science based model to enhance the efficacy of the managing invasive alien plants and examined whose applicability in 3 Wetland Protected Areas (Jangrok of Gwangju metropolitan city, Madongho of Goseong in South Gyeongsang Province, and Ungok of Gochang in North Jeolla Province). The process consists of (a) collecting citizen scientist including local residents of 3 protected areas and piling up information on the 4 species of invasive alien plants (Sicyos angulatus L., Solanum carolinense L., Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. and Solidago altissima L) in a information platform Ecological Information Bank (EcoBank) from September 18th to October 31th, (b) constructing distribution map containing the location and density (3 phases: individual-population-community) of target plants, (c) providing distribution map to Environment Agency and local government who is principal agent of managing invasive alien plants in 3 protected areas, and from whom (d) surveying applications of the distribution map and opinion for future supplement. As a result, citizen science based monitoring should be continued to complement the nationwide information for the field management of invasive alien plants with the expansion of target species (total 17 plants species that Ministry of Environment in South Korea designated) and period of monitoring in a year to increase the usability of surveyed information from citizen science. In the long run, effectiveness of the management of invasive alien species applied by citizen science should be reviewed including efficacy of field management process from citizen's participating in elimination project of invasive alien plants and time series distribution followed by the management of the species.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.104-114
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• 2023

In this study, the distribution, bait preference, hosts, symbionts, habitat status, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit-I sequences of the ant Linepithema humile were analyzed. This species habitat comprised approximately 1.5 km along stone crevices, flower gardens, roadsides, and container yards in the vicinity of Busan station, Korea. Feeding activity of this species was confirmed in 9 species of 7 families of plants. Which was approximately 14% of total flora (63 species of 37 families) in the studied area. Particularly, it was observed that Dendranthema indicum and Camellia japonica were the most frequently visited. Further, we verified that they interacted with four species of aphids. We identified 22 species of ants (17 genera, 4 subfamilies) inhabiting the Busan station area, including L. humile, Tetramorium tsushimae, Nylanderia flavipes and the alien species Paratrechina longicornis. In areas where L. humile was the dominant species, the habitat of local native ants was reduced by approximately 30%. Bait preference was ranked in the following order: jelly, water with glucose (25%), and yogurt, with the highest preference for baits containing sugar and protein. The 630-bp cytochrome c oxidase subunit-I sequences of the local L. humile populations were 99% identical to those of L. humile in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database, and the Argentine ants that invaded Korea had a sequence identical to that of other invasive populations from China, Japan, and New Zealand. As L. humile rapidly increases due to domestic adaptation, continuous monitoring and control strategy for eradication are needed to protect domestic biodiversity.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.173-181
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• 2017

Background: This study was undertaken to analyze the distribution and ecological characteristics of invasive alien plant species on Jeju Island, and to provide basic data for their management and control. Results: A field research was conducted at 436 locations on Jeju Island. The field research identified nine species of invasive alien species growing on Jeju Island. Based on the distribution pattern, Hypochaeris radicata L., Rumex acetosella, and Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. were found to be distributed horizontally throughout Jeju Island, with vertical growth in two or more vegetation zones, from warm temperate to the subalpine zone. Widely distributed species penetrate various habitats, such as grasslands, ranches, roadsides, farmlands, and empty lots, and have an immensely negative impact on the ecosystem, including declining biodiversity on Jeju Island. Paspalum distichum var. indutum Shinners, Paspalum distichum L., Solanum carolinense L., and Aster pilosus Willd. were distributed in some areas as a biased distribution species, whereas Lactuca scariola L. and Solidago altissima L. were found only in certain areas as centralized distribution species. Conclusions: The centralized distribution species and biased distribution species of the invasive plants in the ecosystem of Jeju Island should be physically eliminated, keeping in mind the short- and mid-term perspectives and monitoring, and by considering expansion of additional distribution areas. Due to limitations of physical/chemical elimination, time, and cost, widely distributed species require to be eliminated and managed, mainly to restore the integrity of the ecosystem, by planting native species to reestablish the habitat.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.94-111
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• 2023

In order to establish an effective management strategy for invasive species early detection and regular monitoring are required to assess their introduction or dispersal. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is actively applied to evaluate the fauna including the presence of invasive species as it has high detection sensitivity and can detect multiple species simultaneously. In Korea, the applicability evaluation of metabarcoding is being conducted mainly on fish, and research on other taxa is insufficient. Therefore, this study identified the feasibility of detecting invasive species in Korea using eDNA metabarcoding. In addition, to confirm the possibility of detection by taxa, the detection of target species was evaluated using four universal primers (MiFish, MiMammal, Mibird, Amp16S) designed for fish, mammals, birds, and amphibians. As a result, target species (Trachemys scripta, 3 sites; Cervus nippon, 3 sites; Micropterus salmoides, 7 sites; Rana catesbeiana, 4 sites) were detected in 17 of the total 55 sites. Even in the selection of dense sampling sites within the study area, there was a difference in the detection result by reflecting the ecological characteristics of the target species. A comparison of community structures (species richness, abundance and diversity) based on the presence of invasive species focused on M.salmoides and T.scripta, showed higher diversity at the point where invasive species were detected. Also, 1 to 4 more species were detected and abundance was also up to 1.7 times higher. The results of invasive species detection through metabarcoding and the comparison of community structures indicate that the accumulation of large amounts of monitoring data through eDNA can be efficiently utilized for multidimensional ecosystem evaluation. In addition, it suggested that eDNA can be used as major data for evaluation and prediction, such as tracking biological changes caused by artificial and natural factors and environmental impact assessment.

• Entomological Research
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.505-513
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• 2018

The red imported fire ant is considered one of the most notorious invasive species because of its adverse impact on both humans and ecosystems. Public concern regarding red imported fire ants has been increasing, as they have been found seven times in South Korea. Even if red imported fire ants are not yet colonized in South Korea, a proper quarantine plan is necessary to prevent their widespread distribution. As a basis for quarantine planning, we modeled the potential distribution of the red imported fire ant under current climate conditions using six different species distribution models (SDMs) and then selected the random forest (RF) model for modeling the potential distribution under climate change. We acquired occurrence data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and bioclimatic data from WorldClim. We modeled at the global scale to project the potential distribution under the current climate and then applied models at the local scale to project the potential distribution of the red imported fire ant under climate change. Modeled results successfully represent the current distribution of red imported fire ants. The potential distribution area for red imported fire ants increased to include major harbors and airports in South Korea under the climate change scenario (RCP 8.5). Thus, we are able to provide a potential distribution of red imported fire ant that is necessary to establish a proper quarantine plan for their management to minimize adverse impacts of climate change.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.581-590
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• 2018

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the species composition of fish and benthic macroinvertebrates in the Namgang Dam reservoir and assess the reservoir's ecological quality. Methods: Fish and benthic macroinvertebrates were seasonally sampled around the Namgang Dam reservoir from October 2013 to September 2014. Results: A total of 970 fish specimens were collected for this survey, including 4 orders, 14 families, and 25 species. Fourteen endemic species were observed, including Coreoleuciscus splendidus. The most observed among the endemic species caught was Zacco koreanus (14.4%). A total of 9,093 benthic macroinvertebrates, including 51 families and 92 species, were also found. The predominant species in the study area was Chironomidae sp. 1. Diplonychus esakii, whose habitat is distribution-specific as designated by the Korean National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), were also observed. A total of 386 specimens were collected of the invasive alien species Lepomis macrochirus, and the percentage of Lepomis macrochirus and Micropterus salmoides made up 42.0% of all specimens collected in the area. Conclusion: The mean ecological score of the benthic macroinvertebrate community (ESB) ranged between 24 and 40, which indicates that the environmental condition of the target sites is somewhat poor. Based on the results of this research, building habitats for benthic macroinvertebrates should be considered, and extermination plans for invasive alien fish species should be prepared.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.752-757
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• 2019

The establishment of invasive alien species management is widely recognized as a pivotal issue in the preservation of biodiversity. Ranunculus sardous Crantz, a species native to Europe, has been widely introduced in many other areas of the world, including the coasts of the United States, Australia, China, India, and Japan. In Korea, the first population of this plant was found growing adjacent to a wetland in Hanon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju Province, on 22 May 2018. Field observations confirmed the presences of at least two populations of this species in Jeju Province, Korea. This species is similar to Ranunculus sceleratus L., but can be readily distinguished by its presence of the trichomes in the whole plant, longer petioles of radical leaves, ovate-shaped leaf segments, globose to subglobose-shaped fruits and flat achenes with narrowly winged and papillae. The Invasive Alien Plant Risk Assessment (IAPRA), a system for recognizing and categorizing alien plants in Korea forests, was used to assess the invasiveness status of the species. Based on this system, R. sardous received a low score of 6, suggesting its potential invasion to natural forests. Although the current distribution of R. sardous is restricted to Jeju Province and thus far has had limited impact on local environments, local and regulatory authorities should pay close attention to this plant and take measures to prevent its further expansion.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2018.10a
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• pp.64-64
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• 2018

The genus Cenchrus (Poaceae), containing ca. 97 species, is distributed throughout Australia, Africa and Indian sub-continent and which was introduced to the United States and Mexico for use in improved pasture. In Korea, especially Daecheong Island, it is one of the most hazardous invasive plant, which causes serious environmental threats, biodiversity damages and physically negative impact on humans and animals. It can cause serious damage to farms, fields and white sand beaches. However, the chloroplast (cp) genome sequences and information of Cenchrus longispinus have been not addressed, so we provide the complete cp genome of Cenchrus longispinus using next-generation sequencing technology. The size of cp genomes of this Daecheong Island species (Cenchrus longispinus) is 137,144 bp, and it shows a typical quadripartite structure. Consisting of the large single copy (LSC; 80,223 bp), small single copy (SSC; 12,449 bp), separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs; 22,236 bp). This cp genome contains 75 unique genes, 4 rRNA coding genes, 33 tRNA coding genes and 21 duplicated in the IR regions, with the gene content and organization are similar to other Poaceae cp genomes. Our comparative analysis identified four cpDNA regions (rpl16, rbcL, ndhH and ndhF) from three Cenchrus species, two Setaria species and one Pennisetum species which may be useful for molecular identification.