• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2017

Background: Though the biomass of floral vegetation in understory plant communities in a forested ecosystem only accounts for less than 1% of the total biomass of a forest, they contain most of the floral resources of a forest. The diversity of understory honey plants determines visitation rate of pollinators such as honey bee (Apis mellifera) as they provide rich food resources. Since the flower visitation and foraging activity of pollinators lead to the provision of pollination service, it also means the enhancement of plant-pollinator relationship. Therefore, an appropriate management scheme for understory vegetation is essential in order to conserve pollinator population that is decreasing due to habitat destruction and disease infection. This research examined the diversity of understory honey plant and studied how it is related to environmental variables such as (1) canopy density, (2) horizontal heterogeneity of canopy surface height, (3) slope gradient, and (4) distance from roads. Vegetation survey data of 39 plots of mixed forests in Chuncheon, Korea, were used, and possible management practices for understory vegetation were suggested. Results: This study found that 113 species among 141 species of honey plant of the forests were classified as understory vegetation. Also, the understory honey plant diversity is significantly positively correlated with distance from the nearest road and horizontal heterogeneity of canopy surface height and negatively correlated with canopy density. Conclusions: The diversity of understory honey plant vegetation is correlated to vegetation structure and human impact. In order to enhance the diversity of understory honey plant, management of density and height of canopy is necessary. This study suggests that improved diversity of canopy cover through thinning of overstory vegetation can increase the diversity of understory honey plant species.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.435-439
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• 2013

Rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, inflicts serious damage to global rice production. Due to high variability of this fungal pathogen, resistance of newly-released rice cultivars is easily broken down. To understand the population structure of M. oryzae, we analyzed the genetic diversity of the Korean population using multilocus microsatellite typing. Eleven microsatellite markers were applied to the population of 190 rice isolates which had been collected in Korea for two decades since the 1980's. Average values of gene diversity and allele frequency were 0.412 and 6.5, respectively. Comparative analysis of the digitized allele information revealed that the Korean population exhibited a similar level of allele diversity to the integrated diversity of the world populations, suggesting a particularly high diversity of the Korean population. Therefore, these microsatellite markers and the comprehensive collection of field isolates will be useful genetic resources to identify the genetic diversity of M. oryzae population.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.129-148
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• 2016

Plant species on oceanic islands comprise nearly 25% of described vascular plants on only 5% of the Earth's land surface yet are among the most rare and endangered plants. Conservation of plant biodiversity on islands poses particular challenges because many species occur in a few and/or small populations, and their habitats on islands are often disturbed by the activity of humans or by natural processes such as landslides and volcanoes. In addition to described species, evidence is accumulating that there are likely significant numbers of "cryptic" species in oceanic archipelagos. Plant systematists, in collaboration with others in the botanical disciplines, are critical to the discovery of the subtle diversity in oceanic island floras. Molecular data will play an ever increasing role in revealing variation in island lineages. However, the input from plant systematists and other organismal biologists will continue to be important in calling attention to morphological and ecological variation in natural populations and in the discovery of "new" populations that can inform sampling for molecular analyses. Conversely, organismal biologists can provide basic information necessary for understanding the biology of the molecular variants, including diagnostic morphological characters, reproductive biology, habitat, etc. Such basic information is important when describing new species and arguing for their protection. Hybridization presents one of the most challenging problems in the conservation of insular plant diversity, with the process having the potential to decrease diversity in several ways including the merging of species into hybrid swarms or conversely hybridization may generate stable novel recombinants that merit recognition as new species. These processes are often operative in recent radiations in which intrinsic barriers to gene flow have not evolved. The knowledge and continued monitoring of plant populations in the dynamic landscapes on oceanic islands are critical to the preservation of their plant diversity.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.102-107
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• 2021

The distribution pattern of species richness was determined by temperature. To examine the relationship between hemipteran richness and temperature, hemipteran species were collected using pitfall traps at six different oak forest sites with different annual mean temperatures in South Korea. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted with mean annual temperature (MAT) and plant richness to evaluate differences in hemipteran richness. The influences of MAT and plant richness of study sites on hemipteran richness were examined by comparing three models (plant richness+MAT+MAT², plant richness+MAT, and MAT) or two models (plant richness+MAT and MAT). Hemipteran richness showed an inverse diversity pattern as a function of temperature, with higher species richness at lower temperature sites. Meanwhile, Aphididae showed a bell-shaped diversity pattern with the highest value at low medium temperatures. The regression analysis showed that hemipteran richness was affected by temperature and plant richness in their habitats.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2004

Understanding farmer household and community management of crop diversity is necessary in order to effectively strengthen the local plant genetic resources management system in Vietnam, Assessment and management for distribution of farmer's cultivars of rice, taro and tropical tree species were conducted in four different agro-ecological zones in Vietnam using participatory approaches, focus surveys, diversity fairs, agro-morphological field trials, isozyme analysis to understand why Vietnamese farmers grow diverse types of these crop cultivars, when and where these crops cultivars are grown and how farmers maintain and use them. Results showed significant differences in the extent, distribution and use pattern crop cultivars diversity in contrasting environments and between community farmer households. Seed system is an important role in the access and use of diversity in eco-geographical regions.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.127-134
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• 2011

The purpose of the study was to assess and compare the diversity of plant species (trees, shrubs, herbs) of natural forest and plantations. A total of 52 plant species were recorded in the natural forest, of which 16 were trees, 15 were shrubs and 21 were herbs. On the contrary, 31 species of plants including 11 trees, 8 shrubs and 12 herbs were identified in plantation forest. Shannon-Wiener diversity index were 2.70, 2.72 and 3.12 for trees, shrubs and herbs respectively in the natural forest. However, it was 2.35 for tree species, 2.31 for shrub species and 2.81 for herb species in the plantation forest. Jaccard's similarity index showed that 71% species of trees, 44% species of shrubs and 43% species of herbs were same in plantations and natural forest.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.312-319
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• 2017

The need to preserve and use plant genetic resources is widely recognized, and the prospect of dwindling plant genetic diversity, coupled with increased demands on these resources, has made them a topic of global discussion. In the present study, the genetic diversity and population structure of 73 ginseng accessions collected from six regions in China were analyzed using eight simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Major allele frequencies ranged between 0.38 ~ 0.78, with a mean allele frequency value of 0.571. The number of alleles discovered ranged from 3 to 10 per accession, with a mean number of 7; 56 alleles were discovered in total. Gene diversity (GD) and polymorphic information content (PIC) values were similar to each other, and they ranged from 0.36 ~ 0.77 (mean 0.588) and 0.33 ~ 0.74 (mean 0.548), respectively. Accessions were divided into three clusters based on their phylogenetic relationships and genetic similarities, and although the populations were similar, they were not classified according to the region. Regional genetic diversity was also similar, with slight differences observed based on the number of accessions per region. It is expected that the findings of the present study can provide basic data for future studies on ginseng genetic diversity and for breeding ginseng cultivars.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.41-52
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• 2013

This study was carried out in order to analyze the succession characteristics of the slope of expressways and the results of analysis by collecting and analyzing various literatures and data from 2011 to 2012 and surveying 75 expressway slope, as follows : The construction methods applied to planting the slope of an expressway can be classified into 4 types including 3 Climber planting methods, 8 Vegetation thick-layer spray work methods, 4 Seed spray work methods, and 4 Stabilization work methods. The factors which affect the cover degree of the slope of an expressway were found to be development years, gradient, length, and azimuth. Like surrounding forest areas, the expressway slope was analyzed to begin the plant succession 20, 30, and 40 years after development, and plant succession was developed in diversity in a mixed stand forest according to surrounding forest floors. Species diversity, maximum species diversity, and the evenness of slope facing north were analyzed to be high comparing to those facing east, west, and south according to azimuth of slope. Species diversity, maximum species diversity, evenness of slope, and the plant succession of surroundings were analyzed to be high when the gradient of the slope was less than $40^{\circ}$. The dominant species which success on the slope of an expressway and its surrounding forest area included Miscanthus sinensis var. purpurascens, Zoysia japonica, Pinus thunbergii Parl, Rubus crataegifolius, Lespedeza cyrtobotrya, Amorpha fruticosa, Artemisia princeps var. orientalis, and Oenothera biennis.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2014

Microorganisms have many roles in nature. They may act as decomposers that obtain nutrients from dead materials, while some are pathogens that cause diseases in animals, insects, and plants. Some are symbionts that enhance plant growth, such as arbuscular mycorrhizae and nitrogen fixation bacteria. However, roles of plant pathogens and diseases in natural ecosystems are still poorly understood. Thus, the current study addressed this deficiency by investigating possible roles of plant diseases in natural ecosystems, particularly, their positive effects on arthropod diversity. In this study, the model system was the oak tree (Quercus spp.) and the canker disease caused by Annulohypoxylon truncatum, and its effects on arthropod diversity. The oak tree site contained 44 oak trees; 31 had canker disease symptoms while 13 were disease-free. A total of 370 individual arthropods were detected at the site during the survey period. The arthropods belonged to 25 species, 17 families, and seven orders. Interestingly, the cankered trees had significantly higher biodiversity and richness compared with the canker-free trees. This study clearly demonstrated that arthropod diversity was supported by the oak tree canker disease.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.177-186
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• 2023

Background: Inner Mongolia, desertification is happening due to climate change and land use alterations. In order to evaluate desert restoration effectiveness, this study compares number of species and species diversity in restored (with planted trees), unrestored area, and the reference ecosystem (Ref-E, typical steppe and woody steppe). Results: The Ref-E had the most plant species (64 taxa), while the unrestored area had the fewest (5 taxa). Among restored areas (restored in 2012, 2008, 2005), older restoration sites had more species (18-42). Similarly, species richness (3.93-0.41) and diversity (1.99-0.40) were highest in the Ref-E and lowest in unrestored areas, with older restored sites having higher values. Conclusions: More plant species and diversity in older restoration areas suggest progress toward ecosystem stabilization, approaching the Ref-E. Therefore, tree planting in Inner Mongolia's Hulunbuir semi-arid desert is a successful restoration effort.