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- P-ISSN2765-2203
- E-ISSN2765-2211
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Abstract
This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive survey of social wasp diversity and its impacts on remote Ulleungdo Island, South Korea. A total of 12 wasp traps were placed across the island, and specimens were collected monthly from May to October. Additional collection was conducted by thoroughly inspecting the areas surrounding the traps. The traps yielded a total of 5,068 individuals, representing two genera and two species. A total of 3,961 Vespa simillima simillima Smith individuals (78.2%) were collected, and 1,107 individuals (21.8%) were identified as Vespula flaviceps flaviceps Smith. Additionally, five individuals of Polistes snelleni de Saussure were collected through sweeping, bringing the total to 5,132 individuals of three genera and three species. It is worth noting that our findings indicate potential misidentifications in the species list of Vespidae found in the literature. Emergency services call centers reported the removal of 60 social wasp nests on Ulleungdo Island between 2018 and 2022, with the highest number of reports occurring from July to September, accounting for 87% of all cases. Dodong-ri and Jeodong-ri, with the highest populations, reported the most incidents, although fortunately, there have been no recent injuries. Past incidents involving the destruction of dried squid products by Vespula species have resulted in significant economic losses, underscoring the need for preventative measures. Furthermore, ongoing surveillance of hornet invasions is essential to safeguard the Jangwon bees being reared on Ulleungdo Island.
Abstract
To present the spatial variation of fish assemblages in the Geum River in Korea, the concept of beta diversity (β-diversity) estimates based on the variance of the community data table was applied. Fish communities and environmental variables were collected from 13 sampling sites along the in mid-low reaches of the River. We calculated the β-diversity and local contribution to beta diversity (LCBD) values at each site depending on the two types of data, ‘occurrence’ with Jaccard and Sørensen dissimilarity coefficients, and ‘abundance’ with Hellinger distance. Multivariate and correlation analyses were also performed to determine the relationships between LCBD and other variables, such as community indices and physicochemical and hydrological factors. The β-diversity values of fish communities in the River were estimated as 0.218 and 0.145 for occurrence data table with Jaccard and Sørensen respectively, and 0.268 for abundance data. Similar patterns of LCBD along the sampling sites were detected in two dissimilarity measurements of occurrence table, and LCBD values with abundance data were slightly different. The LCBD values are strongly correlated with community indices, and also suitable for indicating the uniqueness of fish assemblages. However, further research is needed to determine the LCBD value as an indicator of environmental variability.
Abstract
This study was conducted from March 2018 to December 2019 to identify bird diversity and environmental correlates within the Mulchat-oream wetlands in the Jeju Islands of South Korea. A total of 255 individual belonging to 37 species were recorded form Mulchat-oream. The observation produced a species diversity of 3.14, species richness of 6.54 and species evenness of 0.88 in 2018, and in 2019, the observed species diversity was 3.02, species richness was 6.56 and species evenness was 0.84. The highly dominant species are composed of Passeriformes. The absence of diverse submerged plants, deep water depth and isolated geographical locations makes difficult for aquatic birds to prefer this area, and this has resulted in the dominance of Passeriformes. The appearance of the birds was the lowest in the winter and highest during the summer. The analysis showed that the species richness and evenness increased with an increase in temperature and precipitation. However, the number of species appearing during Mulchat-oream significantly dependent on the temperature ( <0.001, df=2). To date, there has been little research on bird diversity together with environmental factors for the Hallasan National Park. This study shows the environmental factors and seasonal patterns that affect bird population.
Abstract
The study investigated species diversity, relative abundance, and decline of flying insects and plants within a fragmented forest in the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, Nigeria. It is known that habitat fragmentation can reduce biodiversity. Thus, it is important to perform comprehensive assessments to understand implications of the habitat fragmentation for flora and fauna. Species richness and abundance of flying insects and plants across fragmented forest patches were quantified using field surveys and taxonomic identification. This study revealed shifts in species diversity, with fragmented areas exhibiting reduced biodiversity compared to contiguous forest ecosystems. Flying insects crucial for ecosystem functioning and pollination services demonstrated decreased species richness and relative abundance within fragmented habitats. This decline was attributed to habitat loss, altered microclimates, and limited movement pathways known to hinder insect dispersal. Similarly, plant species richness and abundance showed decline in fragmented forest due to disrupted mutualistic interactions with pollinators, altered nutrient cycling, and increased competition among plant species. This study underscores the importance of maintaining intact forest habitats to sustain healthy ecosystems and preserve biodiversity. Effective conservation strategies should focus on habitat connectivity, reforestation efforts, and protection of essential ecological corridors to mitigate effects of fragmentation. In conclusion, this investigation provides empirical evidence for effects of habitat fragmentation on flying insects and plants in a forest ecosystem in FUTA Akure, Nigeria. Findings emphasize an urgency of adopting conservation measures to safeguard these invaluable components of biodiversity and ecosystem stability in the face of ongoing habitat loss and fragmentation.
Abstract
The objective of this study was to analyze the genotype of black-spotted pond frog (Pelophylax nigromaculatus) using seven microsatellite loci to quantify its genetic diversity and population structure throughout the spatial scale of basins of Han, Geum, Yeongsan, and Nakdong Rivers in South Korea. Genetic diversities in these four areas were compared using diversity index and inbreeding coefficient obtained from the number and frequency of alleles as well as heterozygosity. Additionally, the population structure was confirmed with population differentiation, Nei’s genetic distance, multivariate analysis, and Bayesian clustering analysis. Interestingly, a negative genetic diversity pattern was observed in the Han River basin, indicating possible recent habitat disturbances or population declines. In contrast, a positive genetic diversity pattern was found for the population in the Nakdong River basin that had remained the most stable. Results of population structure suggested that populations of black-spotted pond frogs distributed in these four river basins were genetically independent. In particular, the population of the Nakdong River basin had the greatest genetic distance, indicating that it might have originated from an independent population. These results support the use of genetics in addition to designations strictly based on geographic stream areas to define the spatial scale of populations for management and conservation practices.
Abstract
The Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus; family Charadriidae; genus Charadrius) is a small bird that moves from continent to continent depending on the season. On the Kentish Plovers, phylogenetic studies have been widely conducted to classify different species or subspecies and to determine the time of speciation. However, the perspectives on the interspecific or intraspecific relationships in the phylogenetic analysis of Kentish Plovers remain debatable. Here, we reviewed the differences between the Kentish and Snowy Plovers (C. nivosus) in terms of their morphology, ecology, and genetic information. Particularly, their differences in genetic information can be well demonstrated; however, the intraspecies differences in the populations that live in different environments can relatively be poorly explained. We suggest that not only genetic features but also morphological, ecological, and behavioral traits are important when comparing the Kentish Plovers with other species, such as the Snowy Plovers, in phylogenetic studies. Furthermore, we suggest that phylogenetic studies on the subspecies of the Kentish and Snowy Plovers should be conducted for their better identification.
Abstract
Ground beetle fauna of Wangpi-cheon watershed in Yeongyang-gun to Uljin-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do was investigated from May to October in 2012. Ground beetles were collected by pitfall trapping. A total of 38 species of 20 genera belonging to 8 subfamilies were identified from 2,486 collected ground beetles. Species richness was high in Pterostichinae (16 species), Carabinae (8 species), Harpalinae (5 species), Callistinae (3 species), Nebriinae (3 species) and others (1 species). Dominant species were Synuchus cycloderus (1,025 individuals) and Aulonocarabus seishinensis seishinensis (332 individuals), Pristosia vigil (133 individuals), and Coptolabrus smaragdinus branickii (117 individuals) in order. Monthly changes in abundance of upper dominante genera Pterostichus, Aulonocarabus, Coptolabrus species and Synuchus, Pristosia, Colpodes species showed that the former had the highest number in August whereas the latter increased in June and September. The genus Pterostichus species were preferred in deciduous forest in Wangpicheon watershed, while the genus Synuchus species were collected in mixes forest adjacent to farmland and recreation facilities and the genera Chlaenius, Harpalus species were collected in mixes forest adjacent to farmland nearby stream. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), ground beetles and sites could be divided into two distinct groups: St. 1, St. 2, St. 3 group and St. 4 group. Some species such as Pterostichus orientalis orientalis, P. vicinus and P. bellatrix were particularly abundant at St. 4.
Abstract
Natural habitats of the Korean long-tailed goral (Naemorhedus caudatus) have been fragmented by anthropogenic activities in South Korea in the last decades. Here, the individual identity, genetic variation, and population differentiation of the endangered species were examined via the multiple-tube approach using a non-invasive genotyping method. The average number of alleles was 3.16 alleles/locus for the total population. The Yanggu population (1.66) showed relatively lower average number of alleles than the Inje population (3.67). Of the total 19 alleles, only seven (36.8%) alleles were shared by the two populations. Using five polymorphic out of six loci, four and six different goral individuals from the captive Yanggu (n=24) and the wild Inje (n=28) population were identified, respectively. The allele distribution was not identical between the two populations (Fisher’s exact test: P<0.01). A considerably low migration rate was detected between the two populations (no. of migrants after correction for size=0.294). Additionally, the F statistics results indicated significant population differentiation between them, however, quite low ( FST=0.327, P<0.01). The posterior probabilities indicated that the two populations originated from a single panmictic population (P=0.959) and the assignment test results designated all individuals to both populations with nearly equal likelihood. These could be resulted from moderate population differentiation between the populations. No significant evidence supported recent population bottleneck in the total Korean goral population. This study could provide us with useful population genetic information for conservation and management of the endangered species.’
Abstract
Many areas of vegetation in the British uplands have reduced species diversity as a result of sheep overgrazing. It has been suggested that abandonment or re-wilding strategies might be used to reverse this. A likely first step would be the removal or reduction of grazing livestock from upland areas, with a presumption that this would lead to a recovery in species richness. However, we do not know if this would work, or the timescales involved. One of the important areas where more knowledge is needed is information on the size and composition of soil seedbanks as regeneration from zseed is a likely pathway of recovery. Here, we compared seedbanks in both grazed and ungrazed plots in five experiments at Moor House NNR in the northern Pennines; these sheep grazing exclusion experiments were started 52 and 63/64 years ago. Soil samples (n=10) were collected from both grazed and ungrazed plots in each experiment, and seed emergence counted in glasshouse trials. We detected only seeds of common species and very few dicotyledonous species. This suggests that the soil seedbank is unlikely to be a reliable source of the less common species for ecological restoration in these upland communities, suggesting an extinction debt. Therefore, seed addition and the creation of suitable safe-sites for germination may be needed in conjunction with grazing controls to allow the establishment of plants that will increase the species richness of the vegetation. However, this interventionist restoration approach remains to be tested.
Abstract
Living modified organisms (LMOs) are managed by seven government agencies according to their use in South Korea. The Ministry of Environment is responsible for LMOs used for environmental remediation. This study aimed to develop guidelines for assessing potential risks posed by transgenic plants used for remediation to insect ecosystems by investigating arthropod communities in sunflower fields. A total of 2,350 insects and spiders belonging to 134 species of 10 orders and 71 families were collected from sunflower fields over four growth stages ranging from anthesis to seed maturity. At the R3 phase of flower-bud formation, Chironomidae sp. of a decomposer insect guild presented the highest density, while Apis mellifera of a pollinator guild was the most abundant in the R5.8 phase of flowering. During the R7 seed-filling phase and the R9 phase of seed maturity, herbivorous Pochazia shantungensis predominated. During the R9 phase, richness and diversity indices of arthropod communities were distinctly lower whereas their dominance indices were significantly higher than those at other phases. In addition, the composition of arthropod communities was strongly correlated not only with the sampling date, but also with the sampling method depending on the growth stage of sunflowers. Our results suggest that appropriate sampling timing and methods should be considered in advance and that long-term field trials that cover a variety of environmental conditions should be carried out to evaluate potential risks to insect ecosystems.
