- Apply for Authority
- P-ISSN2765-2203
- E-ISSN2765-2211
- KCI Candidate
Abstract
With continuous decline of Philippine forest cover, sustainable forest management and restoration are essential to restore destroyed forest ecosystems. Unfortunately, of ten most planted trees in reforestation projects in the Philippines, eight are exotic species, with large leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) being the most dominant. In this study, effect of Swietenia macrophylla in reforestation projects on native tree species was evaluated. Effects of S. macrophylla leaf litter, frequency, and canopy closure on the growth of the Philippine native species Pterocarpus indicus were investigated. Results showed that S. macrophylla leaf litter significantly inhibited the growth of P. indicus seedlings based on root collar-to-shoot height. The standardized growth rate of seedlings in plots without S. macrophylla leaf litter was significantly higher than the growth rate of seedlings in plots with leaf litter. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the standardized growth rate of seedlings between plots without leaf litter and a control plot. On the contrary, S. macrophylla tree frequency and canopy closure showed no significant effect. These results attest to the negative effect of widely planted S. macrophylla to a valuable Philippine native tree P. indicus. With accumulating scientific evidence about negative effects of S. macrophylla on native trees, discontinued use in tree planting and reforestation efforts with active management of restoration sites previously planted with large leaf mahogany are needed.
Abstract
This study aimed to obtain fundamental data for demonstrating biodiversity of vegetation of East Asian alder (Alnus japonica) Forest Wetland of Heonilleung Royal Tombs. A total of 166 vascular plants (159 species, three subspecies, three varieties, and one cultivar) belonging to 132 genera and 59 families were found, accounting for 8.3% of 1,996 vascular plant species found in Seoul. Therophyte was the most common life-form of plants in Heonilleung Wetland. As for rare plant species, one Least Concern (LC) species was found. There were 15 floristic regional indicator species in the research area. Three of them belonged to floristic grades III and IV. This indicates that their habitats are discontinuous and isolated to some degree. Nineteen invasive alien plant species were found, most of which were introduced from North America after the year 1964 with a spread rate of V (widespread, WS).
Abstract
The era of mass production of agricultural and dairy systems inevitably causes a huge amount of biowastes during their processes. Modern consumption patterns of the general public also contribute to biowaste formation. Thus, processing biowastes has attracted much attention. The introduced black soldier fly (BSF) (Hermetia illucens) is considered as one of environmentally friendly management options for solving biowaste issues. However, an indigenous species, Ptecticus tenebrifer, is also a powerful decomposer that has been largely neglected. This species can be easily found on biowastes such as manure dump, agricultural wastes, and human food wastes. It can be also easily found in the field. It is even attracted to a food trap. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first ecological study on this species.
Abstract
The dung beetle, Gymnopleurus mopsus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), is one of endangered species in South Korea. It was last recorded in 1971. To restore this species, we introduced G. mopsus populations from eastern and southern regions of Mongolia in July 2019 and August 2019, respectively. One of the main tasks for the restoration of endangered insects is to develop breeding techniques to eventually incorporate these insects into the restoration system. In a series of laboratory experiments, we investigated effects of short-term hibernation periods on life-history traits of G. mopsus. Adult G. mopsus that had hibernated for 30, 60, and 90 days had lower survival rates than adults that had hibernated for 120 days. We also compared developmental time of these four experimental groups and found a significant difference in the egg - phase. However, the duration of hibernation did not affect the fecundity, brood-ball size, or body size of F1 adults. Follow-up studies are currently being conducted to further investigate the effect of a short-term hibernation period on population growth of G. mopsus under laboratory conditions.
