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- P-ISSN2765-2203
- E-ISSN2765-2211
- KCI Candidate
Abstract
The Yezo sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) is a subspecies of sika deer originated from Hokkaido, Japan. This paper is a study on the ecological impact caused by large mammals invading the ecosystem. Two pairs of deer were donated to the Agency for Defense Development in Taean in the late 1980s, and the population expanded to over 280 in 2018. The thermal imaging camera showed that the population ranged from 8 to 53 herds, divided into approximately 10 groups. It was confirmed that some of the herds had escaped the management area and invaded the nearby natural ecosystem, causing damage to cultivated land and natural vegetation. Herds of over 50 individuals have been studied in large grassland areas near drinking water sources such as streams and ponds. In places with excessive deer concentration, 1) feeding damage to herbs, shrubs and sub-trees, 2) tree withering due to antler-rubbing, and their habit of migrating along forest edges 3) excessive soil loss on slopes, 4) destruction of herbaceous layers due to compaction, and finally 5) damage to infrastructure were also investigated. As such, it is expected that the results of this study on the ecological and economic damage of Yezo sika deer can be used to predict the impact of other exotic sika deer in South Korea with similar behavioral characteristics and to establish a management plan.
Abstract
Psalidoremus is one of the subgenus which consists of five species and eleven subspecies through Taiwan, Japan, Korea and north eastern part of China which present strong endemism to their distribution. While most of advance studies focus on the new species or subspecies from this taxon, this paper suggests paleogeographical assumption and hypothesis of how they diverged from common ancestors. Phylogeographical patterns illustrated by the distribution of five species, which including Prosopocoilus inclinatus, Prosopocoilus hachijoensis, Prosopocoilus dissimilis, Prospocoilus pseudodissimilis, Prosopocoilus motschulskii respectively, has been assessed in this research. Speciation history is suggested by morphological tendencies especially in male mandibles with assumption from geographical patterns of under sea level.
Abstract
The spring home range and habitat use of the spot-billed duck in Korea were studied using GPS-mobile phone-based telemetry (WT-300). The study areas were Anseong-si, Seosan-si, Nonsan-si, and Sejong-si. Analysis was performed using minimum convex polygon (MCP) and kernel density estimation (KDE) spot-billed ducks had an average home range of 70.28 km² (standard deviation [SD]=84.50, n=6), and a core habitat (50%) 2.66 km² (SD=2.60, n=6), according to MCP and KDE, respectively. Wetlands (41.5%) and rice fields (35.7%) were highly used as habitats. The rice field use rate was high during the day, and the wetland utilization rate was high at night. Rice fields and wetlands were the primary habitats in spring.
Abstract
In this study, 4,136 pictures posted on a social media platform were analyzed to discover wetlands that are worth visiting to experience our cultural values. Pictures from 300 of the 2,499 listed wetlands have been posted in South Korea. Proximity of a wetland was the most important criterion, regardless of the type of wetlands that were visited. People visited wetlands at the time and season when they were good for recreational activities. Most of the subjects in the pictures were the visitors and natural scenery of a wetland. There was no correlation observed between the wetland conditions and the number of pictures taken by the visitors. Sightseeing and leisure activities are a significant part of various ecosystem services offered by wetlands, but most of the visitors seem to be unaware that the place they have visited is a wetland. Therefore, wetland awareness programs are needed, even for wetlands close to the residential areas that many people have already visited in this study.
Abstract
A filarial nematode was found in a blood sample of an Anas falcata individual collected in South Korea in 2018. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences placed the nematode as a novel genus of the family Onchocercidae and as closely related to Mansonella species, Chandlerella quiscali, and filarial nematodes recently reported in avian species. However, different phylogenetic relationship was observed in the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 and 12S rRNA-based phylogenetic trees, which might indicate the filarial nematode found in this study was not defined to belong to the known specific genera of the family Onchocercidae. The screening of 105 additional avian blood samples retrieved only one 12S rRNA-targeting polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive sample, which indicates that filarial nematode infection is rare in wild birds or that it occurs below the detection limit of PCR in blood samples. Nevertheless, considering the recent findings about ancient interactions between birds and human pathogenic filarial nematodes and their pathogenic potential in several avian species, additional exploration of novel filarial nematodes in wild birds remains necessary.
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.’
