Jirisan National Park Research Articles

Comparative Analysis of Rhizosphere Fungal Communities in Korean Fir Trees

The Korean fir (Abies koreana), a native coniferous species of Korea, predominantly inhabits the subalpine zone. Recently, this species has experienced a significant population decline, primarily attributed to environmental changes in the subalpine zone driven by global warming. Efforts to prevent the extinction of the Korean fir are underway, with a predominant focus on abiotic factors contributing to its decline. However, there is a notable lack of research on the complex interactions between microbial communities and Korean fir, particularly concerning how these interactions vary with the health status of the trees and their impact on population sustainability. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the rhizosphere fungal community structure associated with Korean fir trees in Jirisan National Park. We examined different habitat types, including the rhizospheres of native, cultivated, and dead Korean fir and bulk soil. Our findings revealed that the rhizosphere fungal community in the natural habitat of Korean fir predominantly comprises Agaricomycetes. Furthermore, the fungal community structure was more responsive to habitat type variations than seasonal changes. These findings provide basic information for conserving this endangered species and developing alternative habitats for the Korean fir.

Investigating into the Death Years of Evergreen Conifers in Landslide Areas of Jirisan National Park and the Abrupt Growth Reduction During Their Living

Investigating into the Death Years of Evergreen Conifers in Landslide Areas of Jirisan National Park and the Abrupt Growth Reduction During Their Living

First Report of Rust Caused by Puccinia sasicola on Corylopsis coreana in South Korea.

Korean winter hazel (Corylopsis coreana) is an endemic species of the South Korea (Seo et al. 2016; Kim et al. 2021), which is cultivated as an ornamental plant in this country, but also in China and Japan (Yoon et al. 2016). In July 2022, typical symptoms of a rust disease were observed on C. coreana at Jirisan National Park (35°22'07.7"N 127°34'57.7"E) in Namwon, South Korea. Spermogonia were epiphyllous, densely grouped, pale brown or orange-yellow, round, and 0.23 - 0.38 × 0.19 - 0.41 mm in size. Aecia were hypophyllous, mostly densely grouped, yellow or pale orange, resembling small wart-like galls, and 0.04 - 0.06 × 0.89 - 1.68 mm in size. Aeciospores were hyaline, mostly angularly globose, ellipsoid or oblong-ellipsoid, and 17.8 - 25.2 × 15 - 26.5 μm (average 19.2 × 19.1 μm; n=50) in size. Aeciospore walls were echinulate-verrucose, and 1.1 - 2.2 µm (average 1.7 µm; n=50) in thickness. In December 2022, dark brown telia were observed on the lower surface of Sasa borealis leaves near C. coreana. Telia were mostly scattered but often compacted, brown to dark brown, round, and 1.5 - 1.95 × 1.24 - 1.55 mm in size. Teliospores were either one- or two-celled with a long tapering apex, and light brown to brown in color. One-celled teliospores were globose, and 95.1 - 186.5 × 20.5 - 36.4 μm (average 136.4 × 27.7 μm; n=50) in size. Two-celled teliospores were ellipsoid-cylindrical, and 111.4 - 180.3 × 13.5 - 32.6 μm (average 149 × 21.1 μm; n=50) in size. Side walls of teliospores were golden and 2.2 - 5.5 µm thick (average 3.5 µm; n=50), and pedicels were hyaline, measuring 150 - 300 μm long. Uredinial stage was not observed. Disease symptomology and pathogen morphology were mostly consistent with that of Puccinia sasicola reported in Japan (Hino. 1955). For phylogenetic analysis, genomic DNA was extracted from the aeciospores collected from C. coreana and the teliospores collected from S. borealis. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA and the large subunit (LSU) rDNA regions were amplified using ITS5u/ITS4rust (Pfunder and Schürch 2001) and LRust1R/LRust3 (Beenken et al. 2012) primers, respectively. Both sequences were identical for the spores collected from the two different hosts. The sequences were deposited in GenBank (PP171665, PP174211 [ITS], PP171709, PP174356 [LSU]). A GenBank BLAST search revealed 89.53% and 96.78% similarity with Puccinia kusanoi (KX610657) and Puccinia sp. (MT7298241) for ITS and LSU sequences, respectively. In maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analysis of ITS and LSU sequences, the isolates from C. coreana and S. borealis formed a separate clade from other Puccinia species. To test Koch's postulates, leaf disks with telia from S. borealis were directly attached to the adaxial surface of six healthy C. coreana leaves with tape. As controls, healthy S. borealis leaf disks were attached to the adaxial surface of six C. coreana leaves. After four weeks, four inoculated leaves developed small yellow wart-like galls on the abaxial surface, while the control leaves remained symptom-free. The isolates obtained from the inoculated leaves had identical sequences to the original isolate. There are no publicly available sequences for P. sasicola, nor did we find any sequences that match our Puccinia samples. Nevertheless, based on morphological characteristics and life cycle, our isolates closely matched with the previous description of P. sasicola by Hino (1955). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. sasicola causing leaf rust in C. coreana in South Korea.

지리산국립공원 구상나무의 수직적 분포 현황

This study was conducted to provide raw data for predicting, preserving, and managing distribution changes due to climate change in the future by investigating the vertical distribution of Abies Koreana in Jirisan National Park. A. Koreana are a major tree species that make up subalpine vegetation in republic of Korea and are particularly sensitive to climate change, so vertical distribution changes can serve as an indicator for these changes. To this end, the vertical distribution status of A. Koreana in major trails in Jirisan National Park was investigated in 2014 and 2021, and the distribution change according to the time series was confirmed. As a result, A. Koreana trees showed a lower distribution limit in the range of 800-890m in the northern part of the main ridge in the valley and 900-1080m in the southern part. In the ridge, the distribution lower limit was shown in the range of 1,220-1,420m in the northern area of the main ridge and 1,030-1,200m in the southern area. This vertical distribution difference was seen as a result of microclimate effects caused by the location environment between the northern and southern regions, starting from the valley, ridge, and main ridge. The vertical distribution change according to the time series has not yet appeared, and generally, A. Koreana trees located on the trail showed a healthy state. Through this study, the vertical distribution of A. Koreana trees in Jirisan National Park was identified, and it is believed that future changes in subalpine conifers due to climate change should be recorded and conservation plans should be prepared.

Management plans for Korean national parks to conserve the habitat of the Korean fir (Abies koreana)

The Korean fir (Abies koreana) is dying and declining due to recent increases in temperature, water stress, and competition from temperate trees. Therefore, it is becoming crucial for national parks to have effective management plans for the conservation of the Korean fir's predicted potential habitat. This study was conducted in three Korean national parks—Deogyusan National Park (NP), Jirisan National Park, and Hallasan National Park—that are known to have the representative natural habitat of the Korean fir. The variables were selected by species experts.In this study, we used the MaxEnt model to represent potential habitats for 59 Korean fir presence points and environmental variables created with 10-meter spatial resolution to reflect the microclimate. There were 10 environmental variables for Deogyusan NP, 12 for Jirisan NP, and nine for Hallasan NP. The model's area under the curve (AUC) was 0.993 for Deogyusan NP, 0.968 for Jirisan NP, and 0.975 for Hallasan NP, with these values greater than 0.9 indicating a high degree of fit.Forest type and elevation were analyzed as the most influential variables affecting the distribution in Deogyusan and Jirisan NPs, while Hallasan NP showed the most pronounced effects from artificial disturbances. In addition, the numerical ranges for high probability of distribution were different for each variable, suggesting the need for a regional-scale analysis. Current species distribution models are projected on future changes in climate. According to the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP) 2–4.5 and 5–8.5 scenarios, the Korean fir is at significant risk of disappearing from Deogyusan and Jirisan NPs in the near term (2030s), mid-term (2060s), and long-term (2090s), while the area of suitable habitats for the Korean fir is slightly increasing in Hallasan NP. Given that both climate and the environment affect the distribution of Korean fir in different regions, this study suggests that national parks' conservation management plans for the preservation of the predicted habitat of the Korean fir, which is vulnerable to climate change, should reflect the characteristics of the region. For the effective conservation and restoration of the species in the future, it is necessary to categorize status and conservation strategies by region.

The Multilayered Construction of Modern Mountain Tourism and Mt. Jiri Tourism Space: From 1920s to the 1960s

This study examines the multi-layered construction of the tourism space of Mt. Jiri by tracing how various actors spatially constructed both tourism in Mt. Jiri (starting in the 1920s) as well as the designation of Jirisan National Park in 1967. Modern tourism was introduced to Mt. Jiri in the 1920s, and Mt. Jiri tourism took shape between the mid-1930s and the late 1940s. As mountaineering resumed in the mid-1950s after the Yeosu-Suncheon Rebellion and the Korean War, the foundation for full-scale mountain tourism was laid. The Corea Alpine Club (CAC) and scholars’ academic research played a significant role in driving mountaineering movements, complemented by the development of hiking trails by Gurye Yeonhaban, an alpine club in the area of Mt. Jiri.
 By the late 1960s, Jirisan became a major travel destination, due in part to the publication of mountaineering magazines, mountaineering movements supported by the CAC and the Chosun Ilbo, and the designation of Jirisan National Park in 1967.

Spatio-temporal genetic structure of the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) populations inhabiting national parks in South Korea: Implications for conservation and management of protected areas

Population or habitat connectivity is a key component in maintaining species and community-level regional biodiversity as well as intraspecific genetic diversity. Ongoing human activities cause habitat destruction and fragmentation, which exacerbate the connectivity due to restricted animal movements across local habitats, eventually resulting in the loss of biodiversity. The Baekdudaegan Mountain Range (BMR) on the Korean Peninsula represents “biodiversity hotspots” and eight of the 22 Korean national parks are located within the BMR. Given the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) is the most common and ecologically important small mammals in these protected areas, the population genetic assessment of this species will allow for identifying “genetic diversity hotspots” and also “genetic barriers” that may hinder gene flow, and will therefore inform on effective conservation and management efforts for the national park habitats. We collected samples from hair, tail, or buccal swabs for 252A. agrariusindividuals in 2015 and 2019. By using mitochondrial DNA cytochromeb(cyt b) sequences and nine microsatellite loci, we determined levels of genetic diversity, genetic differentiation, and gene flow among eight national park populations ofA. agrariusalong the BMR. We found high levels of genetic diversity but the occurrences of inbreeding for all the nine samples analyzed. Our results also indicated that there was detectable temporal genetic variation between the 2015 and 2019 populations in the Jirisan National Park, which is probably due to a short-term decline in genetic diversity caused by reduced population sizes. We also found a well-admixed shared gene pool among the national park populations. However, a significant positive correlation between geographic and genetic distances was detected only in mtDNA but not microsatellites, which might be attributed to different dispersal patterns between sexes. There was a genetic barrier to animal movements around the Woraksan National Park areas. The poor habitat connectivity surrounding these areas can be improved by establishing an ecological corridor. Our findings of the presence of genetic barriers in some protected areas provide insights into the conservation and management efforts to improve the population or habitat connectivity among the national parks.

Effects of elevation and slope on the alpha and beta diversity of ground-dwelling beetles in Mt. Jirisan National Park, South Korea

• A total of 67 species and 12,304 individuals from Mt. Jirisan. • Higher species richness and abundance from the northern slope than the southern slope. • Species richness increased with elevation and the abundance showed hump-shaped. • Spatial turnover for the mountain and nestedness for slope level. • Ground beetle assemblages depended on elevation and soil. We examined the diversity of ground-dwelling (epigaeic) beetles at different elevations of the northern and southern slopes of Mt. Jirisan National Park, South Korea. We selected eight study sites from both slopes and collected the beetles 10 times from May 2018 to August 2019 using pitfall traps. We collected a total of 67 species and 12,304 individuals and found higher species richness and abundance among the beetles from the northern slope (54 species and 6,969 individuals) than the southern slope (46 species and 5,335 individuals). We observed that the proportion of species based on the biogeographic affinity (Palearctic or Oriental) did not depend on the elevation and slope. The species richness increased with elevation and the abundance showed hump-shaped with a peak at 800 m. While the overall beta diversity was similar at the mountain and slope levels, the underlying processes such as spatial turnover and nestedness differed at the mountain and slope levels, respectively. We found that the ground beetle assemblages depended on elevation and soil characteristics such as soil organic matter and pH but were unaffected by the vegetation type.

국립공원 아고산대 독립훼손지 복원식생 분포특성 및 관리방안

This study was conducted to provide basic data for mid-to long-term monitoring and establishment of management plans by analyzing the existing vegetation and identifying the vegetation distribution characteristics for the restored vegetation in Nogodan and Seseokpyeongjeon in Jirisan National Park located in the subalpine zone among the independent damaged areas. Actual vegetation survey range was established in consideration of the distribution of the watershed around the damaged area. The surveyed area of Seseokpyeongjeon was 55,037㎡, and the surveyed area of Nogodan was 166,599㎡. In Seseokpyeongjeon, the vegetation coverage by the herbaceous layer was almost 90% or more, there was no bare exposure, and the coverage of the shrub layer was stabilized at 60% or more. The main emerging tree species were planted species such as Abies koreana, Betula ermanii, Fraxinus sieboldiana, Rhododendron schlippenbachii, Rhododendron mucronulatum var. ciliatum, and Weigela florida as well as natively migrated native species. In Nogodan, the shrub vegetation dominated by Quercus mongolica, Salix caprea, Rhododendron schlippenbachii, Rhododendron mucronulatum var. ciliatum, and Tripterygium regelii was the most widely distributed with 52% of the area, and the overall diet was good. The native vegetation of Nogodan was presumed to be a cypress colony. Naturalized plants were distributed in the military base demolition site, so active management was required. The study site was predicted to develop into a vegetation landscape in harmony with the surrounding natural vegetation in the long term. In the future, the restoration model for damaged areas should be set in consideration of the native vegetation of the nearby area, but the goal to achieve restoration should be set at a feasible level.

Survey on the annual mortality of Evergreen Conifers (Abies koreana, Abies nephrolepis) in the Major National Park: A Case Study on Seoraksan, Deogyusan, Jirisan National Park

우리나라 구상나무 및 분비나무군락은 한라산을 제외하면 백두대간 마루금을 중심으로 국립공원 고지대에 대부분 분포하고 있으며, 구상나무는 지리산과 덕유산국립공원, 분비나무는 설악산국립공원에 비교적 넓은 면적이 분포한다. 따라서 두 수종에 대한 생육상태를 파악하고 모니터링하는 것은 국립공원 자연자원의 보전 측면에서 중요하다. 본 연구에서는 지리산, 덕유산, 설악산국립공원 내 서식 중인 구상나무와 분비나무군락에 대한 수년간의 고사실태를 파악하고자 하였으며, 이를 바탕으로 국립공원 아고산생태계의 과학적 보전 및 관리를 위한 토대를 마련하고자 하였다. 2009년부터 2020년까지 상록침엽수 고사현황을 조사한 결과, 지리산국립공원과 덕유산국립공원의 구상나무 고사 및 쇠퇴현상은 매년 나타나고 있으며, 2014년과 2015년에 상대적으로 높은 고사율을 나타냈다. 설악산국립공원의 분비나무 역시 편차는 있지만 구상나무와 마찬가지로 고사현상이 확인되고 있으며, 특히 관모능선과 설악폭포 지역의 고사현상이 지속되고 있다. 설악산 또한 2012년와 2014년에 상대적으로 사율이 높게 나타났지만 전반적으로 큰 차이는 없는 것으로 판단된다. 특정 연도에 고사율이 상대적으로 높게 나타난 요인으로는 태풍, 가뭄, 홍수, 강풍 등과 같은 기상이벤트에 의한 영향이 작용한 것으로 판단된다. 따라서 본 연구의 결과를 바탕으로 기상이벤트와의 관계성을 파악하는 후속연구가 필요한 것으로 판단되며, 이를 객관적으로 규명하기 위해서는 더욱 장기적인 모니터링 자료가 뒷받침되어야 한다.

Analysis of Rescue Cause of wild animals in Jirisan National Park and Nearby Administrative Districts

지리산국립공원은 국립공원 중 가장 넓은 면적을 지니고, 가장 많은 수의 생물종을 보유하고 있다. 하지만 매년 300만 명의 탐방객의 방문과 국립공원의 개발 압력은 야생동물의 생존에 큰 위험 요소가 되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 지리산 국립공원 및 인근 행정구역에서 2014년 부터 2020년까지 7년간의 야생동물 구조 원인 및 구조 현황을 분석하여, 야생동물의 건강을 해칠 수 있는 위험 요인을 찾아 사고 예방에 도움이 되고자 한다. 사람과 관련된 원인으로 인한 구조가 52.4%를 차지하는 만큼 국립공원공단과 지자체의 노력이 더욱 필요하다고 판단된다.

A Change of Vegetation at the Ecological Restoration Area of Simwon Valley in Jirisan National Park

A Change of Vegetation at the Ecological Restoration Area of Simwon Valley in Jirisan National Park

Flora of Temple Forests in Jirisan National Park: For Hwaeomsa, Yeongoksa, and Cheoneunsa Temples

Flora of Temple Forests in Jirisan National Park: For Hwaeomsa, Yeongoksa, and Cheoneunsa Temples

Study on the Historical Background of Jirisan National Park by Reviewing Literature in Japanese Colonial Eraa

Study on the Historical Background of Jirisan National Park by Reviewing Literature in Japanese Colonial Eraa

GeoWEPP과 SWAT 모델을 이용한 산지 유역 강우-유출량 특성 분석

Due to recent climate change, continuous soil loss is occurring in the mountainous watershed. The development of geographic information systems allows the spatial simulation of soil loss through hydrological models, but more researches applied to the mountain watershed areas in Korea are needed. In this study, prior to simulating the soil loss characteristics of the mountainous watershed, the field monitoring and the SWAT and GeoWEPP models were used to simulate and analyze the rainfall and runoff characteristics in the mountainous watershed area of Jirisan National Park. As a result of monitoring, runoff showed a characteristic of a rapid response as rainfall increased and decreased. In the simulation runoff results of calibrated SWAT models, R², RMSE and NSE was 0.95, 0.03, and 0.95, respectively. The runoff simulation results of the GeoWEPP model were evaluated as 0.89, 0.30, and 0.83 for R², RMSE, and NSE, respectively. These results, therefore, imply that the runoff simulated through SWAT and GeoWEPP models can be used to simulate soil loss. However, the results of the two models differ from the parameters and base flow of actual main channel, and further consideration is required to increase the model’s accuracy.

A Landslide Monitoring System for Natural Terrain in Korea: Development and Application in Hazard Evaluations.

This study describes the development of a landslide monitoring system for the purpose of reducing damages caused by landslides in natural terrain. The system was developed to analyze the effects of landslide-inducing rainfall and the behavior of slopes through 12 monitoring stations that are distributed across eight national parks in Korea. Several sensors and a data acquisition equipment to monitor landslide were installed in each station. The composition of the system and its operating program were designed to efficiently manage the sizeable amounts of real-time monitoring data that are collected from the various stations. To test the potential of the developed system for reliable landslide hazard evaluations, data measured over a five-year period by the two monitoring stations in Jirisan National Park were analyzed. Subsequently, the suction stress of the soil over the monitoring period was calculated by applying laboratory test result of the geotechnical and unsaturated soil properties in the analysis domain area. The infinite slope stability analysis combined with an effective stress concept based on the suction stress was applied to calculate the factor of safety. This method also enabled the temporal and quantitative evaluation of slope stability in natural terrain. In addition, based on the monitoring and slope stability analysis results, an analysis for the spatial classification of landslide hazards was conducted. The analysis results quantitatively and statistically demonstrated that 98% of historical landslide initiation areas were classified as high hazard levels.

The Analysis of fragmentation on the Jirisan National Park for the Improvement of Asiatic Black Bear's habitat environment

The Analysis of fragmentation on the Jirisan National Park for the Improvement of Asiatic Black Bear's habitat environment

Synchronizations of tree-ring \u03b418O time series within and between tree species and provinces in Korea: a case study using dominant tree species in high elevations

The current study was initiated to test the synchronizations of tree-ring δ18O (hereafter δ18OTR) time series within and between tree species and provinces, which are about 144 km apart from each other in Korea. For the test, a 50-year δ18OTR time series (1966–2015) was developed using four trees from each tree species which are Pinus densiflora and Quercus mongolica from Songnisan National Park and Taxus cuspidata, Pinus koraiensis, Abies koreana, and Quercus mongolica from Jirisan National Park. Their synchronizations were evaluated using t-value, Gleichläufigkeit (Glk), and Expressed Population Signal (EPS). The mean t-values and Glk scores within the tree species ranged 5.2–11.2 (p < 0.05) and 69–83%, and between the tree species ranged 6.1–13.2 (p < 0.05) and 73–81%, respectively. The mean t-value and Glk score between the regions were 4.3 (p < 0.05) and 72%, respectively. Furthermore, the EPS showed higher than 0.85, which is the generally accepted threshold value in dendrochronology, except for Q. mongolica at Songnisan National Park for which the value is 0.83 calculated by only two δ18OTR time series. Based on the statistical results, we concluded that a δ18OTR chronology established using more than four trees could serve as a promising reference for dating an undated wood without considering the tree species, as well as for research on climate in the past.

A Study on Actual Condition of Damaged Korean Fir(&lt;i&gt;Abies koreana&lt;/i&gt;) Caused by Rodents and Identifying Suspected Species in Seseokpyeongjeon Area of Jirisan National Park

A Study on Actual Condition of Damaged Korean Fir(&lt;i&gt;Abies koreana&lt;/i&gt;) Caused by Rodents and Identifying Suspected Species in Seseokpyeongjeon Area of Jirisan National Park

Evaluation of the Potential Use of Satellite-Derived XCO2 in Detecting CO2 Enhancement in Megacities with Limited Ground Observations: A Case Study in Seoul Using Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2

Exact assessment of urban atmospheric CO2 enhancement, which is higher than background CO2 concentrations, is critical to mitigate carbon emissions in the city. However, ground-based atmospheric CO2 measurements covering the diverse landscape across the city are still limited. This study utilizes the column integrated CO2 concentration (XCO2) data obtained from the NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) to evaluate urban CO2 enhancements over Seoul Capital Area (SCA) of South Korea for the period 2014–2018. In this study, Jirisan National Park (JNP), which is the cleanest area on the same orbit track with SCA, is defined as the background area considering its strong vegetation activity and low anthropogenic carbon emissions. By comparing XCO2 between SCA and JNP based on wind speed, we find an apparent increase in XCO2 by 1.71 to 2.21 ppm over SCA only on the days with wind speed less than 4 m s−1. Strong wind speed (e.g., over 4 m s−1) disrupts the identification of XCO2 enhancements over SCA due to atmospheric mixing between SCA and JNP. In addition, we compare estimated XCO2 differences between SCA and JNP from OCO-2 with other low-resolution data. This increase in XCO2 over SCA is only observed in OCO-2. Overall, our results suggest that high-resolution satellite remote sensing of XCO2 constrained by wind speed has strong potential to open up the possibility of identifying atmospheric CO2 enhancements in the city where ground-based observations are limited.