Seong-Ki Kim

International Institute of Ecology · Wetland research

In this study, we hypothesized that the limited geographical distribution of Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa in South Korea is closely related to the local abundance of their preferred spawning habitats. Eggs of P. tenuicorpa were most frequently observed in cracks smaller than 5 cm, followed by the nests of other fish, such as Coreoperca herzi. Althou...

Fish predation is restricted in areas with high aquatic macrophyte coverage; however, bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus), an exotic fish species, can consume prey even in such spaces. Here, we hypothesized that the cladoceran community structures in three wetlands (Upo, Jangcheok, and Beongae) with abundant macrophytes within the Nakdong River...

Pseudopungtungia nigra is an endangered fish species endemic to South Korea with a narrow habitat range in the Geum River basin. Understanding their long-term distribution (25 years, 1997–2021) and breeding characteristics can contribute to the conservation and habitat management of endangered species in this area. We analyzed long-term data on env...

Morphological or behavioral defense mechanisms are important evolutionary strategies for the survival of prey. Studies have focused on predation and competition, but infection has been overlooked, despite being a determining factor of distribution and species diversity of prey. We hypothesized that the winter migration of Daphnia pulicaria is a com...

Hydrological changes affect not only the physicochemical factors and habitat structure of river ecosystems, but also the structure of biological communities sensitive to environmental changes, such as zooplankton. In this study, we investigate the effects of weir opening on environmental variables and topographic structures at Sejong Weir in South...

Hydrological characteristics of freshwater ecosystems are powerful determinants of the distribution of biological communities and changes in environmental factors. This study identified relationships between the wetland environment, rotifer community, and hydrological factors for 48 wetlands, to determine their impact on wetland conservation and ma...

The introduction of exotic species negatively affects the distribution and interactions within local biological communities in an ecosystem and can threaten ecosystem health. This study aimed to provide the basic data required to manage P. clarkii in the Yeongsan River basin. We identified the dispersion pattern and evaluated the ecosystem risk of...

The acquisition of Antibiotic-Resistance Genes (ARGs) by natural bacteria caused by antibiotic abuse is causing serious problems for human and animal welfare. Here, we evaluated the influence of three cladoceran species on Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (ARB) and tetracycline-resistance gene (tet(A)) copies, and discussed the effect of these biologi...

Aquatic macrophytes determine the physical structure of many microhabitats in water and strongly influence the distribution of various aquatic animals. In this study, we analyzed the main microhabitat characteristics that affected the spatial distribution of invertebrates in shallow wetlands of South Korea (Jangcheok Reservoir). Environmental varia...

Frequent predation induces various defense strategies in prey, including morphological changes or migration patterns in zooplankton. We hypothesized that the winter dominance of Cyclops vicinus in the Upo Wetlands, South Korea, is an evolved temporal defense mechanism to avoid fish predation. Long-term data (2014-2019) showed that fish consumed the...

Empirical studies suggest that changes in the density of top predators, such as carnivorous fish, in freshwater food webs, strongly affect not only fish communities but also various primary and secondary consumers. Based on these findings, we explored how differences in the utilization of carnivorous fish (i.e., Northern Snakehead, Channa argus) by...

Human disturbance and nutrient runoff lead to water pollution, particularly in downstream waters and reservoirs. We hypothesized that increased human activity in summer would affect the trophic state of downstream reservoirs, affecting the interannual species composition of rotifers. We used long-term data for the Unmun Reservoir in South Korea (20...

To understand the effect of farms on copepod communities in the coastal marine environment, this study investigated the environmental variables and copepod communities in June 2016 in the coastal region adjacent to the Geum River estuary. Copepod communities were more abundant in laver farms than in areas not covered by laver farms, due to the avai...

Coastal lagoons are unique and complex ecosystems which exhibit very high primary and secondary production rate, and their productivity is underpinned by plankton communities. Empirical studies suggest that summer rainfall determines the spatial and temporal pattern of not only physicochemical variables but also zooplankton communities in coastal r...

Sedimentary inputs into coastal estuaries because of activities upstream can lead to rapid bathymetric and topographical changes, which may affect coastal functions such as habitat or fisheries. In South Korea, the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project was initiated in 2008 to address environmental problems arising from dredging and land reclamatio...

Since 1960, in South Korea, many coastal areas have been reclaimed to secure agricultural land and construct levees. Small-scale reclaimed lands (RLs) were isolated from coastal areas by levees and roads, and this resulted in the loss of the intrinsic characteristics of the ocean environment. In this study, the distribution of RLs located on the so...

Background This study aimed to identify NO 3 ⁻ -N sources using the stable isotope δ ¹⁵ N in Chydorus sphaericus (OF Müller), to investigate hydrological characteristics and nutrient states in artificial wetlands near the Nakdong River. Chydorus sphaericus is dominant in wetlands where aquatic plants are abundant, occurring in high density, and is...

Background: Fish body size is a major determinant of freshwater trophic interactions, yet only a few studies have explored the relationship between the fish body size and trophic interactions in river upstream. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the body size and trophic position (TP) of Coreoperca kawamebari (Temminck & Schleg...

As cladocerans are a primary food source for fish, predator avoidance is important to sustain cladoceran populations. We hypothesized that Bosmina longirostris and Daphniaobtusa would show different vertical distributions that depend on environmental variables and their life cycle phase. Quarterly monitoring was implemented in three water column la...

Macrophytes play a major role in the structuring of aquatic environments and may influence the distribution and feeding habits of fish species. We explored the microhabitat characteristics influencing the spatial distribution of newly discovered Coreoperca kawamebari (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843) in the upstream reaches of the Geum River. Out of 21 s...

In freshwater ecosystems, habitat heterogeneity supports high invertebrate density and diversity, and it contributes to the introduction and settlement of non-native species. In the present study, we identified the habitat preferences and trophic level of Brachydiplax chalybea flavovittata larvae, which were distributed in four of the 17 wetlands w...

Empirical studies suggest that the structural heterogeneity of aquatic ecosystem microhabitat is determined by the diversity and abundance of macrophytes. However, excessive accumulation of free-floating macrophytes on the water surface can reduce the biomass of submerged macrophytes, resulting in a relatively simplified habitat structure. We hypot...

We investigated three shallow wetlands in South Korea to understand the spatial distribution of cladoceran species (Simocephalus vetulus and Daphnia obtusa) associated with different environmental variables, through field sampling, stable isotope analysis, and an experimental approach. The surface and bottom layer of the water was occupied by surfa...

Aquatic macrophytes determine the physical complexity of aquatic environments and may influence the distribution and feeding habits of fish species. We explored the influence of different microhabitats, including vegetated beds (VB), edges of vegetated beds (EVB), and open water zones (OW), on two exotic fish species (Lepomis macrochirus and Microp...

Background: The dramatic worldwide decline in the butterfly species Leptalina unicolor (Bremer & Grey) is largely the result of continuous habitat decline and disturbance by humans. The discovery of a narrow habitat in riverside wetlands utilized by L. unicolor raises the hope that such restricted key areas could be rather easily protected. Result...

This study evaluated the ecological value of waterside parks by investigating the animal distribution and ecological feature in 92 waterside parks and analyzed the change of ecological awareness by users and non-users of waterside parks through ecological education and promotion based on the investigation results. The result confirmed inhabitation...

This study investigated the environmental factors and fish assemblage in 42 wetlands between spring and autumn of 2017 to evaluate the fish distribution and deduce the management strategy for improving biodiversity in created wetlands located at the Nakdong River basin. The investigation identified a total of 30 fish species and found that the most...

Macrophytes play a major role in the structuring of aquatic environments, and create diverse microhabitats. Therefore, these plants represent an important factor regulating the zooplankton biomass, taxonomic composition, and distribution in freshwater ecosystems. In the current study, we examined the effects of the structural heterogeneity provided...

Background: Macrophytes are commonly utilised as habitat by epiphytic species; thus, complex macrophyte structures can support high diversities and abundances of epiphytic species. We tested the hypothesis that the presence of aquatic macrophytes is an important factor determining Sida crystallina (O.F. Müller, 1776) distribution. Results: An ecolo...

Data S1. Sexual female and male D. magna induction protocol. Table S1. Size and density of two food algal species used in the experiment.

The objective of our study was to investigate sexual reproduction of Daphnia magna associated with mating behaviors and hatching rates, according to different algal food sources. Since a diatom is known to contain more abundant long-chain poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), we hypothesized that the diatom-consuming D. magna would exhibit more suc...

We investigated the influence of summer rainfall on Pectinatella magnifica colonies in lotic ecosystems. Of the examined substrate materials, branches and aquatic macrophytes supported more colonies of P. magnifica than that by stones or artificial materials. The influence of rainfall on P. magnifica colonies differed in accordance with the type of...

In order to estimate the influence of environmental factors on zooplankton communities in lentic freshwater ecosystems, 20 reservoirs and wetlands were monitored by season in 2013. A total of 109 species of zooplankton were identified during the study period. Zooplankton assemblage showed a different distribution in its density and diversity in acc...

In order to investigate the distribution and species composition of fish in shallow wetlands that might be affected by environmental factors, we investigated the physicochemical parameters, macrophytes biomass, and fish assemblage in 24 shallow wetlands in South Korea from May to June, 2012. In this study, a total of 20 fish species were identified...

Freshwater macrophytes improve the structural heterogeneity of microhabitats in water, often providing an important habitat for zooplankton. Some studies have focused on the overall influence of macrophytes on zooplankton, but the ef- fects of macrophyte in relation to different habitat characteristics of zooplankton (e.g., epiphytic and pelagic) h...

Macrophytes determine the physical complexity of aquatic environments and provide a suitable habitat for colonization by microcrustaceans. We evaluated the effects of a seasonal growth pattern and structure of macrophyte species on epiphytic microcrustaceans collected from macrophyte surfaces (stems and leaves) in shallow wetlands from May 2011 to...

A predator’s foraging pattern strongly affects prey assemblage, and determines trophic interactions between aquatic organisms in freshwater ecosystems. Among aquatic animals, fish have an ecological role as apex consumers in the freshwater food web, and influence the spatial and/or temporal distribution of prey. Investigating gut contents to unders...

In this study, we examined the effects of two phytoplankton species, Chlorella vulgaris and Stephanodiscus hantzschii, on growth of the zooplankton Daphnia magna. Our experimental approach utilized stable isotopes to determine the contribution of food algae to offspring characteristics and to the size of adult D. magna individuals. When equal amoun...

In general, aquatic plants in shallow wetlands provide critical habitat and refuge for epiphytic microinvertebrates. We hypothesised that the density and diversity of epiphytic microinvertebrates would differ based on different types of aquatic plant species. We collected epiphytic microinvertebrate samples on the surfaces (stems and leaves) of div...

We collected zooplankton from May to October, 2011, with the aim of understanding the zooplankton community distribution and food web interaction between the open water and littoral (aquatic plants) zones in two small reservoirs with different land covers (Sobudang, Myeongdong). Small-sized reservoirs are more abundant in South Korea, and a total o...

We collected zooplankton from May to October, 2011, with the aim of understanding the zooplankton community distribution and food web interaction between the open water and littoral (aquatic plants) zones in two small reservoirs with different land covers (Sobudang, Myeongdong). Small-sized reservoirs are more abundant in South Korea, and a total o...

We monitored 32 wetlands in order to investigate the influence of aquatic plants on zooplankton density and diversity in the littoral zone in Gyeongsangnam-do from May to June in 2011. A total of 65 zooplankton species were identified in the study sites. Among them, the diversity of epiphytic zooplankton were higher (40 species) than planktonic zoo...

We conducted a comprehensive monitoring for freshwater food web in a wetland system (Jangcheok Lake), from May to October, 2011. Monthly sampling for zooplankton, fish as well as organic matters, was implemented. In order to understand the food web structure and energy flow, we applied stable isotope analysis to the collected samples, based on δ13C...

The relationships between environmental factors and the dynamics of the microcrus-tacean community, including planktonic or epiphytic or epiphytic cladocerans and copepods, were studied at Upo Wetlands from 2001 to 2010.Among 10 identified cladoceran taxon, epiphytic cladocerans (Alona, Camptocercus, Simocephalus, Diaphanosoma, Sida)and planktonic...

Wetland awareness is a crucial factor for wetland conservation and management. A multidisciplinary approach is needed for the understanding of wetland awareness as associated with history, culture, and social-economics of human society. In addition, a historical investigation of the causes and areas of destruction is important. Therefore, the aim o...

Wetland awareness is a crucial factor for wetland conservation and management. A multidisciplinary approach is needed for the understanding of wetland awareness as associated with history, culture, and social-economics of human society. In addition, a historical investigation of the causes and areas of destruction is important. Therefore, the aim o...