Ms. Jeongeun Jeon, Mr. Jaeyeon Kim, Ms. Jia Lee, Ms. Yujin Kang, Professor Youngkeun Song
1Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, South Korea
Biography:
Jeongeun is a graduate student at Seoul National University whose research focuses on biodiversity conservation, ecological monitoring, and the environmental impacts of renewable energy development. Their current research integrates environmental DNA (eDNA), field based environmental measurements, GIS, and remote sensing to investigate amphibian biodiversity and habitat connectivity within and around solar power facilities. Their work aims to support biodiversity conscious planning and design of renewable energy infrastructure.
Abstract:
Utility scale solar power is expanding rapidly across South Korea, increasing the need for designs that support biodiversity and ecological continuity in agricultural landscapes. We evaluated amphibian occurrence in relation to aquatic habitat conditions, microclimate, and landscape context. Across six solar facilities, we surveyed catchment pits, drainage channels, and sedimentation basins inside facilities, and irrigation channels, rice paddies, and small ponds outside them. We combined environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding targeting the Amph16S marker with measurements of water depth, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, electrical conductivity, soil moisture, and soil temperature. Soil microclimate was measured at 40 points per facility, half beneath panels and half in open areas. Google Earth Engine was used to derive land surface temperature, Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Land Surface Water Index (LSWI), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), elevation, and slope. During the first sampling period, eDNA metabarcoding detected six amphibian species. Five of six water body types were dominated by a single taxon, accounting for 80.1–99.8% of sequence reads, whereas sedimentation basins showed more mixed eDNA assemblages. Shared taxa occurred across facility boundaries at multiple sites, and water body types differed significantly in land surface temperature and moisture indices (Kruskal–Wallis, p = 0.015 and 0.008). These results suggest that water management structures within solar facilities may contribute to broader amphibian habitat continuity rather than function as isolated habitats, although direct movement remains to be tested. This framework supports future analyses linking facility design, hydrological connectivity, landscape structure, and climate scenarios to biodiversity connectivity.