One of the subspecies of the Eurasian spongy moth, Lymantria dispar asiatica, is a destructive forest pest in native regions and also an important quarantine pest in non-native regions. Its polyphagous nature, together with occasional outbreaks, may seriously threaten ecosystems and result in costly management programs. In this study, we examined the effect of chilling temperatures (−12, −6, 0, 6, and 12 °C) during the diapause phase on the survival and post-diapause development of L. d. asiatica eggs, collected before winter, in order to characterize their thermal response. The eggs were exposed to treatment temperatures for 100 days, followed by 25 °C incubation to determine their survival and development time. The eggs hatched in all the treatments, indicating that all the examined conditions could partly or sufficiently satisfy the thermal requirement for eggs to enter post-diapause development. However, exposure to chilling temperatures significantly affected both the survival and development times of overwintering eggs in a given temperature range. The survival rates declined at −12 °C, and the development rates accelerated as the chilling temperature increased. This information could offer clues for the assessment of the outbreak potential in native regions and the possibility of range expansion in non-native regions through the consideration of winter conditions that favor L. d. asiatica egg hatching and their subsequent development.

The red-necked longhorn beetle (RLB; Aromia bungii [Faldermann, 1835]) is an emerging invasive pest. From its native range of East Asia, it invaded Europe and Japan in the early 2010s. Despite its increasing importance, the molecular resources of RLB are scarce, and its invasive dynamics are largely unknown. In the present study, we carried out the first analysis of its population genetic structure in South Korea, which is part of its native range, using 1248 bp cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences of 199 individuals from 18 localities. We found that in South Korea, RLB has a moderate population genetic structure and can be divided into three geographical subgroups: central, southeastern, and southwestern subgroup. Comparative analyses with two Chinese, one German, and ten Italian RLB sequences yielded non-significant results because of largely missing genetic data from other native areas. Nevertheless, as it provided the first population genetic data for this invasive alien species (IAS) whose range is increasing, our research is a crucial molecular resource for future invasive dynamics research.

Since successful reforestation after the 1970s, Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) forests have become the most important coniferous forests in Korea. However, the scarcity of evidence for biodiversity responses hinders understanding of the conservation value of Korean red pine forests. This study was conducted to explore the patterns of carabid beetle diversity and assemblage structures between broad-leaved deciduous forests and P. densiflora forests in the temperate region of central Korea. Carabid beetles were sampled by pitfall trapping from 2013 to 2014. A total of 66 species were identified from 9541 carabid beetles. Species richness in broad-leaved deciduous forests was significantly higher than that in pine forests. In addition, the species composition of carabid beetles in broad-leaved deciduous forests differed from that of P. densiflora forests. More endemic, brachypterous, forest specialists, and carnivorous species were distributed in broad-leaved deciduous forests than in P. densiflora forests. Consequently, carabid beetle assemblages in central Korea are distinctively divided by forest type based on ecological and biological traits (e.g., endemisim, habitat types, wing forms, and feeding guilds). However, possible variation of the response of beetle communities to the growth of P. densiflora forests needs to be considered for forest management based on biodiversity conservation in temperate regions, because conifer plantations in this study are still young, i.e., approximately 30–40-years old.