Terrestrial Ecosystem

Flora

Dokdo is covered with a thin layer of soil from being weathered for a long period of time. The accumulated soil is only about 30cm, and there isn’t much soil where seeds can take root and sprout due to the steep slope.

As the soil flows when it rains, the soil is always dry and there are strong salty sea breezes, making it a difficult environment for plants to grow in. However, despite such conditions, resilient wild flowers decorate Dokdo in the spring.

About 50 to 60 species of plants have been found in Dokdo. There are familiar plants, such as dandelions, plantains, dendranthema, smartweed, eulalia, foxtails, tiger lilies, spindle trees, pine, sweetbriers, Longcalyx pinks, goosefoot, aster, and wild grapes. Meanwhile, there are also unfamiliar plants with interesting names, such as curly docks, spoon-leaf yellow loosestrifes, wood sorrels, coastal mosslike stonecrops, wilford's swallow-worts, sow thistles, Ulleungdo rockcress, holly fern, Ulleungdo honeysuckle, Jejudo buttercup, purslane, seashore yellow corydalis, orange stonecrops, cocculus trilobus, milkweed, silver leaf, and wild millet.

Dokdo is a rocky island with a shallow surface with flora that has adapted to the environment with strong winds and salinity. Dokdo’s vegetation acts as a habitat, spawning site, and shelter for various organisms, and it also serves as an important sample in the study of the relationship between land and marine organisms. In particular, as the history of plant species invasion is short and sufficient time required for the maturation of flora has not yet passed, its research value in terms of the vegetation succession process is high. to the strong winds and salinity.

Although Dokdo is located in the southern area of the subantarctic zone, its flora resembles those of the subtropical zone due to the ocean currents and warm and humid climate. In addition, it is presumed that the inflow and evolution of plants in Dokdo are different from that of Ulleungdo because Dokdo was formed about 1.5 million years before Ulleungdo. Dokdo’s vegetation is composed of native plants such as hollyfern, black pine, and broomrape, and naturalized plants such as giant knotweed, New Zealand spinach, and couch grass.

Moreover, recently, additional inflows of annual bluegrass, yellow bristlegrass, dayflowers, and the common morning glory have been confirmed.

Dokdo is not only far from the source of plant species and is significantly affected by strong sea winds throughout the year, its small area, low elevation, and steep slopes make it difficult for vegetation to settle.

Colonies of coastal moss-like stonecrops, red fescues, aster, and seashore Oriental wormwood are distributed in the dry coastal cliffs that lack soil layers, while colonies of holly fern, the only pteridophyte in Dokdo, are distributed in the gaps between moist rocks. Couch grass and wild millet colonies dominate the gently sloped areas, and depending on the degree of soil development and amount of artificial interference, colonies of spoon-leaf yellow loosestrifes, Longcalyx pink, eulalia, New Zealand spinach, giant knotweed, and tiger lilies are also distributed. On the other hand, in the steeply sloped areas, colonies of coastal moss-like stonecrop, red fescues, aster, seashore Oriental wormwood, and spindle trees are distributed. In addition to these colonies, colonies of trees such as Ulleungdo honeysuckle, spindle trees, broadleaf olive, and camelia are distributed across the gently sloped areas south of the Dokdo lighthouse and the gently sloped areas that lead to Mulgol from the residents’ living quarters in Seodo.

Insects

About 50 species of insects have been discovered in Dokdo. Fifteen types of dragonflies, earwigs, grasshoppers, stinkbugs, cicadas, lacewings, flies, butterflies, and beetles account for the largest number of species.

Due to the fact that there are no plants in Dokdo that bear fruit with high sugar content, cicadas and flies, which feed on the leaves or stems of herbaceous plants account for a majority of the insects. The main species include Allograpta javana, Gonocephalum coenosum Kaszab, Agrypnus miyamotoi, Cortinicara gibbose, Anisolabis maritima, Nysius plebejus, Orius (Heterorius) sauteri, Anisodactylus tricuspidatus, Monomorium intrudens, Campylomma miyamotoi, Agrypnus miyamotoi, Balclutha pseudoviridis, and Heterotrioza obliqua.

In some cases, proportional insects, such as Lepidoptera (tiger swallowtail butterfly, painted lady butterfly, etc.) and Odonata (large dragonfly, globe skimmer, etc.) have been found, but it is presumed that these species were brought to Dokdo through typhoons in Japan and Ulleungdo.

Birds

When the breeding season begins in the spring, Dokdo’s skies are filled with black-tailed gulls. Seabirds living in Dokdo include black-tailed gulls, pelagic cormorants, stormy petrels, and streaked shearwaters. Over 120 species of birds have been found in Dokdo. About 30 species of birds were observed in May, including the white heron, cattle egret, wood pigeon, hawk, black-tailed gull, thrush, blue rockthrush, meadow bunting, redstart, bramble finch, goldfinch, and crow. Moreover, about 20 species of birds were observed in October, including the black kite, hawk, kestrel, wood pigeon, lark, gray wagtail, redstart, thrush, rustic bunting, black-faced bunting, bramble finch, goldfinch, and russet sparrow. The reason the number of species observed varies depending on the season is that migratory birds in the spring and autumn stop in Dokdo to rest while migrating.

Dokdo has been highly valued within bird ecology and serves as an intermediate landing site, not only for migratory birds passing nearby, but also for migratory birds traveling long distances, and as a shelter during irregular weather conditions, such as typhoons and heavy rain.

The main birds that breed in Dokdo are black-tailed gulls and stormy petrels. About 8,000 to 10,000 black-tailed gulls come to Dokdo between April and June to breed. Meanwhile, stormy petrel breed between July and August, burrowing and spawning on slopes with soft soil. Other birds that breed in Dokdo include streaked shearwaters, Crested Murrelet, and hawks, and migratory birds that have been observed include Siberian rubythroat, Tristram’s bunting, and Siberian blue-tail.

Land mammals

There is no land mammal native to Dokdo. However, the only mammal brought by humans to Dokdo remains the Sapsalgae, a dog species native to Korea, which is currently being raised by Security Police.

Herptiles

There remain no records of amphibians or reptiles being found in Dokdo.