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University of Tsukuba Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, Associate professor Ikuyo Saeki

Using arboreal land snails to index forest environments

Research grant

Project Description

Forests are an important habitat for many living things. However, treeborne biodiversity has not often been targeted by conservation efforts due to the difficulty of approaching it. Using jungle gyms, etc. as canopy observation systems to show the behavior of endangered arboreal land snails (the Sapporo Maimai) in 3D, this research determines the effects of deforestation and artificial forestation on gene transmission and habitat density, enabling the proposal of forest conservation methods that consider biodiversity in the canopy.

Grant year
FY2013 Research Grants
Grant term
3 years
April 2014 - March 2017
Grant amount
6,000,000 yen
Activity region
Tomakomai city, Hokkaido (Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Hokkaido University), Japan
The canopy observation facility built in Tomakomai research forest and Sapporomaimai.

Overview of the Organization

Ikuyo Saeki, Associate professor
Representative
Ikuyo Saeki, Associate professor
Profile
Specialist field
Conservation ecology, forest ecology
Affiliated academic societies
The Ecological Society of Japan, The Japanese Forest Society, Society for Conservation Biology
Background
1998 MS, University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment
1999 Forestry Agency of Japan (to 2003)
2006 PhD, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, United Graduate School of Agricultural Science
2007 Post-doctoral Fellow, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for young scientists (Tokyo Metropolitan University)
2010 Research fellow, Yokohama National University
2012 Post-doctoral research fellow, Japan Wildlife Research Center
April 2013-April 2014 Assistant professor, Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Hokkaido University
April 2014 Associate professor, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba (continues)
WEB site
http://www7b.biglobe.ne.jp/~rubra/IOS_Profile.html
Collaborating researchers
Tsutomu Hiura (Professor, Hokkaido University, Head, Tomakomai Experimental Forest)
Research record
  • (1) Saeki, I., A. Kitazawa, A. Abe, K. Minemoto and F. Koike. 2013. Phylogeography of a rare orchid, Vexillabium yakushimense: Comparison of populations in central Honshu and the Nansei Island chain, Japan. Plant Systematics and Evolution DOI 10.1007/s00606-013-0854-2
  • (2) Saeki, I., M. Yokogawa, N. Sashimura, K. Ashizawa, M. Ohtani, M. Kawano, K. Akashi, and R. Furumoto. 2013. Endangered ecosystems: an approach beyond conservation of species. Japanese Journal of Conservation Ecology 18: 187-201.
  • (3) Saeki, I. 2012. Biodiversity and ecosystem management - conservation and management using ecosystems as the standard. "Ecosystem management- towards comprehensive ecosystem conservation and management" (Mori, A. ed.) p278-p293. Kyoritsu Shuppan.
  • (4) Saeki, I., C. W. Dick, B. V. Barnes, and N. Murakami. 2011. Comparative phylogeography of red maple (Acer rubrum L.) and silver maple (A. saccharinum L.): impact of introgression, habitat preference, and glacial history in sister species. Journal of Biogeography 38: 992-1005.
  • (5) Saeki, I. and N. Murakami. 2009. Chloroplast DNA phylogeography of the endangered maple, Acer pycnanthum: the spatial configuration of wetlands shapes genetic diversity. Diversity and Distributions 15: 917-927.