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The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund

Introduction to Grant Projects

Keishi SENOO, Professor, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo

Acid rain induced disturbances in nitrogen cycling within subtropical soil in China: toward preservation/restoration through elucidation of current state, mechanisms

Research grant

Project Description

Within the forests of China, acid rain has lead to excessive nitrogen intake into the soil, disturbing nitrogen cycling within it, producing large amounts of nitric acid and nitrous oxygen gas, and contributing to catchment eutrification and atmospheric warming. Indeed, amid concerns of intensification and spreading throughout Southeast Asia, this situation has become an international issue. In our research, we elucidate the current state of and mechanism behind acid rain induced disturbances in soil nitrogen cycling and in the microorganisms that drive the cycle. We create a model to predict changes in the ecosystem amid an intensification/spreading of acid rain induced damage and build a scientific foundation on which to formulate policies for preservation/restoration.

Fields
Climate changePreservation of surface soil and forestsPreservation of biodiversity and ecosystem
Grant year
FY2008 Research Grants
Grant term
2 years
April 2009 - March 2011
Grant amount
14,966,000 yen
Activity region
People's Republic of China
Sampling forest soil at the Dinghu Mountain National Nature Reserve of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China

Overview of the Organization

Keishi Senoo, Professor
Representative
Keishi Senoo, Professor
Profile
Specialist fields
Soil science, soil microbiology, microbial ecology
Affiliate academic institutions
Japan Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition; Japanese Society of Soil Microbiology; Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology; the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry
Background
In April 1988 took the position of Assistant in the Division of Agriculture, University of Tokyo. From September 1994 to March 1996 was a visiting researcher at he University of Tennessee. In April 1997 was appointed Assistant Professor at he Graduate School & Faculty of Bioresources in Mie University. In April 2002, was appointed Professor (Ph.D., agriculture) at the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo
WEB site
http://park.itc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/soil-cosmology/index.html
Collaborating researchers
Muneoka YOH, Associated Professor, Institute of Symbiotic Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; Jiangming MO, Professor, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Yuichi SUWA, Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University; Shigeto OTSUKA, Lecturer, Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo; Keisuke KOBA, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; Kazuo ISOBE, Research Associate, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo
Research record
  • (1) Community structure of soil bacteria in a tropical rainforest several years after fire. Otsuka, S., et al., Microbes & Environments, 23(1), 49-56 (2008)
  • (2) Effect of chlorate on nitrification in longan plantation soil. Stigoolabud, P., et al., Soil Sci. Plant Nutr. 54(3), 387-392 (2008)
  • (3) Temporal shifts in diversity and quantity of nirS and nirK in a rice paddy field soil. Yoshida, M., et al., Soil Biol. Biochem., in press