Brief Lab Introduction

The values of coastal ecosystems have been widely recognized as they support high biodiversity and provide important ecosystem services including food production and nutrient cycling. However, human activities have led to degradation of the coastal ecosystems. To conserve or restore such coastal ecosystems, our laboratory conducts observational and experimental studies on relationships between the ecology of aquatic organisms and environmental factors in various coastal habitats such as tidal flats, mangrove estuaries, algal and seagrass beds, and sandy beaches. We also study the production structure in coastal ecosystems.

Staffs

• Nina Yasuda (Professor)
• Shigeru Aoki (Assistant Professor)
• Shinichiro Matsuzaki (Affiliate Associate Professor, NIES)
• Takehisa Yamakita (Affiliate Associate Professor, Jamstec)

Research Subjects

• Effects of environmental changes in coastal habitats on fishes and invertebrates
• Assessing restored and natural intertidal flats in a damaged embayed system
• Production mechanism in coastal ecosystems based on stable isotope analyses
• Life cycles of coastal fishes and invertebrates
• Development of strategies for coastal ecosystem conservation