Differences in beech (Fagus crenata) regeneration between two types of Japanese beech forest and along a snow gradient

The original publication is available at www.springerlink.comArticleECOLOGICAL RESEARCH. 21(5): 651-663 (2006)journal articl

Vegetation succession at the abandoned Ogushi sulfur mine, central Japan

We surveyed plant community development at the abandoned Ogushi sulfur mine. We found seven communities dominated by the following respective species: Deschampsia flexuosa, Miscanthus sinensis, shrub willow, Gaultheria miqueliana-Betula ermanii, Sasa senanensis-Betula ermanii, willow-Betula ermanii, and Sasa kurilensis-Abies veitchii. We examined the succession of these communities, in which younger communities of low height and ground cover contained seedlings of the successive communities that were taller and had higher ground cover. To understand the development of these different communities, we surveyed damage from mining pollution and effects of immature soils formed by landslides. The average pH (H(2)O) was 4.12, and aluminum concentrations were not sufficiently high to damage plant growth, except in areas where sulfur had been mined. The organic carbon and nitrogen content in soil samples were very low because of a delay in soil development caused by a large landslide in 1937. Hence, succession was positively correlated with the soil development stage. The delay in soil development after a large landslide influenced the seven successional steps of the plant communities, but mineral poisons at the abandoned Ogushi sulfur mine had no effect on succession.ArticleLANDSCAPE AND ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING. 5(1):33-44 (2009)journal articl

Food and habitat selection of Lepus brachyurus lyoni Kishida, a near-threatened species on Sado Island, Japan

We determined the environmental requirements for Lepus brachyurus lyoni on Sado Island, Japan. during the winter when food resources are low Flare track survey sites were classified by vegetation type. The movement distances of hares, which indicated habitat preference, were evaluated as the relative length of tracks in a I-ha area In addition, we examined browse marks on plants and the protein content of plants to determine the preferred plant species. Movement distances of hares decreased significantly with increasing tree stand height, mean tree diameter. basal area of the tree stand, and forest canopy closure, but increased with branch-and-stem density. The percentage of browse marks Oil the branches of tree/shrub species decreased significantly with increasing branch-and-stem diameter The rate of feeding increased significantly with increased protein content in the branches These findings suggest that hares prefer shrub stands with high branch-and-stem density to mature forests. which have lower branch-and-stem densities Hares also prefer branches and stems containing large amounts of protein Young stands offering many shrub species as food resources and shelter constitute preferable environments for haresArticleMAMMAL STUDY. 35(3):169-177 (2010)journal articl

Effects of ski resort management on vegetation

We investigated species composition and characteristics of plant communities in plots at seven site types within a ski resort: forests, an abandoned ski slope, an area under the gondola lines, forest waterfronts, open waterfronts, edges of ski slopes, and an active ski slope. On the abandoned ski slope, under the gondola lines, at the edges of ski slopes, and on the ski slope, canopy closure was low, tall herbs were present, and species diversity was high. Some wetland species were present at waterfront plots. Differential species composition was caused by vegetation cutting, which was necessary to manage the ski resort. We found various plants, including herbs, some rarely seen because their habitats have decreased. Despite their negative effects, such as surface-soil erosion and magnification of plant size due to the use of ammonium sulfate, ski resorts can be important plant habitats with highly diverse species composition.ArticleLANDSCAPE AND ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING. 6(1):61-74 (2010)journal articl

日本海型ブナ林における雪の働き

[学会招待講演]1999年度植物地理・分類学会招待講演(要旨

TDP-43 regulates cholesterol biosynthesis by inhibiting sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2

Dyslipidemia is considered an essential component of the pathological process of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal motor neuron disease. Although TAR DNA Binding Protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) links both familial and sporadic forms of ALS and cytoplasmic aggregates are a hallmark of most cases of ALS, the molecular mechanism and the in vivo relation of ALS dyslipidemia with TDP-43 have been unclear. To analyze the dyslipidemia-related gene expression by TDP-43, we performed expression microarray and RNA deep sequencing (RNA-Seq) using cell lines expressing high levels of TDP-43 and identified 434 significantly altered genes including sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2), a master regulator of cholesterol homeostasis and its downstream genes. Elevated TDP-43 impaired SREBP2 transcriptional activity, leading to inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis. The amount of cholesterol was significantly decreased in the spinal cords of TDP-43-overexpressed ALS model mice and in the cerebrospinal fluids of ALS patients. These results suggested that TDP-43 could play an essential role in cholesterol biosynthesis in relation to ALS dyslipidemia

積雪量の異なるブナ林における野ネズミ個体群動態とブナ種子捕食良推定

[招待論文