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Research Group

Biodiversity I: Animal Systematics

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BidoversityI: Animal Syatematics

Numerous species of organisms live on our planet. Ordinarily-familiar members include vascular plants, insects, fish, beasts, and birds. The number of known organismal species is said to be about 1.5 million; the actual number is estimated to be ten to hundredfold. Animals comprise the most diverse group among them. Then,

・Where and how are they originated from?

・How many species of animals do exist on the Earth?

・What kind of relationships do they have between other organisms?

We are interested in the above issues, and tackling to solve these promlems in our lab.

See Biodiversity I Website

Faculties

柁原 宏 / Hiroshi Kajihara
Professor

Hiroshi Kajihara / 柁原 宏

Fields of Specialty
Marine invertebrate morphology, taxonomy, phylogeny, biogeography
Research Contents
My main interest is the systematics of phylum Nemertea (ribbon worms), which comprises about 1200 species distributed worldwide. Ongoing projects in my laboratory include descriptive taxonomy of representatives of Gastrotricha, Polychaeta, Platyhelminthes (Kalyptorhynchia), and the enigmatic interstitial archiannelid Diurodrilus, whose relationship to existing phyla is unclear.
加藤 徹 / Toru Katoh
Associate Professor

Toru Katoh / 加藤 徹

Fields of Specialty
Molecular phylogeny, Population genetics
Website
http://www.sci.hokudai.ac.jp/~tkatoh/
Research Contents
My research uses DNA sequence data to elucidate the phylogeny, phylogeography, and population diversity of insects. Projects currently underway include 1) the molecular phylogeny of fruit flies (family Drosophilidae); 2) the molecular phylogeography of ladybird beetles (subfamily Epilachninae); and 3) the population genetics of East Asian eplachnine beetles.
角井 敬知 / Keiichi Kakui
Lecturer

Keiichi Kakui / 角井 敬知

Fields of Specialty
Invertebrate systematics; tanaidacean biology
Website
http://sites.google.com/site/tnidjpn/me
Research Contents
I am interested in the taxonomy, phylogeny, reproductive biology, morphology, and evolution of invertebrate animals. The main focus of my research is the order Tanaidacea, a group of tiny aquatic crustaceans, with around 1200 species. However, past or ongoing collaborative projects in taxonomy and phylogeny have dealt with animal groups other than tanaidaceans, including isopods, amphipods, copepods, mites, nematodes, octocorals, entoprocts, nemerteans, and echinoderms.
露木 葵唯 / Aoi Tsuyuki
Ambitious Special Assistant Professor

Aoi Tsuyuki / 露木 葵唯

Fields of Specialty
Systematic zoology, Morphology
Research Contents
I am studying Polycladida, a group of marine flatworms. Although they are fascinating in having conspicuous color patterns on their dorsal surface and the peculiar copulatory system called “penis fencing”, there are still few studies about them. Some are still undiscovered, therefore, we cannot evaluate how marine flatworms could affect our society. Accumulating knowledge about these animals could lead us to create sustainable environments and discover interesting topics in the world.

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