Research Overview

Research in our laboratory aims to understand the ecology of higher plants from multiple perspectives and various temporospatial scales. We conduct field research in Ogasawara and Kita-Yatsugatake areas and carry out experimental analyses involving greenhouses, fields, and artificial weather chambers. As both field and experimental research significantly contribute to our ecological perspectives, prospective students may focus on either one or both while maintaining collaborations with the rest of the group.

If you are interested in joining the graduate program and doing research with us, please contact us through email.  

Department Laboratory Page

Plant Ecology Laboratory

Current Projects

(1) Field Research 

In order to understand the ecological roles of plants in different ecosystems, one must conduct field studies to examine individual places for the diversity and commonality of its inhabitants. We are thus involved in doing field surveys in a variety of unique sites, including the Hinata Green Space on campus, the mountains of Kita-Yatsugatake and Okuchichibu areas, the islands of Ogasawara, the banks of Tamagawa River, and the semi-natural grasslands of Europe.

(2) Experimental Research

Another important aspect of ecological research are controlled cultivation experiments, where plants are grown in fields, greenhouses, or artificial weather chambers under specific conditions. Our laboratory conducts these experiments in plots, greenhouses, and artificial weather rooms on campus using model plants that include thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana L. Heynh), bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L. var. japonicus Regel), morning glory (Ipomoea nil), water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes L.), and many others.

Staff Highlight

Recent Publications

1. Long-term monitoring reveals differential climate and disturbance responses in Japanese forest biome composition 

 Tetsuro Yoshikawa, Yayoi Takeuchi, Taku Kadoya, Tsutomu Enoki, Sakae Fujii, Atsuko S. Fukamachi, Mitsuru Hirota, Kazuhiko Hoshizaki, Naoki Iiyama, Yukio Ishikawa, Hiroki Itô, Hajime Kobayashi , Yasuo Konno, Hiroko Kurokawa, Akifumi Makita, Akira S. Mori, Dai Nagamatsu, Tohru Nakashizuka, Kanji Namikawa, Mahoko Noguchi, Michio Oguro, Yoshinobu Ozaki, Michinori Sakimoto, Tamotsu Sato, Hisashi Sugita, Jun-Ichirou Suzuki, Ryo O. Suzuki, Satoshi N. Suzuki, Koichi Takahashi, Ryunosuke Tateno, Ryuichi Watanabe, Hiromi Yamagawa, Tamon Yamashita, Tomohiro Yoshida, Masae I. Ishihara, Tanaka Kenta, Masahiro Nakamura, Tsutom Hiura. Forest Ecosystems, (in Press) 100531. Aug 2026

2. Forest monitoring data of 45 plots across the Japanese archipelago during 1980–2021 

Tetsuro Yoshikawa, Kumiko Totsu, Yayoi Takeuchi, ..., Jun-Ichirou Suzuki. Ecological Research, 39(3) 391-406, May 2024 

3. Population density and diet type interactively affect individual growth of an omnivorous soil-dwelling insect (Anomala cuprea, Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) 

 Tomonori Tsunoda, Jun-Ichirou Suzuki, Nobuhiro Kaneko. Soil Organisms, 95(3), 195–201. Dec 2023

4. Variation in abundance of trees originating from sapling banks facilitates the coexistence of two Abies species in a wave‐regenerated forest

Satoshi N. Suzuki, Naoki Kachi, Jun-Ichirou Suzuki. Ecological Research, 38(1) 167-176. Jan 2023

5. Resource allocation in tragedy of the commons game in plants for belowground competition

Bo-Moon Kim, Junnosuke Horita, Jun-Ichirou Suzuki, Yuuya Tachiki. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 529 110858. Nov 2021  

6. Dead wood offsets the reduced live wood carbon stock in forests over 50 years after a stand-replacing wind disturbance 

Satoshi N. Suzuki, Tomonori Tsunoda, Naoyuki Nishimura, Junko Morimoto, Jun-Ichirou Suzuki. Forest Ecology and 

Management, 432 94-101. Jan 2019

7. Warming increased feeding of a root-chewing insect at the soil surface and enhanced its damage on a grass 

    Tomonori Tsunoda, Kobayashi Makoto, Jun-Ichirou Suzuki, Nobuhira Kaneko. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 126 213-218. 

Nov 2018

8. Fatty acid analyses to detect the larval feeding preferences of an omnivorous soil-dwelling insect, Anomala cuprea (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) 

Tomonori Tsunoda, Jun-Ichirou Suzuki, Nobuhiro Kaneko. Applied Soil Ecology, 109: 1-6. Jan 2017

9. Clonality and modularity: Comparison between plants and other organisms with clonality 

Jun-Ichirou Suzuki. Japanese Journal of Ecology, 67(2) 181-187. Jan 2017

10. Effects of the vertical distribution of a root-feeding insect (Anomala cuprea) on the yield, mortality, and size structure of Lolium perenne populations at different plant densities 

Tomonori Tsunoda, Naoki Kachi, Jun-Ichirou Suzuki. Botany. 95(1): 37-44. Jan 2017

See more: (Researchgate)

Lab Gallery

(coming soon!)