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Wood Resource Science Lab
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The lab explores how plants adapt to changing environments.
AboutAbout the lab
How do sessile plants adapt to changing environments?
The Wood Resource Science Lab studies how plants, which cannot move, adapt to diverse environments, from the perspectives of physiology, molecular biology, and evolutionary ecology.
Professor Gotoh's group focuses on light, one of the environmental factors surrounding plants, and aims to clarify the mechanisms of plant responses to it from the molecular level to the ecological level.
Assistant Professor Takahashi's group conducts research on the evolution and ecology of wild plants in the field, both in Japan and abroad.
Key terms
- Chloroplast photorelocation movement
- The phenomenon in which chloroplasts change their position within a cell in response to light. Under strong light they move to the edges of the cell to avoid it, and under weak light they gather in the lit area.
- Phototropin
- A blue-light receptor specific to plants. It induces light responses such as phototropism, chloroplast movement, and stomatal opening.
NewsLab news
Assistant Professor Takahashi received the 13th Young Researcher Encouragement Award (Suzuki Award) of the Ecological Society of Japan
Assistant Professor Takahashi received the Young Researcher Encouragement Award (Suzuki Award)
A paper by Assistant Professor Takahashi and colleagues was published in Journal of Ecology
ResearchResearch themes
Plants lack the ability to move, so to adapt to extremely diverse environments they have evolved sophisticated and dynamic adaptive strategies. The lab approaches plant strategies for environmental adaptation from the perspectives of physiology, molecular biology, and evolutionary ecology.
*Illustrative imageModifying Chloroplast Movement to Promote Growth
The light-dependent change in the intracellular localization of chloroplasts is called chloroplast photorelocation movement. The lab conducts research in collaboration with companies and others, aiming to modify this movement so that plant productivity can be freely controlled.
*Illustrative imageResearch on the Photoreceptor Phototropin
The lab creates transgenic plants in which the intracellular localization of phototropin is restricted to the chloroplast outer membrane and the plasma membrane only, and examines its function. The function of phototropin localized to sites such as the chloroplast outer membrane is still unknown.
*Illustrative imageLight Responses of Plants Growing in the Field
Analyses of model plants are carried out under conditions with almost no environmental change. In addition to laboratory research, the lab also investigates blue light-dependent light responses of plants growing in the field, where the environment changes from moment to moment.
*Illustrative imageEvolution and Ecology of Wild Plants
The lab conducts research on the evolution and ecology of wild plants in the field, in Japan and abroad. Recently, its study sites have been mainly Kyushu, centered on Yakushima, as well as China, Taiwan, and New Caledonia.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Wood Resource Science Lab consist of faculty, master's and undergraduate students, and technical assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorEiji Gotoh
- Assistant ProfessorDaiki Takahashi
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Live leaf cells of the moss plant. మాస్ మొక్క పత్రం లోని హరిత రేణువుల తో కూడిన కణాలు” Krishna satya 333 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Modifying Chloroplast Movement to Promote Growth: “Chloroplasts - Microscopic view of Elodea canadensis” Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Research on the Photoreceptor Phototropin: “Phototropism” Tangopaso / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Light Responses of Plants Growing in the Field: “Wild plants needing protection BHL11447666” Britton, Elizabeth G. / Public domain (cropped)
- Evolution and Ecology of Wild Plants: “Wild flowers at Pentwyn - geograph.org.uk - 3263529” John Winder / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Fermentation Chemistry Lab): “Yeast cells in Gram stain” Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Plant Nutritional Physiology Lab): “Brassica oleracea italica, Sault Ste Marie 1” Fungus Guy / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Forest Ecosphere Environmental Resource Sciences Lab): “Lentinula edodes 20101113 a” Batholith (talk) / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Agricultural Production Ecology (Farm) Lab): “Central Expmtl Farm Ottawa” P199 / CC BY 2.5 (cropped)
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