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Molecular Biogeochemistry Ikeda Lab
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A lab that reconstructs past organisms and environments from molecular fossils preserved in sediments.
AboutAbout the lab
Reading the history of the Earth and life from molecular fossils.
The Ikeda Lab studies past organisms and environments using molecular fossils (biomarkers) and organic-walled microfossils preserved in sediments.
Focusing mainly on land-dwelling organisms, the lab works on reconstructing past ecosystems, changes in past environments, and the history of life on Earth.
Using materials such as Cretaceous sedimentary rocks distributed in Hokkaido, the lab carries out field surveys and laboratory analyses.
Key terms
- Biomarker
- A characteristic molecule derived from living organisms. It remains in sediments and serves as a clue to what kinds of organisms lived in the past
- Organic-walled microfossil
- A small fossil, such as pollen or a spore, that remains in sediments as organic matter
- Oceanic anoxic event
- An event in which oxygen became scarce over wide areas of the ocean. One occurred in the Cretaceous and had a major impact on organisms
NewsLab news
View More ↗ResearchResearch themes
Using organic molecules and organic-walled microfossils preserved in sediments as clues, the lab reads the state of past organisms and environments. It works mainly on reconstructing terrestrial paleoecosystems, changes in paleoenvironments, and the history of life on Earth.
*Illustrative imageSearching for biomarkers
The lab analyzed lipid components from biological samples such as lichens and determined the structures of characteristic compounds. It has shown that these compounds may serve as indicators of lichen contributions in relatively young sediments such as soil and peat.
*Illustrative imageReconstructing Cretaceous terrestrial vegetation
The lab studied sedimentary rocks in the Tomamae area of Hokkaido that record the Cretaceous oceanic anoxic event (OAE2). It found that the event had a major impact not only on marine ecosystems but also on terrestrial vegetation along the eastern margin of the Asian continent.
*Illustrative imageMolecular fossils for elucidating evolutionary history
Through both laboratory experiments and actual sediments, the lab investigates how lipid molecules with carbon skeletons characteristic of each type of organism change within sediments, and which of them escape degradation and survive. The lab is examining molecular fossils that can be used to elucidate the paleoecosystems and evolutionary history of geological times.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Ikeda Lab consist of faculty members and students in the doctoral, master's, and undergraduate programs.As of 2026
- Assistant ProfessorMasashi Ikeda
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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: “Eau Claire Formation (Middle to Upper Cambrian; Warren County core, Ohio, USA) 1” James St. John / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Searching for biomarkers: “British Soldier Lichen, (Cladonia cristatella) - geograph.org.uk - 6474791” Russel Wills / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Reconstructing Cretaceous terrestrial vegetation: “Tetrade” PhilSteem / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Molecular fossils for elucidating evolutionary history: “Sediment-core PS2492-2 hg” Hannes Grobe/AWI / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Biological and Organic Geochemistry Lab): “Misc pollen colorized” Dartmouth Electron Microscope Facility, Dartmouth College / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Evolutionary Paleontology Lab): “Bayanzag 09” Bernard Gagnon / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Environmental Change Analysis Lab): “View of geological strata in Capadocia” Wokege / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Watanabe Lab): “Porites lobata Maldives” Julien Bidet for MDC Seamarc / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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