LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Forest Ecology Lab
Machine-translated · View original
A lab that explores the diversity of forest organisms through DNA and fungi.
AboutAbout the lab
Understanding forest organisms through genes and fungi
The Forest Ecology Lab conducts research to protect species diversity and genetic diversity, focusing on forest plants around the world and endangered species.
By examining DNA information, the lab clarifies genetic uniqueness and the evolutionary and distributional history of species, and applies the findings to conservation measures.
For forest microbes, the lab investigates which microbes live where, and how they relate to climate change and to other organisms.
The lab's main facility is at the Kawatabi Field Center in Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture, and it also has a laboratory at Aobayama.
Key terms
- Genetic diversity
- The richness of genetic differences among individuals and populations within the same species.
- Molecular phylogenetic analysis
- A method that compares DNA sequences to investigate the relationships among organisms and the course of their evolution.
- Genetic regionality
- The property that, even within the same species, genetic characteristics clearly differ from region to region.
- Environmental DNA
- DNA derived from organisms that remains in the environment, such as in water or soil.
NewsLab news
View More ↗ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies forest plants and microbes, using DNA information to investigate how species and populations came to be, with the aim of protecting biological diversity. In addition to DNA-based research, it studies the ecology of wood-decomposing fungi and how fungi transmit information.
*Illustrative imageGenetic analysis to protect endangered species
The lab examines DNA information from species found only in limited locations, species with only a few surviving individuals, and rare species not previously known. It clarifies their genetic uniqueness and their evolutionary and distributional history, and applies the results to conservation measures.
*Illustrative imagePhylogenetic analysis to protect global biodiversity
The lab targets regions said to be treasure troves of species, such as the tropical forests of Southeast Asia and New Caledonia. Through comprehensive field surveys of distribution and molecular phylogenetic analysis, it discovers new species and contributes to the conservation of global biodiversity.
*Illustrative imageProtecting genetic differences among regions
Even widely distributed species may show genetic regionality, in which populations in different regions are clearly genetically distinct. Through population genetic and molecular phylogeographic analyses, the lab seeks to contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of regional biological resources.
*Illustrative imageDeveloping technologies for high-precision DNA analysis
The lab develops genome-wide DNA analysis technologies using next-generation sequencers and refines them into techniques that identify species, places of origin, varieties, and individuals with high precision. It also develops analysis techniques for environmental DNA and ancient DNA.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Forest Ecology Lab consist of faculty, project faculty, master's and doctoral students, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorYoshihisa Suyama
- Associate ProfessorYu Fukasawa
- Project Associate ProfessorNaoko Ishikawa
- Project Assistant ProfessorEikou Kaku
- Project Assistant ProfessorMengying Cai
VoicesStudent voices
Compiled from answers by students who were in the lab. Ratings and reviews reflect individual students' experiences, not the lab's official views.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
On a 4-point scale, ● marks where students' answers fall
Who is this lab for?
What's great about this lab?
What did you learn after joining?
What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
Where do graduates go?
RelatedLabs similar to Forest Ecology Lab
Soil Science LabFaculty of Agriculture, Department of Bioproduction ScienceResearch aimed at understanding the properties and formation…
Plant Pathology LabFaculty of Agriculture, Department of Bioproduction ScienceMolecular-level study of plant–microbe interactions for cont…
Animal Breeding and Genetics LabFaculty of Agriculture, Department of Bioproduction ScienceAnimal genetics and breeding: elucidation of the genetic mec…
Agricultural Management LabFaculty of Agriculture, Department of Bioproduction ScienceEducation and research on food system issues in Japan and ad…The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
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: “Boxwood and beech relict forest canopy, Epiphytes, Mezmay, Russia” Vyacheslav Argenberg / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Genetic analysis to protect endangered species: “Plant Conservation Program's Jenny Stanley separates roots for planting ( )” USFWS/Southeast / Public domain (cropped)
- Phylogenetic analysis to protect global biodiversity: “Palawan Island, Tropical rainforest, Philippines” Vyacheslav Argenberg / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Protecting genetic differences among regions: “Helminthotheca-rsnge map-1” Karin Tremetsberger, María Ángeles Ortiz, Anass Terrab, Francisco Balao, Ramón Casimiro-Soriguer, María Talavera & Salvador Talavera / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Developing technologies for high-precision DNA analysis: “DNBSEQ-G400” RPSkokie / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (土壌立地学): “Soybean Field with Healthy Soil ( )” USDA NRCS South Dakota / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (植物病理学): “Cucumber mosaic virus symptoms” William M. Brown Jr. / CC BY 3.0 us (cropped)
- Related lab
(動物遺伝育種学): “Herd of Hereford cattle in Canada” Quintin Soloviev / CC BY 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (農業経営学): “(Landscape of rice fields and agricultural terracing in Japan) - DPLA - efedd36882e2f87dd5086186b61df091” Carlquist, Sherwin John / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
About LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.