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Aquatic Ecology Lab
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A lab that explores the carbon cycle and its links to the atmosphere through the activity of marine microbes.
AboutAbout the lab
Tracing the carbon flow driven by marine microbes
The Aquatic Ecology Lab studies the material cycles carried out by marine microbes and how these cycles respond to environmental change.
The lab focuses on the flow in which organic matter produced by phytoplankton is decomposed, transformed, and transported by zooplankton and bacteria.
It places particular emphasis on the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere mediated by volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Key terms
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- Organic compounds that readily become gases at room temperature. They are produced and broken down by marine microbes and seaweeds, and they link the ocean and the atmosphere.
- Dissolved organic matter (DOM)
- Organic matter dissolved in seawater. It is one of the forms into which carbon fixed by phytoplankton is transformed and in which it accumulates.
- Plastiphere
- The distinctive microbial community that forms on the surface of marine plastics.
NewsLab news
A master's student received a Student Poster Award at the 12th IER Research Results Report Meeting
A paper on the process of acetaldehyde production by marine bacteria, written jointly with a researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, has been accepted
ResearchResearch themes
Microbes play the leading role in marine material cycles, and their activity affects not only the ocean but also the atmosphere and climate. By focusing on the quality (molecular-level differences) and quantity of organic matter, the lab aims to clarify how the carbon cycle actually works and how it responds to the environment, and to contribute to the understanding of global environmental change.
*Illustrative imageMarine carbon sequestration (blue carbon)
The lab quantitatively evaluates how carbon fixed by phytoplankton is transformed and accumulated as dissolved organic matter (DOM). It clarifies the mechanisms by which the ocean sequesters atmospheric CO₂ over the long term.
*Illustrative imageOcean acidification and changes in VOCs
The lab investigates how ocean acidification changes the amounts and composition of compounds such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and halocarbons, which microbes and seaweeds produce and break down. It also evaluates the effects on the climate system.
*Illustrative imageMarine plastics and microbial communities
The lab regards plastic entering the ocean as one source of organic matter and focuses on the distinctive microbial community that forms on its surface, the "Plastiphere." It clarifies the effects on new material cycles, including organic matter cycling and VOC production.
MembersFaculty
The Aquatic Ecology Lab consists of faculty members and graduate and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- Assistant ProfessorYuko Omori
VoicesStudent voices
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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: “Ocean phytoplankton bloom feed by the Amazon River” NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Public domain (cropped)
- Marine carbon sequestration (blue carbon): “Phytoplankton bloom in the South Atlantic Ocean (MODIS )” Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC / Public domain (cropped)
- Ocean acidification and changes in VOCs: “Rocks and seaweed - geograph.org.uk - 1588780” Jonathan Wilkins / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Marine plastics and microbial communities: “004 Beach pollution in Tenerife - Atlantic Ocean beach plastic garbage debris” Marek Ślusarczyk (Tupungato) Photo portfolio / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (陸域生態学研究室): “Beech Forest (AU), Great Otway National Park, Beauchamp Falls” Dietmar Rabich / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (微生物生態学
（増本 翔太） ): “Alpine Tundra Plants on Grey Mountain ( )” Chris Hunkeler from Carlsbad, California, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped) - Related lab (Future Oceans Lab
（ハーベイ研究室） ): “Rocky intertidal zone near Knockeen - geograph.org.uk - 7889734” David Martin / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped) - Related lab (光合成代謝制御学研究室): “Red Algae Haematococcus pluvialis 1000X” Rendodge / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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