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Plankton Ecological Engineering Lab
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A lab that studies the sea of Sagami Bay, from plankton to seaweed and corals.
AboutAbout the lab
Understanding marine life and putting it to use in technology.
The Plankton Ecological Engineering Lab studies how plankton, seaweed, and corals live in the sea, and applies that knowledge to technologies for environmental restoration and fisheries.
To understand marine organisms and their ecology, the lab conducts field observations and experiments.
The lab also develops technologies that put plankton to use in the real world, aiming to contribute to building a sustainable, circular society.
Centered on Sagami Bay, the lab studies seaweed beds, coral communities, and more.
Key terms
- Plankton
- A general term for organisms that live drifting in water. They are key to food chains and the Earth's material cycles.
- Sea surface microlayer
- The layer less than 1 mm thick at the very top of the sea. It lies at the boundary between the atmosphere and the ocean and is important for considering the Earth's material cycles.
- Isoyake (rocky-shore barrens)
- A phenomenon in which large seaweeds, the cradle of life, disappear. It is also called the desertification of the sea.
- Reef-building coral
- Corals that live in warm seas. In recent years, their range has been rapidly expanding northward.
ResearchResearch themes
The lab's work rests on two pillars: basic research to understand what kind of environment the sea is and how it is changing, and research that applies the resulting knowledge to environmental restoration and fisheries technologies. It spans fields including biological oceanography, marine ecology, restoration ecology, fisheries and aquaculture science, and plankton engineering.
*Illustrative imagePlankton Living at the Very Surface of the Sea
The sea surface microlayer is the layer at the boundary between the atmosphere and the ocean, less than 1 mm thick at the very top of the sea. The lab has shown that zooplankton appear here in high density at certain times, feeding actively and laying eggs, and aims to clarify why they gather there and what ecological role they play.
*Illustrative imageEcology and Respiratory Metabolism of Small Jellyfish
It has become clear that microscopic jellyfish exist in oceans around the world and are preyed on by many fish. The lab investigates what small jellyfish eat and aims to clarify their role in ecosystems through their ecology and respiratory metabolism.
*Illustrative imageIsoyake (Rocky-Shore Barrens) and Seaweed Bed Restoration
Isoyake, in which large seaweeds disappear, is spreading across Japan. The lab sets up experimental plots in the field in Sagami Bay and, together with various research institutions and companies, works to identify the causes of isoyake and develop effective restoration methods.
*Illustrative imageReef-Building Coral Communities at High Latitudes
Reef-building corals that live in warm seas have been rapidly extending their range northward in recent years. Large-scale communities have been found to form in Sagami Bay, and the lab studies their ecology at the northern limit of reef-building coral communities worldwide.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Plankton Ecological Engineering Lab consist of faculty members, master's students, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- Assistant ProfessorYoshiki Takayama
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: “SagamiBay” P. Hughes / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Plankton Living at the Very Surface of the Sea: “Unidentified plankton from the NOAA Oceanic Service” NOAA's National Ocean Service / Public domain (cropped)
- Ecology and Respiratory Metabolism of Small Jellyfish: “Small jellyfishes in aquarium” Vincent Niochet / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Isoyake (Rocky-Shore Barrens) and Seaweed Bed Restoration: “Kelp forest Cojo Anchorage” Robert Schwemmer/NOAA / Public domain (cropped)
- Reef-Building Coral Communities at High Latitudes: “Mimic goatfish coral reef Howland Island 2023” NOAA Fisheries/Mia Lamirand / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Aquatic Ecology Lab): “Snow Algae Textures” Iwona Erskine-Kellie from Vancouver, Canada / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Biological Oceanography Lab): “Lion Pods Live Copepods – Macro Microscope Photography from Thailand” Lion Pods Live Copepods / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Ecosystem Assessment Lab): “Alpine meadows, Grassland, Georgia” Vyacheslav Argenberg / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Socio-Ecological Informatics Lab): “2016. Lake sediment core. Forlorn Lakes. Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington. ( )” R6, State & Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection / Public domain (cropped)
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