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Forest Ecology Lab
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From photosynthesis to tree coexistence and global warming, the lab uses science to uncover how forests work.
AboutAbout the lab
A scientific look at the complex relationships in forests
The Forest Ecology Lab studies forest ecosystems formed by trees, animals, and microorganisms from perspectives such as biodiversity, material cycling, and resource conservation.
It works on forest dynamics, the mechanisms by which biodiversity arises and is maintained, and the sustainable use and conservation of forests suited to each region.
The lab uses a wide range of methods, including measurement with drones and terrestrial LiDAR, environmental DNA analysis, and statistical models of long-term monitoring data.
Undergraduates join the lab in their fourth year (graduate students belong to the Division of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agriculture).
Key terms
- Competitive exclusion principle
- The idea that when species compete for the same resource, the stronger species drives out the weaker one, so they cannot coexist
- LiDAR
- A technology that shines laser light and measures its reflection to capture the three-dimensional shape of trees and terrain
- Self-thinning
- The process in which, when plants grow crowded together, competition kills some individuals and the number of plants decreases
NewsLab news
Research findings on competition and coexistence among trees were featured in Kyoto University Research News
A postdoctoral researcher won the Excellent Presentation Award at the annual meeting of the Japanese Society of Tropical Ecology
ResearchResearch themes
The lab conducts a wide range of research on forest dynamics, material cycling, the mechanisms by which biodiversity arises and is maintained, and the sustainable use and conservation of forests. A distinctive feature is research that links photosynthesis, biodiversity, and forestry.
*Illustrative imageUnderstanding plant diversity through photosynthesis
The lab studies how efficiently plants convert light energy into biomass, and how that efficiency differs among environments and tree species. It also studies the diversity of leaf traits, autumn leaf coloration, and the adaptive radiation of plants in Hawaii.
*Illustrative imageWhy can so many tree species coexist?
The lab tackles the puzzle of how many tree species coexist despite the competitive exclusion principle. It does so by testing the trade-off between light capture and use that comes with competition for height, and the partitioning of habitats along soil nutrients.
*Illustrative imageDo forests grow better when species are planted together?
In field experiments that manipulated the number of planted tree species, the lab showed that mixed-species plantations develop more layered structure than monocultures, and that their trees complement each other in using resources, which raises productivity. Next, the lab plans to extend this research to mangrove forests and other forests.
*Illustrative imageApplying theories of forest growth to forestry
This research builds plant diversity into the theories of production ecology, canopy photosynthesis and self-thinning, and applies it to forest tree breeding and afforestation. The lab measures the three-dimensional structure of forests with laser drones and other tools, and verifies the results in planted forests.
MembersFaculty
Members of the Forest Ecology Lab are faculty, part-time researchers, postdoctoral researchers, secretaries, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorYusuke Onoda
- Associate ProfessorShinichi Tatsumi
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: “Smoke-filtered Sun on the Forest Canopy ( )” Forest Service - Northern Region / Public domain (cropped)
- Understanding plant diversity through photosynthesis: “Red aspen leaves by Myrstigen 1” W.carter / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Why can so many tree species coexist?: “2017 Las mieszany na stoku Rudki, Masyw Śnieżnika, Sudety” Jacek Halicki / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Do forests grow better when species are planted together?: “Mixed-forest” Oliver Herold / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Applying theories of forest growth to forestry: “LidarCrossSection ( )” Southwestern Region, USDA Forest Service from USA / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Tree Cell Biology Lab): “Resin Canals” Bweil2 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Tropical Forest Environment Lab): “Palawan Island, Tropical rainforest, Philippines” Vyacheslav Argenberg / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Forest Biochemistry Lab): “Wood decay fungus” Sindugab / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Forest Biology Lab): “Sika Deer 30123652” belvedere04 / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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