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Miura Lab
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The lab explores how animal body plans and the diversity of form arise, working from a marine station by the sea.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring how animal form changes with the environment, and how it evolves.
The Miura Lab is based at the Misaki Marine Biological Station and studies how the body plans of various animals and the diversification of their forms have evolved.
Focusing mainly on arthropods, the lab looks at the differentiation of body segments and legs and the reorganization of the trunk, combining detailed morphological observation with developmental comparison.
From the perspective of ecological developmental biology, which combines ecology, developmental biology, and evolutionary biology, the lab investigates phenotypic plasticity, in which form changes with the environment.
The lab also focuses on sociality and coloniality, and takes on the question of what an "individual" means for an animal.
Key terms
- Phenotypic plasticity
- The ability of individuals with the same genes to differ in form or traits depending on the environment in which they grow
- Ecological developmental biology
- A field that studies how organisms' bodies form, including the influence of the environment. It combines ecology and developmental biology
- Juvenile hormone
- A hormone that regulates molting, metamorphosis, and growth in insects and other animals. It also helps convey environmental information to the body
- Caste
- A group of individuals within a termite or ant nest that differ in form and role, such as soldiers and workers
NewsLab news
A paper on the process of anamorphosis in millipedes has been accepted by Dev Biol Adv
A paper on the development of air-breathing organs in woodlice has been published in Evolution & Development
A paper on the behavior of the blue sea dragon (Glaucus) has been accepted by Ecology
A paper on the loss of the sexual generation in aphids and juvenile hormone has been accepted by Zoological Science
A paper on the development and evolution of lungs in terrestrial isopods has been published in EvoDevo
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies the evolution of body plans and the mechanisms of morphological diversification in a wide range of animals. It also focuses on phenotypic plasticity, in which form changes depending on the environment, as well as on sociality and coloniality.
*Illustrative imageUnusual reproduction in syllid worms
In Midori-shirisu, a syllid polychaete, a head and swimming legs form on the tail end of a mature individual. This part separates from the parent, swims, and spawns or releases sperm. The lab has established methods for rearing the worms and inducing this process, and is working to uncover the mechanism, known as stolonization.
*Illustrative imageCaste differentiation in termites
In a termite nest, castes that differ in form and behavior divide up the work. The lab studies how soldiers and reproductives differentiate, including how changes in juvenile hormone concentration determine the fate of a caste.
*Illustrative imageRegressive molting in termites
Termites have a special kind of molt called "regressive molting," in which an individual just before the adult stage, carrying wing buds, reverts to a worker. The lab believes this is important for maintaining the sociality of the colony, and is working to elucidate its mechanism.
*Illustrative imageThe distinctive body plan of caprellid skeleton shrimps
Although closely related to amphipods, caprellid skeleton shrimps have a distinctive body, with elongated segments and a reduced abdomen. The lab rears them and studies how this body plan forms, from embryonic development through postembryonic development.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Miura Lab consist of faculty, postdocs, PhD and master's students, and undergraduate thesis students.As of 2025
- ProfessorToru MiuraPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorKohei OguchiPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorDaisuke Kurokawa
- Project Assistant ProfessorYohei OtomoPublications ↗
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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: “FMIB 51570 Tide-pools of Misaki The Misaki Biological Station, from the north side” David Starr Jordan / Public domain (cropped)
- Unusual reproduction in syllid worms: “Syllidae Réunion” Philippe Bourjon / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Caste differentiation in termites: “Macro Termite Soldier (cropped)” Discott (talk) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Regressive molting in termites: “CSIRO ScienceImage 2217 The soldiers workers and nymphs of a colony of Nasutitermes exitiosus termites” Entomology, CSIRO / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- The distinctive body plan of caprellid skeleton shrimps: “Caprella mutica 2” Hans Hillewaert / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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- Related lab (大杉研究室): “Mouse blastocyst-microscopy” The original uploader was Enzo at Polish Wikipedia. / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (植物生理学研究室): “Marchantia polymorpha - Common Liverwort 03” Jasper Shide / CC0 (cropped)
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