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Coastal Marine Environment Lab
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The lab studies the phylogeny and taxonomy of microalgae that cause red tides and shellfish toxins.
AboutAbout the lab
Revealing the morphology, phylogeny, and distribution of harmful microalgae
The Coastal Marine Environment Lab studies the phylogeny, taxonomy, and distribution of harmful microalgae that cause red tides and shellfish toxins.
Microalgae are tiny algae visible only under a microscope. They support biological production in the sea, but some species produce harmful substances.
Working mainly in coastal areas of Japan and Southeast Asia, the lab identifies species by observing fine cell structures and analyzing genes.
Students study in the same room and attend the same seminars as the Aquatic Bioenvironment Lab, so they also have the chance to learn about zooplankton and oceanography.
Key terms
- red tide
- A phenomenon in which plankton multiply in large numbers and change the color of the sea. It can cause mass deaths of fish and shellfish.
- shellfish toxins
- Toxins produced by poisonous algae that accumulate in bivalves and other shellfish. They cause poisoning in people who eat the contaminated shellfish.
- dinoflagellates
- A group of single-celled algae that swim using flagella. It includes species that cause red tides and shellfish toxins.
NewsLab news
A master's student received the Best Presentation Award from the Plankton Society of Japan
A student received the George F. Papenfuss Award at IPC 13
A master's student received the Master's Thesis Presentation Award from the Department of Aquatic Bioscience
ResearchResearch themes
Working mainly in coastal areas of Japan and Southeast Asia, in collaboration with local researchers, the lab studies the phylogeny, taxonomy, and distribution of harmful microalgae. It aims to clarify the morphology, phylogeny, and distribution of harmful algae and to use this knowledge in countermeasures against the damage they cause.
*Illustrative imagePhylogeny and taxonomy of microalgae
The lab investigates the diverse cell structures of single-celled microalgae and their positions within the evolutionary tree, and describes unnamed species as new species.
*Illustrative imageTaxonomy and distribution of harmful algae
Focusing on dinoflagellates, the lab distinguishes harmful algal species and the phylogenetic groups within a single species, and works to understand their distribution in Asia and worldwide.
*Illustrative imageEvolution of microalgae
The lab cultures dinoflagellates and other microalgae to establish strains, and studies cell-level evolution and endosymbiosis, in which another organism comes to live inside a cell.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Coastal Marine Environment Lab consist of faculty, project researchers, and doctoral and master's students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorMitsunori IwatakiPublications ↗
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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: “Algal bloom(akasio) by Noctiluca in Nagasaki” Marufish / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Phylogeny and taxonomy of microalgae: “Lingulodinium scanning electron micrograph” Morseds / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Taxonomy and distribution of harmful algae: “Karenia brevis” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission / Public domain (cropped)
- Evolution of microalgae: “Ballons de culture de phytoplancton (Ifremer )” Olivier Dugornay (IFREMER) / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (分子海洋生物学分野(分子海洋生物学グループ)
（井上 広滋研究室） ): “Colonie de modioles (Bathymodiolus azoricus) sur une cheminée hydrothermale (Ifremer )” Ifremer / CC BY 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (水圏天然物化学研究室): “Katsuobushi Kagoshima” Sakurai Midori / CC BY 2.5 (cropped)
- Related lab (水族生理学研究室): “Nihon Medaka in Medaka World of Higashiyama Zoo - 2” KKPCW / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (魚病学研究室
（伊藤直樹研究室） ): “Matoya Bay 01” Miyuki Meinaka / Public domain (cropped)
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