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Aquatic Biology and Environment Lab
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The lab explores the marine environment and the cycling of materials in the ocean through the lives of plankton and bacteria.
AboutAbout the lab
Protecting the ocean environment through the study of plankton
The Aquatic Biology and Environment Lab studies the taxonomy, ecology, and environmental adaptation of bacteria and phytoplankton living in water.
Changes in the aquatic environment first appear in water quality and bottom sediments, and then in the lives and species composition of small organisms such as plankton and bacteria.
Through both laboratory experiments and field surveys conducted aboard research vessels, the lab characterizes the features of aquatic environments.
Based on this understanding, the lab aims to protect aquatic environments such as oceans and lakes.
Key terms
- Carrying capacity
- The limit on the amount of living organisms that a given environment can sustain
- Dinoflagellates
- A group of single-celled plankton that swim using two flagella. Some species multiply in large numbers and cause red tides
- Nitrogen fixation
- The process of converting nitrogen gas in the air or dissolved in seawater into a form of nitrogen that living organisms can use. It is carried out by certain bacteria
NewsLab news
Published a collaborative study showing the role of zooplankton in the iron cycle
A master's student received the Dean's Award of the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences
A student received the Best Poster Presentation award at PICES
A master's student received the Best Presentation Award and an Outstanding Presentation Award at the Plankton Society of Japan
A doctoral student received the George F. Papenfuss Award
ResearchResearch themes
Through laboratory experiments and fieldwork, the lab characterizes aquatic environments and seeks to clarify the taxonomy, ecology, and environmental adaptation of bacteria and phytoplankton. It studies the base of marine food webs and the cycling of materials such as nitrogen and carbon.
*Illustrative imageMarine Carrying Capacity and Environmental Conservation
This theme addresses how many organisms the ocean can sustain and how to protect the marine environment. The lab also investigates long-term changes in floating plastic debris in the North Pacific and the microplastics taken up by plankton.
*Illustrative imageProduction at the Base of the Food Web
The lab studies the mechanisms of lower-trophic-level production in the ocean, in which zooplankton feed on organic matter produced by phytoplankton. It examines what copepods eat in waters such as the Oyashio.
*Illustrative imagePlankton Taxonomy and Ecology
Using microscopy and genetic analysis, the lab classifies plankton such as dinoflagellates and describes new species. It also investigates how red-tide-forming species grow under conditions such as water temperature.
*Illustrative imageNitrogen and Carbon Cycling in the Ocean
The lab investigates how nitrogen and carbon circulate through the ocean via the activity of living organisms. It studies nitrogen fixation in the Kuroshio and the mechanisms by which sinking phytoplankton carry carbon to the deep sea.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Aquatic Biology and Environment Lab consist of faculty, professors emeritus, project researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, joint researchers, specially appointed agricultural support staff, and academic specialists.As of 2026
- ProfessorKazutaka TakahashiPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorTaketoshi KodamaPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorMitsunori Iwataki
- Assistant ProfessorTakuya SatoPublications ↗
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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: “Marine plankton - Dinoflagellat (Neoceratium horridum), diatom (Coscinodiscus radiatus) - 160x ( )” Picturepest / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Marine Carrying Capacity and Environmental Conservation: “Micro-plastiques sur la plage de Famara aux Canaries (Ifremer )” Emina Mamaca / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Production at the Base of the Food Web: “Calanus finmarchicus” Leïla Brunner / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Plankton Taxonomy and Ecology: “CSIRO ScienceImage 7596 dinoflagellate” CSIRO / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Nitrogen and Carbon Cycling in the Ocean: “Trichodesmium bloom, SW Pacific” NASA (MODIS, Aqua) / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (浮遊生物分野): “Fish3511 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library” Matt Wilson/Jay Clark, NOAA NMFS AFSC / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (国際協力分野(齊藤研究室)): “Calanus finmarchicus” Leïla Brunner / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (微生物分野): “Hakuho Maru, Fremantle, 2019 (03)” Bahnfrend / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (資源生態分野): “Golden Cuttlefish (Sepia esculenta) ( )” Rickard Zerpe / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
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