Ecosystem management on Amami Island, considering community processes.

2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 15310160
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Resource conservation science
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: ISHIDA Ken The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Associate Professor, 大学院・農学生命科学研究科, 助教授 (90192484)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MIYASHITA Tadashi The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Associate Professor, 大学院・農学生命科学研究科, 助教授 (50182019) ; TAKATSUKI Seiki The University of Tokyo, the University Museum, Associate Professor, 総合研究博物館, 助教授 (00124595) ; HATTORI Shosaku The University of Tokyo, Institute of Medical Science, Associate Professor, 医科学研究所, 助教授 (00164864) ; YAMADA Fumio Forest and Forest Product Research Institute, Lab. of Wildlife, Chief Researcher, 鳥獣生態研究室, 室長(研究職) (10353905) ; SEKI Shin-ichi Forest and Forest Product Research Institute, Kyushu branch, Researcher, 九州支所, 研究員 (50343801)
• Project Period (FY): 2003 – 2004
• Keywords: Ecosystem Management / Adaptive management / Community process / Food web / Alien mammals / Amami-oshima Island / Biodiversity / Ecosystem model

Research Abstract

Amami-oshima Island locates about 300km south-west from Kyushu Is., and north-eastern edge of Oriental Region. There are many endemic species, such as Pentalagus furnessi, Garrulus Iidthi, Zoothera major, and Babina subaspera. In 1990's alien Herpestes javanicus expanded its distribution within this Island, and in the high density area of this alien predator mammal, the number of many endemic animal species has decreased or even disappeared. Ministry of the Environment, Japan, has been controlling H.javanicus population since 2000 and targeting its eradication from this island. There are sometimes alien Rattus rattus in the forest, which is usually an important winter prey of H.javanicus. There may be also some indirect effects of H.javanicus population change through R.rattus and other intermediate native predators on the lower prey species. There are annual fluctuation of acorns and R.rattus and several native animals depend on acorns much. The ecosystem of the forest on Amami Island is dynamic and complicated. Understanding its processes is interesting and important to conserve the nature. We investigated the animal density, observed and hypothetic food web, and present problems of its conservation in terms of the ecosystem restoration measurements.