Land-vegetation structure and its evolutionary background of the mountainous forests in the East Asia

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K07509
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: Yokohama National University
• Principal Investigator: Sakai Akiko 横浜国立大学, 大学院環境情報研究院, 教授 (20344715)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 地形ニッチ / 系統的保守性 / 東アジアモンスーン気候 / 湿潤変動帯 / 微地形構造 / 森林性樹木 / 系統地理学 / 生物多様性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In temperate natural forests of hills and mountains of the southern Kanto region, we investigated the topographical niche and traits of major tree species. Based on analyses for entire catchment areas, trends were detected that the niche positions on the habitat axis as suitable - unsuitable gradient for general plant growth had a phylogenetic signal, while niche positions relating land disturbances were relatively recently derived. Clades distributed in the disturbed areas near valleys tended to have an East Asian endemic geographical distribution. It was suggested that the macro and long-time scale topographical development and plant evolution were reflected in the local and current tree species arrangements on the temperate East Asian forests.

Free Research Field

植物生態学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

一続きの森林の中には多様な樹木が共存する。本課題では、東アジアに特有の地史的・気候的背景によって形成された起伏に富む地域において、各樹種が地形上のどの位置を生息地としているか、その選択は植物の系統進化とどのように関わっているのかを調べた。生物多様性のメカニズムとして、自然林の内部のミクロな構造には長大な時空間スケールでの歴史的プロセスが反映されているとの結果は、気候変動や開発によって失えば取り戻せないことを意味する。