Origin of plant species diversity hot spot by means of reciprocal colonization between China continent and Japanese islands

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K06122
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 40010:Forest science-related
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: Abe Harue 新潟大学, 佐渡自然共生科学センター, 准教授 (60462272)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ユキツバキ / ヤブツバキ / 分布変遷 / 進化 / 送粉 / 日本列島の地史

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A study focused on the impact of Japanese archipelago plant species on the formation of biological communities in the Asia mainland, emphasizing the genus Camellia. Due to COVID-19, research on mainland species was interrupted. Therefore, the migration history between the Japanese archipelago and the mainland, focusing on the southwestern islands that once served as a land bridge, was estimated. An investigation into the interactions between the genus Camellia and its parasitic fungi was also initiated. Results indicated that the flower size and uniformity in the Camellia section are related to bird pollination as an evolutionary adaptation, supported by genome-wide SNP analysis. Distribution changes suggested that the northern Japanese population is ancestral, and the southern population re-migrated to the mainland during the glacial period. For Sasanqua, Ishigaki and Iriomote exhibited high genetic diversity, and the southern Ryukyu was estimated to be an ancestral population.

Free Research Field

進化生態学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

この研究の学術的な意義は、東アジアにおける種の進化と生態系成立への理解を深め、生物多様性の保全や自然資源管理に寄与することである。特に、植物の遺伝的多様性や分布パターンの解明は、種の保全や適応戦略の立案に役立つ。社会的には、この研究は地域社会や政府の生態系保全政策に寄与し、生態系サービスの提供や地域経済の活性化につながる可能性がある。さらに、異なる生態系間の種の相互作用の理解は、東アジアの包括的な生物多様性保全にも貢献する。