2024 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Exploring the causes and consequences of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning through a large-scale experiment

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	23K20306
Project/Area Number (Other)	20H03320 (2020-2023)
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund (2024) Single-year Grants (2020-2023)
Section	一般
Review Section	Basic Section 45040:Ecology and environment-related
Research Institution	The University of Tokyo (2021-2024) Yokohama National University (2020)
Principal Investigator	Mori Akira 東京大学, 先端科学技術研究センター, 教授 (90505455)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	高木健太郎北海道大学, 北方生物圏フィールド科学センター, 教授 (20322844) 佐々木雄大横浜国立大学, 大学院環境情報研究院, 教授 (60550077) 小林真北海道大学, 北方生物圏フィールド科学センター, 准教授 (60719798)
Project Period (FY)	2024-04-01 – 2025-03-31
Keywords	生物多様性 / 生態系機能 / 生態系サービス / 森林生態系 / 多種共存
Outline of Final Research Achievements	At a time when the need to maintain and sustainably manage forests composed of diverse species is increasingly recognized, it is essential to reexamine the role of forests. While our understanding of how biodiversity enhances ecosystem functioning and supports ecosystem services has been advanced primarily through diversity-manipulation experiments in grassland systems, knowledge regarding forest ecosystems remains limited. This study conducted large-scale tree diversity manipulation experiments in the field to recreate conditions in which biodiversity is maintained through natural processes. Through this approach, we aimed to gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms by which biodiversity underpins ecosystem functioning, and to explore science-based approaches to forest management grounded in ecological theory. At the same time, we have actively promoted open access to these experimental forest sites for researchers and students.
Free Research Field	生態学
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	森林における基礎・応用科学のニーズは高く、持続可能な森林管理は日本学術会議や国連でも強調されている。特に気候変動対策として、多様な樹種を持つ森林の炭素隔離・貯蔵機能の重要性が増している。生物多様性が生態系機能を支える仕組みは草地では進んだが、森林では知見が限られる。本研究では、自然プロセスによる多様性維持を再現した大規模樹木多様性試験により、森林の公益機能を理論に基づき解明し、持続可能な管理指針の確立に貢献する科学的知見を得た。