Investigation of the the Vega collection in Sweden: reconstruction of Lake Biwa environment and her scientific research on Japan in the early Meiji period

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H05234
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Biodiversity/Systematics
• Research Institution: Kagawa University
• Principal Investigator: Takigawa Yuko 香川大学, 農学部, 協力研究員 (40532932)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 細谷 和海 近畿大学, 農学部, 教授 (10330242) ; 瀬能 宏 神奈川県立生命の星・地球博物館, その他部局等, 企画情報部・企画普及課長 (80202141) ; 川瀬 成吾 滋賀県立琵琶湖博物館, その他部局等, 特別研究員 (90750505)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): Yoshino Tetsuo 沖縄美ら島財団, 総合研究センター, 研究顧問 (50117595) ; Nishino Machiko びわこ成蹊スポーツ大学, スポーツ学部, 教授 (60237716) ; Nakano Takafumi 京都大学, 理学研究科, 准教授 (50723665) ; Nakai Katsuki 滋賀県立琵琶湖博物館, 研究部, 専門学芸員 (80222157) ; Tomikawa Ko 広島大学, 大学院教育学研究科, 准教授 (70452597)
• Research Collaborator: Fujita Tomohiko (株)建設環境研究所, 環境部, 研究員 ; Ishiwata Shin-ichi 神奈川工科大学, 工学部応用化学科, 客員教授 ; Kato Syou 東邦大学, 理学部, 訪問研究員 (30624738) ; Hikida Tsutomu 京都大学, 大学院理学研究科, 名誉教授 (40135512) ; Suzuki Hiroshi 鹿児島大学, 農水産獣医学域水産学系, 教授 (30162994) ; Karube Haruki 神奈川県立生命の星, 地球博物館・学芸部, 主任学芸員 (50261194) ; Department of Zoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: ヴェガ号 / ノルデンショルド / 明治期の生態復元 / 琵琶湖 / スウェーデン国立自然史博物館 / 長期的生物相の変動 / 生物多様性 / 博物館資料

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this research was to reconstruct the waterfront environment in late 19th century Japan by investigating biological specimens collected in 1879 by the Swedish Vega expedition led by Nordenskiold. The whole Japanese specimens collected by the Vega collection, as well as their records, are stored in the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, and were identified by first-hand examination at the museum.
The specimens were collected in mainly three regions: Kanto Region including Tokyo Bay, Kansai Region including Lake Biwa, and Nagasaki. The specimens contained some of the rare or extinct species in these regions today. As results, the Vega specimens turned out to have important　scientific materials that helped us to reconstruct the ecological evidence of these localities in 1879, which had been severely damaged by the various anthropogenic influences during the 20th century.

Free Research Field

生物多様性・分類