The 6th International Summer Course on Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development
The 6th International Summer Course on Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, organized by the Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, held a session on Technology for Biodiversity Conservation on August 9, where Professor Hiroshi Hakoyama from the Institute of Freshwater Biology gave a presentation on tracking eels using satellite tags. During this session, Dr. Sebastian Lopez Marcano also gave a presentation on the use of AI & ML in conservation, which led to a lively Q&A session with students and others.
Chikuma-Shinano River Research Group
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Research and Development Fund for River Erosion Control Technology (River Ecology) "The Importance of Habitat Continuity in Rivers - Impact Assessment and Conservation Measures for River Ecosystems" (Principal Investigator: Hiroshi Hakoyama)
The Shinano River, Japan's longest river, provides a variety of ecosystem services, but it has also been severely fragmented by dams. Fish catches in the Chikuma and Shinano rivers have declined to 1/100 to 1/1000 of their former levels, raising concerns about the decline of fish populations, which is believed to be due in no small part to habitat fragmentation.
On the other hand, large-scale river disturbances (the damage caused by Typhoon Hagibis is still fresh in our minds) have a major impact on both humans and freshwater organisms. The Chikuma River Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is carrying out flood control measures on the Chikuma River (bank protection, excavation, flood control basins, etc.) while taking into account the river's biodiversity, but there is a need for river ecological engineering research on how to proceed with flood control while taking nature into account.
At the Institute of Freshwater Biology, Professor Hiroshi Hakoyama has formed a new group with local researchers (Chikuma River/Shinano River Research Group) and, with a competitive research grant from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, is attempting to clarify the impact of river ecosystem disturbance and the presence of river works on habitat continuity and, further, on the health and sustainability of populations and communities.
We are conducting research to understand the habitat connectivity of freshwater organisms such as fish, and to clarify the effects of river disturbance caused by flooding and river engineering on connectivity, metapopulation structure and persistence, community structure, and interactions among organisms, mainly in the Chikuma River and Shinano River systems and the main streams, tributaries, and irrigation canals in Ueda City. Ultimately, we would like to evaluate the scale at which fish movement needs to be ensured as a system for the entire river basin, and make a proposal for the expansion and improvement of fish passages.
Nagano Prefectural Fisheries Experimental Station, Saku Brunch
Takamasa Shinkai
High School-University Cooperation
As part of the High School-University Collaboration (How High School-University Collaboration Should Be, MEXT), the Institute of Freshwater Biology uses its excellent facilities to deepen collaboration between IFB faculty members specializing in biology and ecology and high school teachers who are advisors for biology clubs and societies, providing a venue for local high school students to learn about biology.
In August 2023, Mihiro Shirai of Someyaoka High School worked on measuring the population of minnows as part of his research studies. He estimated the population and its confidence interval using the removal method, referring to Professor Eiji Kuno's "Animal Population Dynamics Research Method I - Population Estimation Method" (1986). This survey method, which uses multiple cellbins, is designed to take into account the temporal and spatial variability of the estimate, and the results were presented at the Ecological Society of Japan, High School Student Poster in the spring:
Mihiro Shirai1, Akira Maejima1, Sakie Kodama2 and Hiroshi Hakoyama2 (1 Someyaoka High school, 2 IFB Nagano University)
Estimation of the population of Topmouth gudgeon in a pond using the removal method
General Lecture (Poster Presentation) PH-17
4th UNMP Lecture A "Learn about the water quality of the Chikuma River!"
January 28, 2023: The 4th UNMP Lecture A "Learn about the water quality of the Chikuma River!" was held. A mini-lecture was given at the Institute of Freshwater Biology and a survey of water quality and benthic organisms in the Chikuma River was conducted. The collected samples were analyzed in the laboratory (EcoPlate analysis using a microplate reader and identification of benthic organisms such as aquatic insects).
5th UNMP Lecture "Let's learn about the water quality of the Chikuma River!"
October 15, 2023: The 5th UNMP Lecture "Let's learn about the water quality of the Chikuma River!" will be held. Associate Professor Sakie Kodama took the lead in the field of the Chikuma River, measuring the water quality and surveying the benthic fauna. The results of the survey were examined in accordance with the MOE's Water Quality Assessment Manual, which uses aquatic biota as an indicator of water quality. As a result, it was confirmed that there are significant differences in water quality and aquatic biota between the main stream of the Chikuma River and the discharge of sewage treatment water into the Chikuma River.
6th UNMP Lecture "Thinking about Biodiversity
The 6th UNMP Lecture "Thinking about Biodiversity" was held on January 27. Six students, including those from the Biology Club and the Student Council, participated under the guidance of teacher Yumitsu Tsuchiya, and each presented their learning and research contents and had an active discussion with professors from the Institute of Freshwater Biology (Associate Professor Sakie Kodama and Professor Hiroshi Hakoyama). The Institute of Freshwater Biology also gave a lecture on the basic concepts of biological conservation and statistics to deepen the high school students' understanding. In addition, they practiced measuring the ploidy (gene content) of animals using the Institute's flow cytometry, and together with a lecture on the evolution of ploidy in the classroom, they learned the basics of the ploidy characteristics of organisms and that amphibians tend to have larger genome sizes among animals.
7th UNMP Lecture
The 7th UNMP Lecture was held on September 23rd. Five students participated and gave presentations on topics of their interest: the relationship between water quality and living organisms in the Chikuma River, the ecology of aquatic insects, and the ecology of the Japanese newt. In addition, the Institute of Freshwater Biology presented on the ecology of lampreys and water quality analysis of the Chikuma River.
March 11, 2022 Ueda Nishi High School Biology Club visits the Institute of Freshwater Biology (Adviser: Teacher Yumitsu Tsuchiya)
October 24, 2022 Collecting aquatic organisms
October 24, 2022 The Ueda Nishi High School Biology Club measures water quality and collects aquatic organisms in the lab.
November 6, 2023 Research consultation
November 6, 2023 Shiho Miyashita, a first-year student from the Ueda Nishi High School Biology Club, came to consult about conservation research on red-bellied newts.
On July 29, 2022, nine students from Someyaoka High School visited the Institute of Freshwater Biology as part of their research on the Chikuma River garbage problem and the creatures of the Chikuma River.
On July 29, 2024, five biology students and a teacher from Nishogakusha University High School in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, visited the Institute of Freshwater Biology as an extracurricular learning experience to get closer to living creatures. After receiving a lecture on freshwater biology, the high school students collected and observed aquatic insects such as dragonflies on the premises.
Facility Use
December 12, 2021 Ueda City Council Members Club
The Ueda City Council Members Club visited the Institute of Freshwater Biology and held a study session.
June 16, 2022 AREC
The 15th Industry-Academia Exchange Lounge was held at the Institute of Freshwater Biology, with 24 participants.
July 4, 2022 Nagano University Problem-Seeking Seminar
As part of the Problem-Seeking Seminar (taught by Professor Kobayashi), 17 first-year students from the Faculty of Environmental Tourism visited the Institute of Freshwater Biology.
August 25, 2022 JR
JR East conducted ayu biologging research at the Institute of Freshwater Biology.
August 4, 2022 Ueda City Left Bank Regional Council Members
25 members of the Ueda City Left Bank Regional Council visited the Institute of Freshwater Biology.
September 25, 2022 Suwagata Community Center
On September 25, 2022, 24 people from Suwagata Community Center visited us and held a study session.
They did a wonderful job on the Suwagata Local History, and this visit was summarized as "Visiting the Rokujikken Dike and the Institute of Freshwater Biology, Nagano University", in which the history of the time when the Institute of Freshwater Biology was the Fisheries Research Institute, the predecessor of the Institute of Freshwater Biology.
February 27, 2024 Jonan Community Center
A tour of the Institute of Freshwater Biology was held with six people from Jonan Community Center.
June 13, 2024 Nagano University Problem-Exploring Seminar (Kazuaki Takahashi Seminar)
As part of Professor Kazuaki Takahashi's first-year seminar, 16 first-year students from the Faculty of Environmental Tourism visited the Institute of Freshwater Biology to learn about local nature and problems, the efforts of the Institute of Freshwater Biology, research on the fragmentation of the Chikuma River, and the personalities of animals.
29 July 2024, SEAFDEC
As part of the Japanese Government Trust Fund Program "Supporting Artisanal Fisheries and Women's Participation in Fisheries in Southeast Asia and Developing Inland Fisheries Research Methods", Dr. Muthmainnah from SEAFDEC visited the Institute of Freshwater Research for training.
August 1, 2024 Komaki Community Association
A tour of the Freshwater Biology Institute was held, attended by 28 people from the Komaki Community Association.
December 12, 2024 Nagano University (Yoshihito Mitsuo Seminar)
Fifteen first-year students of Professor Yoshito Mitsuo's seminar visited the Institute of Freshwater Biology as part of their seminar activities.
August 3, 2024: "Exploring the Mysteries of the Japanese Eel - A Journey from Lake Nojiri to the Spawning Grounds?" Lake Nojiri Aquatic Life Observation Event ( Organizer: Professor Masaru Tanaka)
Special Lecture on Environmental Biology, Nagano University
Ecology, Nagano University
Laboratory course in Freshwater biology
Laboratory course of Biological Resource Sciences, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
Population Dynamics, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
Population Ecology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
Mathematical Biology, Tokyo Woman's Christian University
by Yoh Iwasa, Jotaro Urabe, Kazuharu Ohashi, Eiichi Kasuya, Hirohisa Kishino, Sakie Kodama, Katsufumi Sato, Masakazu Shimada, Kazuaki Takahashi, Akinori Takasuka, Yoshinari Tanaka, Hiroshi Hakoyama, Leanne Faulks, Takahisa Miyatake, and Makoto Yoshida
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