Published papers

We studied relationships between compotion of bird community and vegetation types in woods on the Musashino Uplands and Sayama Hills. One hundred study sites were located on nine woods of which the biggest one was 1340 ha and the smallest one was 15 ha. Bird communities were censused by point counts method at each site on breeding season in 1994. In each site 20m×20m quadrat was established for vegetation survey. In each quadrat all plant species observed were recorded with their coverage. Our results showed that species composition of bird communities changed with that of vegetation. Based on the species composition of bird, the 100 sites were classified into four site groups namely, Group A to D. Based on the species composition of plant, vegetation of the 100 sites were also classified into four vegetation types namely, Type 1 to 4. Most sites of bird Groups A and D were corresponded with ones of vegetation Types 1 and 4, respectively. Short tailed Bush Warbler Cettia squameiceps and Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonicus were characteristically recorded in vegetation Type 1. At the sites of vegetation Type 1 Qurcus cerrata and Styrax japonica were dominant in the tree layer and there were dense shrub layers composed with some evergreen species. Some bird species which are prefer to grassland or thin forest habitat were characteristically recorded in vegetation Type 4 which is lack of shrub layers.

A study was conducted on Orthoptera (Acrididae, Tettigoniidae, Gryllidae) in 56 sites of reclaimed land of Kanazawa District, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture through May to October of 2008. 28 species and 1941 individuals were recorded during this study. By using TWINSPAN and partitioning, classifications of the Orthoptera and study sites were made based on the results of this study. Also we investigated concerning vegetation, soil, distance from original land,and area coverd with vagetation around field as environmental factors. The study sites were sorted into 5 groups and the Orthoptera were sorted into 4 groups by using TWINSPAN. Based on 5 study site groups, partitioning analysis was conducted.Results suggest vegetation height, coverings of evergreens and deciduous trees of middle to high height, and distance from original land are related to Orthoptera inhabitation. However, it has not been clearly understood the distance from original land was selected as explanatory variable. A further verification is necessary because of the possibility that area coverd with vegetation around the field is related was suggested.

  We investigated aquatic plant distribution and environmental factors in 38 irrigation ponds of four valleys of a terraced paddy field area in Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan. Sixteen species including two threatened and two exotic species were recorded in 24 ponds, and no species in the other ponds. The average number of species per pond was 1.7 (range, 0 to 8). There were few ponds with more species.   Although species number was not related to location of ponds within each valley, it was significantly different among valleys. The results of detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) also showed no trends in species composition of ponds between and within four valleys. However, significant nestedness of aquatic plant communities was detected using “BINMATNEST”, and the threatened species occurred in ponds with more species. The results of Moran's I statistics of the present/absent data of Lemna aoukikusa and Potamogeton oxyphyllus showed the significant positive spatial autocorrelation within valleys for only the former species, of which populations were observed in surrounding paddy fields.   We analyzed the relationships of species number with environmental factors, including conductivity, NO2-, NO3-, NH4+, PO43- and mean water level, using generalized linear models (GLMs). The model with the lowest AIC included conductivity, NO3- and mean water level, and the latter two variables had significant effects on species number. Adding autocovariate explaining spatial autocorrelation slightly improved model fit, but its significant effect was not found. Both NO3- and mean water level varied among valleys in different way from species number, indicating that only each of the variables do not explain the difference in species number among valleys. The final GLM models explained 27.5 % of the variation in species number, suggesting other environmental factors may also be important.   The results of this study suggest that active conservation efforts and water management are necessary in order to maintain the species richness of ponds in our study area. Considering the nestedness of aquatic plant communities and occurrence of threatened species in ponds with more species, conservation of those ponds should have priority. Controlling the exotic species should also be important and indispensable.

For the conservation of biota, it is important to analyze ecological data and to make the landscape planning based on this analysis. We propose a procedure of ecological data analysis for landscape planning. The procedure is as follows: 1) Classification of grid cell which are the units of ecological data sampling, based on species composition resemblance by multivariate analysis. 2) Detection of the environmental factors affecting ecological communities. 3) Determination of the major habitat and selection of the sites where more detail survey and analysis are needed. To test the validity of the procedure, two sets of grid cell data of avifauna in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture were analyzed. The results of classification and discriminant analysis indicated the importance of the Sayama Hills, the Lake Sayama-ko, and some fragmented woodlots as the major habitat of birds. And several sites could be selected for the detail survey and analysis. By the results we are convinced of the validity of this analysis method.

This study aimed to understand the quality of the green space in the reclaimed land of Tokyo bay area from the aspect of organisms. The method to sort the green space environment of reclaimed land on the artificial ground with ecological function has not been examined. In this research, we selected Orthoptera (grasshopper, katydid and grig) as an index organism because it is closely related to the structure of green space and expected to inhabit on artificially made land. Therefore, the biotope type of the seaside area was examined with the relation to the habitat of Orthoptera and to the environmental information of green coverage. In this investigation, we recorded the number of individuals and the species of Orthoptera at 72 sites such as the parks, greenbelts, and planted zones. The relationship between environmental information of green coverage and habitat information of Orthoptera was analyzed based on the green classified chart. We classified groups of Orthoptera by TWINSPAN and analyzed the relationships of individual number of Orthoptera groups with environmental factors, using GLMM. In the result, Orthoptera groups receives the influence about distribution of green coverage in the near area and the distance from existing habitat.

It has been more than twenty years since biotope conservation in Germany was introduced to Japan. There have already been many examples of biotope restoration and creation in Japan. However, Japanese biotopes are almost limited to aquatic habitats like small ponds or streams and most planner and engineers just focus on creation of biotopes. I explained German biotope conservation system including biotope survey, map and plan. In Japan there are few views of biotope mapping and planning. We have to investigate many biotopes and species comprehensively in an area and draw a biotope map, then we can arrange a biotope plan. At last, I discussed problems of exotic species invasion and biodiversity conservation by ecological network planning.

Because of COVID-19, our life, including the use of an urban park, drastically changed while we spend time with stay-at-home style. This study aims to find the characteristics of urban park usage during the COVID-19 crisis. We conducted observational surveys in five parks for three months. We revealed how the park use changed due to the opening of playground equipment following the lifting of the state of emergency. We found the demand for the park increased under the state of emergency and the difference in children’s park use between the situation in the emergency state and that in usual. We should reconsider the management of park during the state of emergency based on research.

We investigated the current status and role of intercultural gardens in Japan, highlighting their importance in promoting multicultural coexistence amidst a growing foreign resident population. This research aimed to provide a basis for future discourse and action towards a sustainable future for IGs in Japan. We examined case studies from Kariya, Chiryu, and Toyota Cities in Aichi Prefecture and Nagata Ward in Kobe City, focusing on areas with significant numbers of foreign workers. The results showed that IGs facilitate regional diversity and intercultural exchange. Collaboration with local organizations, resource recycling initiatives, and opportunities for multicultural interaction are seen as essential to ensure the sustainability and development of these community spaces.