No.20 Seminar ： Ecosystem alteration by parasite: empirical evidences from riparian ecosystem
- Takuya Sato（The Hakubi Center）
- 2011/05/10 4:00pm
- The Hakubi Center (iCeMS West Wing 2F, Seminar Room)
- Japanese
Summary
Parasites are ubiquitous in natural ecosystems. They account for more than half of all the world’s species, and in some ecosystems can also occupy substantial biomass. But what role can they play in an ecosystem? This simple question is not only an interesting theme in natural science, but also has important implications for applied science because it reveals cryptic relationships between species diversity and ecosystem functions.
In this seminar, I will first introduce some interesting examples of the important roles parasites can play in ecosystems. Second, I will present our recent work on the folowing questions: (1) how does the parasitic hairworm cause a parasite-mediated energy flow (PMEF) through a riparian ecosystem?; and (2) what is the ecological consequence of the PMEF in the riparian ecosystem? Finally, I will introduce my research plan during the Hakubi Project.
I believe interdisciplinary approaches will be indispensable to resolve my current research issues. Thus, I would like to use the opportunity of this Hakubi Seminar to draw on researchers’ different disciplines and viewpoints and discuss these with each other.