MASUDA Ryuichi
Professor
Research on evolution and diversity of animals
Department of Biological Sciences, Biodiversity
Theme | Study on origins and zoogeographical history of mammals native to the Japanese islands, based on molecular phylogeny and population genetics |
Field | Molecular phylogenetics, Population geneitcs, Zoogeography |
Keyword | Mammal, Gene, Phylogeography, Evolution, Biodiversity |
Introduction of Research
In this lab, our going research is to clarify the history on formation of the mammalian fauna and their diversity on the Japanese islands. There are many questions on the Zoogeographical questions: for example, how the Japan-endemic mammals including the Japanese weasel and Japanese badger etc. have been speciated, why the brown bear lives on Hokkaido but the Asiatic black bear is distributed on Honshu. For clarifying the questions, the methodologies of molecular phylogeny and population genetics have been involved. In addition, because it is true that the evolutionary origins of the Japanese mammals are in the Eurasian continent, it is important to have international collaborations with researchers of the continent.
Representative Achievements
・2019 Award from the Mammal Society of Japan
Academic degree | Doctor of Science |
Academic background | 1989 Graduated from the Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido Univeristy After that, Postdoctoral fellow of the National Cancer Institute of NIH (USA), etc. Present, Professor of Hokkaido University |
Affiliated academic society | The Mammal Society of Japan, The Zoological Society of Japan |