A single application of fertilizer can affect semi-natural grassland vegetation over half a century.

Restoration of species-rich semi-natural grassland requires not only a seed source but also appropriate soil properties. In Europe, approximately 10 years are required for the properties of fertilized soils to reach suitable conditions and be considered successfully restored. However, restoration may require additional time in Japan because heavier precipitation causes leaching of basic cations from soils, resulting in soil acidification; volcanic ejecta also forms active Al and Fe hydroxides with high phosphate sorption.

Genetic diversity and population structure of Nuphar submersa (Nymphaeaceae), a critically endangered aquatic plant endemic to Japan, and implications for its conservation.

Nuphar submersa (Nymphaeaceae) is a critically endangered freshwater macrophyte indigenous to central Japan, with only four small extant populations represented across its entire range. We investigated the genotypic and genetic diversity as well as the genetic structure of all extant individuals of N. submersa based on analysis of 15 microsatellite loci.

Predominance of a single clone of the most widely distributed bamboo species Phyllostachys edulis in East Asia.

Phyllostachys edulis, one of the most dominant bamboo species with the leptomorph rhizome system, has been asexually expanding its range into adjacent natural forest sites by shooting new culms. The resulting ecological problems include simplification of stand structure and decline in the species diversity of local flora. In this study, the genetic diversity of P.

Outcrossing rates and organelle inheritance estimated from two natural populations of the Japanese endemic conifer Sciadopitys verticillata.

The Japanese endemic conifer Sciadopitys verticillata is one of the most phylogenetically isolated species of all plants. Occurring in small and scattered populations, the species is currently classified as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and as Vulnerable in three prefectures of Japan. This study investigated two major factors that should impact the genetic structure of the species at both the nuclear and organelle DNA level, the mating system and the inheritance of both the chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes.