Publications by authors named "Shigeru Fukumoto"
Article Synopsis
- - The study examines how changes in snowfall have impacted the population dynamics and distribution of Arnica mallotopus, a snow-dependent plant in Japan, from the Last Glacial Period to the Holocene.
- - Genetic analyses reveal that different geographic lineages of the plant diverged during the Last Glacial Period due to reduced snowfall and lower temperatures, causing population isolation in separate refuges.
- - Findings suggest that environmental and geographic factors significantly influence postglacial population responses, demonstrating that changes in snowfall have been crucial in shaping the plant's distribution and genetic structure.
Article Synopsis
- Interspecific hybridization can threaten small populations, leading to extinction; the study focuses on the endangered Carex podogyna in Kyoto, Japan.
- Genetic analysis shows a complete loss of diversity in the wild population due to isolation, while an ex-situ population reveals multiple alleles indicative of hybridization with C. curvicollis.
- The research suggests that natural selection may be preventing hybrids from establishing in the wild, highlighting the need for genetic assessments in conservation efforts.
Arnica mallotopus is a perennial herb endemic to the snowy regions of Japan. At the southern edge of its distribution, in Kyoto Prefecture, overgrazing by sika deer and decreased snowfall have resulted in the rapid decline of A. mallotopus populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeer overabundance is a contributing factor in the degradation of plant communities and ecosystems worldwide. The management and conservation of the deer-affected ecosystems requires us to urgently grasp deer population trends and to identify the factors that affect them. In this study, we developed a Bayesian state-space model to estimate the population dynamics of sika deer (Cervus nippon) in a cool-temperate forest in Japan, where wolves (Canis lupus hodophilax) are extinct.
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