Agricultural Ecology LAB Yamagata Univ. 山形大学農業生態学分野

 Today I went to our paddy field for a meeting with university staff in the Takasaka farm and took some research for understanding the current condition of the field. Some snails were taken out from the ground and they seemed to be consumed by predator mammals during wintertime. Well, the snails might be easy prey in the winter as they can be collected with many efforts if the predator can clash the shells. Many remains of snail shells were found everywhere and I could have some idea for future research activity. Go to the field is the words of my supervisor while I was in the UK and now I give the same words to students of our university. さて、本日、農場に打ち合わせに行ってきました。ちょいっと軽く現地調査もしましたが、面白いこと面白いこと。まず、比較的大きめの哺乳動物の足跡、さらにはタニシの殻の残骸。まぁ確かに、こんなの冬にあったらそりゃ食べるよね、だって簡単にそこら中にあるから。普通に死んじゃったタニシの殻は壊されてないからすぐにわかります。ちょい調査したいもんだね、これ。やってみよう。来週やるか、なんかちょいわくわくするわ。

  The other day, I took Toeic exam. I go to the Kojirakawa campus of yamagata university every time as it is usually not held in tsuruoka city. Although I actually wanted to take the exam in the morning, I took it in the afternoon as I missed the period for application. The application of morning exam starts two months before and duration for application is one week. I will be careful of it next time. By the way, I have practiced English speech since January every day. I could not feel improvement of speaking English until recently. But, I feel that I am able to pronounce R and L easier now. So I am motivated. I will keep studying and improve not only speaking skill but also listening. 先日 Toeic の試験を受けました。ここ鶴岡はなかなか開催地にならないため、毎回山形大学の小白川キャンパスまで行っています。本当は午前中に受けたかったのですが、申し込み期間を逃してしまったので午後からの試験を受けました。 Toeic の午前の試験は 2 か月前に申し込みが開始し、申し込み期間は 1 週間です。次回受ける時は気を付けます。ところで、私は 1 月から毎日英語のスピーチの練習をしています。最近までは自分がどれくらい上達できているか実感できていませんでした。しかし最近は、一番の課題であった R と L の発音の使い分けがしやすくなった気がします。上達したのを実感できるとモチベーションが上が

  Like above picture, some BSF larvae start to emergence. These days, I get some BSF adult. Actually I am not sure it can be growth well. Because I collect in winter season. I was relived I can see some BSF emergence. But, now I have problem which emergence is not same time. So, I can not keep high density BSF adult. this is main problem I have. I observe first emergence around 3 weeks before and I see BSF emergence yesterday also. This was collected same time. It seems the duration they need for emergence is not same or I miss some important information to emergence. 　 Anyway I need to study more about BSF.   写真にあるようにアメリカミズアブの蛹が羽化し始めました。最近ようやく、ミズアブの成虫が出てきました。蛹から捕まえてきて 25 ℃で飼育して成虫になるかどうかわからず不安でしたがとりあえずは蛹から成虫までの流れが確認できたので良かったとおもいます。しかし、成虫になるタイミングにずれがあり、一度にたくさんのミズアブの密度を維持できないという問題があります。最初に観察できたミズアブの成虫は約 3 週間前、最近で羽化したミズアブは昨日とタイミングにかなりのばらつきがあります。同じ時に採取したものなので個体差による違いなのかそれとも自分が何か重要な情報を見落としているのか、とりあえずミズアブについて勉強しようと思います。

 Blue-green algae are photosynthetic producers. Then, there are primary consumers in the ecosystem that feed on the producers. One of the hypotheses of my research is that blue-green algae are also used as a food resource by many organisms. From this hypothesis, it is natural to predict that algae may be decreasing due to feeding by consumers. However, an interesting phenomenon has been reported in aquatic ecosystems. Herren, 2017, suggests that the presence of primary consumers may increase the primary production of algae. In other words, the more food eating, the more food gets. This effect has been observed in the feeding and decomposition of benthic algae by larvae of the chironomid. At high densities, the larvae of the chironomid increased their secondary production. In my study, larvae of chironomids were collected and the data seem to show a relationship between algae. These surprising effects on the nutrient cycle may be the key to sustainable agriculture. ミドロ類は藻類の一つで光合成を行う生産者

We know that algae are very important in paddy field ecosystem as food resources and habitat for some aquatic creature. The interesting of algae are they can growth in the shell of B. chinensis shell. So, what is the function of it? Fujibayashi et al. (2016) determined the function of it as a food resource for other individual. The Isotope analysis showed the snail consumed the algae which growth in other individual shell.   This is very interesting to study more as in my hypothesis not just B. chinensis consume these algae but other species also such as S. libertina , P. acuta or other insects. Our lab also studies about the important of algae and B. chinensis in the paddy field ecosystem and this time my study is the interaction among freshwater snail. I hope this study going well! Journal resource: Fujibayashi, Megumu & Sakamaki, Takashi & Shin, Wooseok & Nishimura, Osamu. (2016). Food Utilization of Shell-Attached Algae Contributes to the Growth of Host Mud Snail, Bel

                                                       　　　　Wikipediaより引用 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　cited from Wikipedia Recently, I am studying for sciaridae is a kind of flies. Do you know that cultivation of mushroom is sometimes damaged by pest? Sciaridae is known as pest of mushroom. It sometimes harms mushroom directly or carries other fungi into cultivation plant. The journal I read recently said nematode affect mortality of larvae of Sciaidae and control the damage. I knew nematode was a pest of plant, but I did not know it had the property of controlling pest. There are many things like this in creatures world. Ladybugs and spiders are famous for controlling pest. You are interested in that should check our blog ！ 最近、クロバネキノコバエというハエの一種について調べています。みなさんはキノコ栽培にも害虫被害があることを知っていますか。クロバネキノコバエはキノコの害虫として知られています。彼らはキノコを直接加害することもあれば、施設栽培に侵入すると菌の媒介者になる恐れがあります。最近読んだ論文には線虫がクロバネキノコバエの幼虫の死亡率に関与し被害を抑制すると書かれていました。線虫という名前を聞くと、農業害虫のイメージがありますが、別の害虫を抑制する性質を持っているとは知りませんでした。生き物の世界にはこのようなことはたくさんあります。テントウムシ

These days, I try to rear Black Soldier Fly. But It is not going well. I think the one of the reason is I collected BSF in winter season. This time I collect BSF pupae to start rearing. Now many of them did not emergence. It is said temperature, humidity and light intensity is important to BSF rearing. I try to know what is lack in my rearing. BSF pupae have habit to go above. Almost they reach dry place finally. So, I think humidity have not relationship with emergence. I will try something to understand BSF and keep studying. 最近、アメリカミズアブの飼育をしているのですが冬場のものミズアブを使用したからか、いまいち状況の進展がない現状です。今回はアメリカミズアブの蛹を集めて飼育を始めましたがほとんどが成虫にならずに蛹のままです。アメリカミズアブは温度、湿度、光が飼育で重要と言われています。現状で足りないものはどれなのか試行錯誤しています。アメリカミズアブの蛹は幼虫の時に暮らしていた場所より高いところに向かう習性があります。そして大体は湿気のない場所に移動します。そのため、今回は湿度があまりかかわっていないのではないかと思いますが、今後いろいろ試してみたいと思います。