Bats are a group with more than 1,400 species living on Earth, showing remarkable diversity in morphology, ecology, physiology, life history, and behavior.
Their excellent flying ability and echolocation capability are so advanced that they are even applied in engineering fields.
However, because they act in the dark, many aspects of their ecology, life history, and behavior remain unknown.
At the same time, many species are facing extinction due to environmental changes, and urgent conservation measures are needed.
In addition, in recent years, bats have attracted attention as hosts of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19 and face social issues such as collisions with wind power facilities.
To solve such problems, it is necessary to study various fundamental themes such as the ecology, behavior, life history, and evolutionary history of bats.
Therefore, I have so far dealt with various topics on bats, such as habitat characteristics, coexistence mechanisms, and life history traits.
Furthermore, by collaborating with researchers in various fields, I contribute to clarifying evolution and taxonomy and to engineering applications.
Educational approach
Why not try to uncover the amazing aspects of the natural world?
I am in charge of undergraduate training and seminars such as Faculty of Agriculture field practices at the University Forest, general education seminars, and Forest Ecosystem Management (partially).
Here, not limited to bats, I focus on developing human resources who can be involved in forests, which will become increasingly important as carbon sinks and cradles of biodiversity, by conveying the relationship between forests and mammals and the fascination of forests.
Graduate students I have supervised in doctoral and master’s programs have conducted research on bats and have gone on to become public servants or researchers.
More than just a relationship between advisor and student, I would like to conduct exciting research together and uncover the 'secrets' of nature.
Vision for industry-academia collaboration
Contributing to solving the social issues surrounding bats
As explained above, bats face various social challenges that must be solved, including biodiversity conservation, zoonotic diseases, and conflicts with wind power generation.
At the same time, their amazing abilities, such as flight, echolocation, immunity, and longevity, hold great potential to enrich human life when applied.
So far, by clarifying bat migration routes and flight characteristics, I have provided fundamental information to help understand the spread patterns of viruses and pathogens.
These results are also useful when considering appropriate sites for wind power facilities.
I would like to continue promoting research that can contribute to society by collaborating with researchers in diverse fields.
