Ms. Nana Matsumoto1, Dr. Masayuki K. Sakata2, Dr Toshifumi Minamoto1
1Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan, 2Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
Biography:
Dr. Toshifumi Minamoto is a professor at Kobe University, Japan. He got his Ph.D in science in 2003 from Kyoto University, Japan, for the research on visual physiological ecology of fish. During his post doc periods, he has worked on the biological clocks and on the ecology of infectious diseases. He has been working at Kobe University since 2012 and currently focuses on biodiversity science and infectious disease ecology using environmental DNA analysis methods. He has published a number of milestone papers in the field of environmental DNA analysis for macroorganisms.
Abstract:
Agricultural reservoirs in Japanese Satoyama landscapes play an important role in biodiversity conservation by acting as refuges for rare species. But in recent years, the decline of the suburban population and the ageing of farmers have led to the abandonment of agricultural land, including reservoirs, which may have a negative impact on biodiversity conservation. It is not well understood how the farmland abandonment affects the distribution of amphibians including salamanders. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between environmental conditions and reproductive success of the Setouchi salamander (Hynobius setouchi) in abandoned farmland in Kobe City, Hyogo, Japan. The 11 ponds were surveyed once a month for 18 months to determine the presence and absence of eDNA of this species, and water quality parameters were measured. The results showed that eDNA of the species was detected in all ponds. However, in some ponds, eDNA of the species was detected from winter, when spawning takes place, to spring, when larvae are born and grow, but was no longer detected before summer, when salamanders become juveniles and move to land. Statistical analyses using water quality parameters as explanatory variables showed that the probability of eDNA detection significantly decreased as dissolved oxygen levels in the ponds decreased. The decrease of dissolved oxygen would be a result of forestation of the surrounding environment associated with the farmland abandonment, suggesting that the abandonment may have a negative impact on the reproduction of this species.