Research Fields
Bio
I obtained my PhD degree at Hokkaido University in 1984, after defending my dissertation entitled ‘Ecological studies on diapause in Tetranychinae, with special reference to diapause attributes in relation to host plant phenology’. In 1985 I became assistant professor at Ibaraki University, and in 1990/1991 I spent a sabbatical at the University of Amsterdam (with Prof. M. W. Sabelis), as a postdoctoral fellow of the Ministry of Education, Japan. I was promoted to associate professor in 1994 and to full professor in 2001. I received ‘The Japanese Society of Applied Entomology and Zoology Award’ in 2003. My research is primarily concerned with the mechanisms of speciation in spider mites (Acari). I am specifically interested in the evolutionary processes leading to the utilization of different host plants by closely related species. To address this topic, DNA markers are coupled with factors concerning morphology, genetics, ecology, and life history.
Institution
