We investigated biofilm formation on biodegradable plastics in freshwater samples. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH) was covered by a biofilm after an incubation in freshwater samples. A next generation sequencing analysis of the bacterial communities of biofilms that formed on PHBH films revealed the dominance of the order Burkholderiales. Furthermore, Acidovorax and Undibacterium were the predominant genera in most biofilms. Twenty-five out of 28 PHBH-degrading isolates were assigned to the genus Acidovorax, while the other three were assigned to the genera Undibacterium and Chitinimonas. These results demonstrated that the order Burkholderiales in biofilms functions as a degrader of PHBH films.

The growth characteristics, anatomical characteristics, and wood properties of Dysoxylum mollissimum, a fastgrowing tree species, were investigated. To clarify the effect of radial growth rate on these characteristics and properties, 10-yearold trees planted in Bengkulu, Indonesia were examined and classified into three categories (fast-, medium-, and slow-growing). Xylem maturation type was also evaluated in this species. The mean values of stem diameter, tree height, stem volume, and stresswave velocity in the 50 measured trees were 18.0 cm, 10.6 m, 0.119 m 3 , and 3.48 km s 1 , respectively. Mean values of anatomical characteristics and wood properties in nine selected trees were as follows: vessel diameter, 129 µm; vessel frequency, 3.5 vessels mm 2 ; cell wall thickness of wood fiber, 1.2 µm; percentages of vessels, wood fiber, ray parenchyma, axial parenchyma, and cell wall, 8.8, 72.9, 12.4, 5.9, and 33.5%, respectively; vessel element length, 0.36 mm; wood fiber length, 1.04 mm; basic density, 0.45 g cm 3 ; and compressive strength parallel to the grain in green condition, 29.9 MPa. These obtained values were similar to or smaller than previous results obtained in research on other Dysoxylum spp. For almost all of the anatomical characteristics and wood properties, no significant differences among the categories were found. This suggests that the trees with faster radial growth characteristics do not always produce lower quality wood in this species. Judging from the radial variation of anatomical characteristics, the xylem maturation of this species depends on the diameter growth, and it might occur at around 6 to 8 cm from the pith.

To clarify inheritance of static bending properties in relation to elastic and plastic regions, air-dry density, microfibril angle of the S2 layer in latewood tracheid (MFA), and static bending properties (modulus of elasticity [MOE], modulus of rupture [MOR] and bending work) were examined for juvenile wood of 18 full-sib families in 20-year-old Cryptomeria japonica. Heritability of all traits ranged from 0.12 (bending work) to 0.51 (air-dry density). Based on the results from principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis, the families were classified into four groups with different types of load-deflection curves, suggesting that both elastic properties and deflection in plastic region differed among families. Furthermore, families included in a group were produced from specific parents, suggesting that deflection in plastic region as well as elastic property is inheritable. It can be concluded that mating parents may affect elasticity and plasticity of offspring.