No abstract

Sea urchin (Mesocentrotus nudus) is a major marine resource of Sanriku off the Pacific Coast, Japan, that includes Aomori, Iwate, and Miyagi Prefectures. Using six microsatellites and three mitochondrial DNA regions, we aimed to characterize genetic diversity of M. nudus before and after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Sanriku's Touni and Okirai Bays. Although mass death during the Tohoku disaster likely reduced genetic diversity in M. nudus populations, we did not find significant genetic differentiation spatially (between the two bays) or temporally (pre‐ and post‐earthquake). Our data also suggest that M. nudus in Sanriku experienced a population expansion approximately 19–9 thousand years ago, during the long‐lasting, stable, and warm environment after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). We conclude that these M. nudus populations maintained their genetic structure throughout multiple disastrous tsunamis over the past several millennia; thus, they were also able to maintain their natural genetic structure and diversity after the 2011 earthquake.

Mr. Shigenobu Tachibana donated his private bird collection to the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology. The donated collection totalled 276 specimens, consisting of 255 skins, two fluid-preserved birds, three feather sets and 16 eggs. Many of the specimens were collected from the Sanriku coast, northeast of Miyagi Prefecture, from 1949 to 2008. This area was damaged by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and many museum specimens were lost. Therefore, these donated specimens from the Sanriku coast which were not destroyed by the earthquake are especially valuable for ornithology in Japan.