An Overview of Recent Marine Biodiversity Research in Japan

Kajihara, Hiroshi; Kakui, Keiichi

doi:10.1007/978-4-431-56432-4_2

Cited by 2 publications

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“…Taxonomic studies are crucial for correctly understanding the biodiversity and for preserving the environment on this planet. Taxonomic studies on marine invertebrates are one of the traditional and active fields of biology in Japan (Kajihara and Kakui, 2017), with faunal surveys having been and continuing to be organized by university-affiliated marine stations, the National Museum of Nature and Science, Biological Laboratory of the Imperial Household, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Japanese Association for Marine Biology (JAMBIO), and other organizations (Lindsay et al, 1998;National Science Museum, 2006a, b, c;The National Museum of Nature and Science, 2007;Namikawa, 2008;Fujikura et al, 2010;Nakano et al, 2015). However, taxonomic studies in Japan were also affected by the global decline of the field from the end of the 20th century until the beginning of the 21st century (Mawatari, 1994;Motokawa, 2000;Matsuura, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sinking Down or Floating Up? Current State of Taxonomic Studies on Marine Invertebrates in Japan Inferred from the Number of New Species Published between the Years 2003 and 2020

et al. 2021

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Taxonomic studies on marine invertebrates have been prominent in Japan since the 19th century. Globally, taxonomy was reported to have been in recession since the early 21st century, but it is not clear if it is still in hardship or is making a recovery in recent years in Japan. In order to comprehend the status quo of taxonomic studies on marine invertebrates in Japan, we compiled a list of marine invertebrate species newly described from the exclusive economic zone of this country during the period between 2003 and 2020 and investigated trends by making comparisons of higher taxa and academic journals in terms of the numbers of new species and taxonomic authors. We noticed that recruitment of new researchers into taxonomic studies is evident in some taxa. We also found that certain articles with descriptions of new species are now being published in journals aimed at general biology/zoology, not oriented principally to taxonomy. We consider from our analyses that taxonomic studies on marine invertebrates in Japan show signs of resurgence, but development of new taxonomists is awaited in certain taxa.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%