OWADA Masato's Home Page

【Specialty field】

・Phylogeny and systematics of bivalves and chitons

・Ecology of urban-birds

【Interesting】

　　To ensure that humans receive rich ecosystem services, it is considered important for the biodiversity of those ecosystems to be high. However, when we look at the sites where biodiversity conservation is practiced, we notice several challenging problems, such as treating invasive species as villains and undervaluing common species that play functionally important roles. To find clues for solving these problems, I believe it is necessary to reconsider the relationships between humans and organisms, especially animals. However, simply saying that we should reconsider human-animal relationships is overly broad and difficult to grasp. Therefore, I study evolutionary biology through mollusks, which are easily preserved as fossils and relatively easy to study, and ecology through wild birds, which occupy higher positions in ecosystems and are deeply connected to human life. Using this knowledge as a foundation, I seek clues for finding solutions.
　　I am interested in wild animals inhabiting urban areas. When wild animals shift their habitats to urban or suburban areas, their morphology and behavior may change. I aim to identify these changes without relying on expensive equipment and complex methods. Additionally, I am also interested in the interdisciplinary field between ornithology and conchology. I mainly conduct research on mollusks and wild birds in coasts near suburban areas and in parks of big cities.

【Research themes】

・Phylogeny and functional morphology of boring bivalves

・Phylogeny, systematics, and distribution of chitons

・Seasonal changes of wild birds in urban environments

・Relationships between wild birds and preyed shells

【Affiliation】

Technician at Department of Biological Sciences, Kanagawa University

【Academic Societies】

・The Malacological Society of Japan

・Society for the study of Molluscan Diversity

・Palaeontological Society of Japan

・The Ornithological Society of Japan

・Urban-bird Society of Japan

・The Zoological Society of Japan