Our group brings together scholars and post-doctoral fellows who have excellent expertise in various disciplines including entomology (Nakamura, Mizuno), community ecology (Nakamura, Katabuchi, Dossa), chemical ecology (Mizuno), functional ecology (Dossa, Katabuchi, Ling) and ecological modelling (Katabuchi) to understand assembly mechanisms and ecosystem functioning of forest biodiversity at various spatial (vertical, elevational and latitudinal differences) and temporal (seasonal and annual differences) scales. We aim to understand how biodiversity is spatiotemporally structured by stochastic processes, and biotic and abiotic factors. We investigate intra- and interspecific interactions of organisms at individual, species and community levels, which give rise to and govern complex food-webs and ecosystem functions such as herbivory, pollination and decomposition. Our group capitalizes on a network of Chinese canopy cranes and other latest technologies such as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry instrumentation, meta- and environmental-DNA barcoding to understand interactions of organisms in a whole forest across vertical strata. Moreover, we collaborate with Griffith University (Australia), Czech Academy of Sciences (Czech Republic), the University of Hong Kong (China), Wuhan Botanical Garden, CAS (China), Mahidol University (Thailand), Niigata University (Japan) Hirosaki University (Japan), University of Minnesota (USA) to conduct international and regional research projects and educational programs. 

Group Leader: Akihiro Nakamura

Website: https://www.xtbg.cas.cn/2022/kywzq/force/juuml/