Research Interests

I have a strong interest in large-scale patterns formed by species. In particular, I am deeply interested in the macroscopic patterns that determine why species with certain traits can or cannot inhabit a particular place, as well as in how environmental change affects these patterns. My primary areas within ecology are Macroecology, Community Ecology, and Global Change Biology. In addition, from my undergraduate to master’s studies, I conducted research in population genetics and evolutionary ecology using alpine plants as model systems to investigate factors limiting species distributions, and I remain interested in these fields as well.

MAIN: Biological Community Responses to Climate Change

Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing modern ecosystems, driving widespread shifts in species distributions. As species move toward cooler environments in response to warming, the relative abundance of warm-adapted species within communities increases—a process known as thermophilization.

Although thermophilization has been documented across various ecosystems, evidence remains limited in regions and taxonomic groups where systematic monitoring is scarce. My research interest lies in leveraging large-scale biodiversity datasets to fill these gaps and assess how biological communities respond to climate change at a global scale.

Keyword: thermophilization, GBIF, occurrence data, community ecology, macro ecology

MAIN: Sustainable and Efficient Forest Management

Forestry carries significant risks of environmental degradation, yet it also holds immense potential for carbon storage, making it a critical sector in global climate mitigation efforts. In Indonesia, where I currently work, illegal logging and forest fires have long been major challenges. Developing sustainable forest management practices that are effective under such conditions is therefore an urgent priority.

Equally important, however, is that sustainability must go beyond ecology alone—it must also be economically viable and socially inclusive. I am particularly interested in systems that allow workers to operate under safe and stable conditions while improving productivity (for example, through selective breeding programs), thereby achieving sustainability across all three dimensions: environmental, economic, and social.

Keyword: forestry; peatland; tropical forest; sustainbale practice; 

SUB: Biodiversity and Vegetation History

Even when two ecosystems appear superficially similar, their ecological characteristics can differ substantially depending on how long the vegetation has persisted continuously at the site. For example, in Japanese semi-natural grasslands, long-established grasslands are known to support higher biodiversity than more recently formed ones. Assessing this “historical continuity” provides important insights for biodiversity conservation. In my research, I am particularly interested in how the continuity of vegetation influences its sensitivity and response to climate change.

Keyword: grassland; vegetation history; community temperature index; semi-natural; conservation