Wildlife trade is estimated to earn transnational organized crime groups between USD 8 – 10 billion annually, placing it as the fourth most lucrative trade for organized crime. Given its unique wildlife and strategic geographical location, Malaysia finds itself combating both domestic and international wildlife traffickers who seek to collect their share of this profitable criminal activity. Committed to combatting wildlife crime, Malaysia established its capacity in wildlife forensic in 2005. Presentation will share about the wildlife forensic progress in Malaysia after almost two decades since its establishment and also highlight a few cases involving iconic species such as the Malayan tiger and Asian elephant.

https://www.wrc.kyoto-u.ac.jp/news/2023/2023-02-21.html

2022年2月9日(木)　15:30～ @WRC seminar room + zoom

Date: 9th Feb.  (Thu)  15:30-  @WRC seminar room + zoom 

Presenter 1： Jhonatan Saldaña（PhD student in Dr. Sarah Brosnan's lab at Georgia State University)

Title：Capuchin Monkeys and Humans Differ on Sequence Preference Development

Language:  English

Abstract：

Human sequence preferences are in part subject to the order, magnitude, and trajectory of the events that occur within a sequence (Peak-End Effect). However, it’s unknown if humans develop this evolutionary decision-making shortcut which generally values higher affect states later in the sequence rather than sooner, or if it extends across primate species. Eighteen tufted capuchin monkeys were tested on a timed dichotomous manual task in which timed delays and high-value (HVR)/low-value rewards (LVR) made up the individual segments of compared sequences. A baseline comparison between a HVR -> LVR and LVR -> HVR sequences yielded a significant (t(802) = -4.025, p < .001) preference of the former for both low (p < .001) and middle (p = .006) ranking individuals, but not high ranking ones (p = .895). Follow up testing showed that capuchin monkeys may ignore the presence of the LVR altogether and have no preference (t(422) = 1.406, p = .160) between sequences that contain a LVR and ones that replace it with a time delay. These results conclude that perhaps the Peak-End Effect is primarily a human derived trait since capuchin monkeys show a preference for the highest value sooner rather than later. Furthermore, it shows that sequence preferences in capuchin monkeys are potentially dependent on social differences.

Presenter 2： Sarah F Brosnan (Departments of Psychology & Philosophy, Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University)

Title：Understanding the evolution of primate decision-making using experimental games

Language:   English

Abstract：

Humans routinely confront situations that require coordination between individuals, from mundane activities such as planning where to go for dinner to incredibly complicated activities, such as international pandemic responses.  How did this ability arise, and what prevents success in those situations in which it breaks down?  One important approach to these questions is understanding how this ability evolved, which provides insight into the pressures that selected for these behaviors and phylogenetic constraints on their expression.  To this end, I use experimental games to address these questions comparatively, across a wide variety of species.  Experimental economics is an ideal mechanism for this approach, as it is a well-developed methodology for distilling complex decision-making into a series of simple decision choices, allowing these decisions to be compared across species and contexts. My lab has used this approach to investigate decisions related to coordination, anti-coordination and cooperation, as well as how inequality influences decisions, in monkeys, apes and humans using near-identical methodologies.  We find that there are remarkable continuities of outcome across the primates, including humans, in coordination, however there are important differences in how each species reaches these outcomes.  These differences in mechanism may limit similarities in decision-making in other situations.  Indeed, despite similar outcomes in coordination decisions, species’ outcomes diverge sharply in the context of anti-coordination, possibly due to the differences in their decision-making mechanisms. I consider what these similarities and differences in decision-making across different contexts tell us about the evolution of decision-making across the primates, including humans.

Presenter 1： 村山恭平（北海道大学特別研究学生）

Title：北海道東部沿岸で再定着しつつあるラッコについて、利害関係者間の合意形成に向けた価値観の定量化

Language:  Japanese

Abstract：

ラッコ(Enhydra lutris)は, 日本,アラスカ，カリフォルニアといった北太平洋沿岸に連続的に分布する海棲哺乳類である(Wilson et al., 1991),ラッコはキーストーン種であり，生息域の生物多様性に大きな影響を与える(Power et al.,1996) と同時に，人間の経済にも大きな影響力を与えるという事が報告されている．アラスカではラッコの捕食圧によってウニ漁業が壊滅した事例が報告されており(Wolt et al., 2012)，漁業者にとっては漁業被害をもたらす存在である．一方で，ラッコが観光資源として地域の観光業もたらす利益は大きく．カリフォルニアで行われた調査では，ラッコの増加開始時に年間150万ドルであった観光業の利益は，10年間で820万ドルになったことが明らかとなっており，ウニ，カニ，イセエビの商業漁業への被害金額を上回ると予想されている(Loomis, 2005)．

ラッコは，1741年にベーリングによって発見され，毛皮を目的とした乱獲の対象となって以後，急激にその個体数を減らした(Wilson et al., 1991)．その後，1911年の国際条約によって保護され, 現在では生息域, 個体数とも回復しつつある.

日本においても同様に，北海道近海に分布していたラッコはほぼ絶滅に瀕したが，近年，北海道東部沿岸で目撃情報の増加や(Hattori et al., 2005）, 繁殖個体が発見される(産経ニュース, 2014)など，再定着の傾向がある．

北海道東部沿岸のA町沿岸では，ラッコの繁殖が確認されており，国定公園の一部に指定されている景勝地からラッコが観察できることが話題となっている．今後の町とラッコの共存に関して，ラッコの利活用したい人々や，ラッコを保全したい人々，ラッコから漁業被害を受ける漁業者等，利害関係者(Stakeholder：SH)によって，その将来像や考えは異なることが予想される．そのような考えの違いや利益の格差は，ラッコとSH間の対立だけでなく，SH同士の対立を招く可能性がある．ラッコと町の共存を実現するためには，SH間の合意形成が重要であるが，現在議論が停滞している．その理由として、SH間の意見交換の機会の不足や，建設的な議論を進める根拠の不足が挙げられる．

これまで，ラッコが生態系や漁業に与える影響を定量化する研究は継続されてきたが，ラッコがもたらす経済効果や，ラッコの生息地におけるSHの価値観の調査は行われていなかった．そこで本研究では，A町に訪れる観光客を対象に，仮想的市場評価法（Contingent Valuation Method : CVM）を用いた便益推定によってラッコに関係する支払意思額(Willing To Pay : WTP)を把握を行う．これにより，観光客の消費活動に対する関心や保全の意識の傾向を可視化し，SH間の建設的な議論の促進に寄与することを目的とする．

Presenter 2： 河合真美（北海道大学特別研究学生） (Master thesis rehearsal)

Title：北海道東部に来遊するシャチ（Orccinus orca）のミトコンドリア全ゲノム解析による生態型推

Language:   Japanese

Abstract：

【背景・目的】海洋生態系における頂点捕食者であるシャチ（Orcinus orca）は，一属一種に分類されるが，母系で構成される群れ単位ごとに，食性や形態，鳴音という生態的特徴が明瞭に異なる．これを生態型と呼ぶ．生態型間では生殖隔離が生じており，その結果，異なるミトコンドリアゲノム（ミトゲノム）のハプロタイプが固定している．北東太平洋には，魚食性の Resident 型，板鰓類食性の Offshore 型，そして哺乳類食性の Transient 型の計 3 タイプが存在する．北海道東部にもシャチが来遊するが，ミトゲノムの解析は部分配列の報告に限られており，どのミトゲノム系統に属しているかは不明である．そこで本研究では，北海道東部に来遊するシャチのミトゲノム全長塩基配列を決定し，どの系統に属するかを明らかにすることで，生態型を推定することを目的とした．

【材料・方法】2005 年及び 2020 年に北海道羅臼町で座礁した 4 個体の筋肉または皮膚から DNA を抽出した．また先行研究（Mitani et al. 2021）で，2013 年から 2020 年に北海道網走・釧路・羅臼沖においてバイオプシーされた 6 個体のゲノム DNA が抽出されており，分与を受けた．ミトゲノム全長を分割して PCR 増幅した先行研究（Morin et al. 2010）のプライマーセットを用いて，以上の計 10 個体のミトゲノムの全領域を PCR 増幅し，llumina NovaSeq 6000 によってショットガンシークエンシングした．シャチのミトゲノム参照配列にマッピングして全長配列を再構築し，150 個体の既知のシャチミトゲノム配列に，外群としてオキゴンドウ（Pseudorca crassidens），コビレゴンドウ（Globicephala macrorhynchus），ヒレナガゴンドウ（Globicephala melas）を加えてアライメントし，系統解析した．ベイズ法と最尤法による系統樹をそれぞれ作成し，北海道東部のシャチが属する系統を決定した．

【結果・考察】9 個体でミトゲノム全長配列を決定した．2020 年の座礁個体では，DNA の質の問題でミトゲノム全長の PCR が難しく，全体の 61%のみの配列を得た．mtDNA の部分配列を分析した先行研究（Mitani et al. 2021）では，バイオプシー6 個体のうち 4 個体が Resident と Offshore どちらの分岐群に属しているか不明だったが，今回すべて Resident の系統に分類された．近縁なハプロタイプはロシアとカナダ由来の個体に確認された．残りの 5 個体は Transient の系統に分類され，近縁なハプロタイプはロシア由来の個体に確認された．北海道東部に来遊する魚食性シャチはロシアとカナダの個体群と，また哺乳類食性シャチはロシアのシャチの個体群と，少なくとも母系では近い祖先を持つと推測できる．サンプル数が限られたものの，北海道東部のサンプルに Offshore が含まれないという結果は，Offshore 型のシャチが北東太平洋でのみ生息が確認されている事実と一致する．今後より多くの群れを対象に遺伝情報を研究することで，北海道東部の遺伝情報や生態の詳細を明らかにしていくことができると考えられる．

For more than 73000 years, drawing behavior has been present in Homo sapiens. This form of expression is the premise of writing and allows for the transmission of more complex ideas or emotions than through verbal communication. Thus, this behavior has been used as a window to the mind, especially in children, both at the psychological level, helping for example in the diagnosis of depression, and at the physical level, by analyzing the development of fine motor skills. Biases such as adultcentrism make it difficult to understand and extract all the information hidden in the drawings in humans and anthropomorphism for other animals. One possible approach to overcome these difficulties is to analyze these drawings in a purely objective way, through the definition of new mathematical indices. A first option that will be presented is the use of fractals, which have revealed an evolution of the efficiency of spatial use of drawing between chimpanzees and humans, as well as differences related to the temporal intermittency of drawing between young children and adults. Then, different approaches using deep learning will be explained, demonstrating how convolutional neural networks can be used to analyze the drawing behavior. The first proposed methodology will consider non-figurative orangutans’ drawings to assess whether deep learning can refine previous findings discovered through traditional analyses, by using transfer learning and features extraction. The second methodology consists in using transfer learning and predictions to study the development of such behavior, by considering children’s and adults’ drawings.

Presenter 1： Satsuki Suzuki (Master thesis rehearsal)

Title：Age Estimation of Okinawa Rail(Gallirallus okinawae) using DNA Methylation

Language:  Japanese(slides) & English(speak)

Abstract：

The Okinawa Rail (Gallirallus okinawae) is found only in the northern part of Okinawajima island and is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) in the Red List of the Ministry of Environment. Because of its rarity, a strategic conservation management is important. Acquiring individual age information is very important, because it helps us to understand the dynamics and viability of the populations. However, the Okinawa Rail in captivity is long-lived and can live up to 15 years. It is difficult to accurately estimate the age of the birds by their appearances. In Japan, age estimation of wild birds is commonly done by attaching foot rings for tracking. However, this method not only requires capturing of the individuals, but it also has a low recovery rate and is costly. Therefore, we attempted to apply molecular methods, focusing on DNA methylation, for age estimation. DNA methylation is an example of epigenetic changes that occurs over an individual's lifetime, and thus, has been reported to be an accurate method to estimate age in wild animals.

The aim of this study is to develop a age estimation model that focuses on DNA methylation to estimate the age of Okinawa Rail. In the first attempt, which is the MS-HRM analysis, seven markers used in a previous age estimation study for seabird was tested on the Okinawa Rail. The methylation rates were measured in 99 samples, but no significant correlation with biological age was found. In the RRBS analysis, 915 sites showed a positive correlation (r > 0.5) between the methylation rate and the biological age—22 of which with a particularly strong correlation (r >0.7). Estimation error of the age estimation model using these 22 sites was ±1.40 years, suggesting a possibility of using DNA methylation to estimate age in the Okinawa rail. In the future, markers will be designed for these 22 sites to further validate the applicability of using them for age estimation with high accuracy. This age estimation model will also be tested with sample types other than the blood for testing non-invasive sampling and contribute to conservation of the species in the future.

Presenter 2： Akihiro Itahara (Master thesis rehearsal)

Title：モーションキャプチャ技術で明らかにするハシブトガラスの注視方法

(What are crows looking at: A motion-capture system reveals the selective use of visual field in large-billed crows)

Language:   English(slides) & Japanese(speak)

Abstract：

Previous studies have examined the visual system and behaviors of corvids (Corvidae) from the perspective of cognition (e.g., gaze-following, theory of mind), ecology (e.g., vigilance), and overlapping research fields (e.g., tool use). However, due to the lack of relevant technologies, little is known about how those birds orient their visual fields to a visual target in a 3D space. This study addressed this question in large-billed crows (Corvus macrorhynchos) by first identifying their visual field configuration using an established ophthalmoscopic reflex technique (Study 1) and secondly examining how freely-moving crows orient their visual field to an attention-getting visual target in a motion-capture system (Study 2). In Study 1, we found that this species of crow has a relatively large binocular field, as is found in other corvid species. In Study 2, we developed a motion-capture-based system to reconstruct the visual field of crows and track their head movements while they were presented with various visual targets. Crows mainly used binocular fields, especially around their eye-beak line, when visual targets were moving in space. When the visual targets became static, crows then frequently used non-binocular frontal fields, especially around their optic axes, preferentially on their right. Relatively large binocular overlap and frequent use of the binocular fields in this species suggests that their binocular field is optimized for visual tracking of objects, even those objects moving at a distance. Our system can be utilized in future studies not only to study visual strategies during object manipulation (e.g., tool use), but also to study the socio-cognitive behaviors of crows during free conspecific interactions.

Presenter 3： Brian Lee (Master thesis rehearsal)

Title：The evolution of prestige

Language:   English

Abstract：

Previous studies with non-human animals have mainly focused on dominance, presuming prestige as a human-unique social trait. However, to deepen our understanding of the evolution of prestige, comparative studies with non-human animals, especially our evolutionary closest relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, are essential.

Here, we first reorganize the concept and highlight the importance of prestige in humans and non-human animals by introducing key characteristics of dominance and prestige and related theories. Based on these, an experiment on a group of 13 all-male captive chimpanzees was conducted to investigate how prestige has emerged as a viable strategy for gaining social rank while diverging from dominance. Specifically, 2 individuals were seeded with a foraging skill of operating a novel apparatus that produces a food reward once solved. Then, these individuals demonstrated this skill in front of other naïve conspecifics. As a result, the performers had an increase in their proximity and grooming centrality during and proximity centrality after the demonstration, indicating that these models enjoyed prestige with their skill. However, their dominance rank showed neither any change nor correlation with centrality values, proving that each dominance and prestige is also a distinct pathway in chimpanzees.

In the future, we plan to extend this experimental paradigm to establish a foundation for investigating the impact of prestige on propensities towards large-scale cooperation and cumulative culture which are still considered unique to humans. Such comparative viewpoints on prestige will provide powerful guidance for understanding the evolution of social hierarchies.

Presenter 1： Kana Arai (Master thesis rehearsal)

Title：Age estimation of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) using DNA methylation   DNAメチル化を指標としたアジアゾウの年齢推定

Language:  English

Abstract：

Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to anthropogenic effects. This has led to the decline of the population over the last three generations thus, conservation and management strategies are needed. Age is an important ecological tool required for the effective conservation and management of threatened populations, however, it is difficult to estimate age accurately and effectively in most animals, including Asian elephants. The use of age-associated DNA-methylation profiles to estimate age has recently been gaining attention as an alternative to current age estimation methods. Although, determining age is important, the need to understand aging is equally as important because it is a universal trait observed across many species. However, within populations, the rate of biological aging varies and thus, understanding the sources of variation is central to understanding the biodemography of populations. There have been consistent findings that altered methylation is associated with biological aging. This study aims to (1) examine the potential of estimating age from DNA methylation by candidate epigenetic age-related genes using MS-HRM and (2) assess whether health status is a predictor of variance in biological aging. DNA was extracted from blood samples (n = 53) of known-aged captive individuals, ranging from 0.25 - 57 years old. Candidate marker genes based on age-associated DNA methylation were referred from previously successfully studied species to design primers specifically for Asian elephants. Methylation rates of gene regions were measured using methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MS-HRM). The developed DNA methylation-based age estimation model showed a significant correlation with age (RALYL: cor = 0.54, p < 0.001; TET2: cor = -0.60, p < 0.001), with the final age estimation model showing a moderate accuracy of 5.56 years after leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV). From the developed model we incorporated individuals' health status, however, predicted age was not affected by health status nor there was a significant difference in age acceleration between health statuses. Overall, this study showed that MS-HRM can be used as a tool for age prediction in Asian elephants. The markers for Asian elephants were re-designed based on previous studies from dogs, cats, bats and many cetacean species. Although these species are evolutionarily apart, it is consistent with findings that candidate epigenetic age-related genes associated with chronological age in mammals are conserved. This implies that the genetic region used in this study could further be utilised across other species, although estimation accuracy should be considered. Results on health status may imply that the age estimation model could be used without the need to worry about how an individual's health might affect the accuracy of the model. However, it is too soon to draw major conclusions as health status as a factor may have been too large. These results provide useful information for future uses in conservation efforts where accurate estimates of age are needed to predict biodemographic trends. Furthermore, new insights into the mechanisms of aging and the reasons for variation in biological aging among individuals and species will become ever more important for in-situ and ex-situ conservation management.

Presenter 2： Yeong-ju Lee (PWS presentation)

Title：The Influence of Maternal Social Relationships on the Sociality of Offspring in the Free-roaming Horse Society

Language:  English

Abstract：

Mothers of group-living animals have influences on their offspring’s various social traits ranging from dominance rank to social associate choice, as the first social partner and social role model for their offspring. As mammals have an extended maternal care period due to lactation, the importance of maternal effect on the sociality of offspring has been reported in many mammal species such as the elephant, primates, hyena, and horse. Female horses in a polygynous harem group are known to form and maintain long-term social bonds with other female members; their foals can have abundant opportunities to interact with other young horses. Previous studies have reported that foals preferentially associate with another foal whose mother is the most preferred social partner of their mothers, and that affiliative behaviors were shown to the human who friendly contacted the mother horses. The maternal effect on the way foals build social relationships, however, has been little studied in horse groups living in a natural social environment with less human intervention such as forced weaning.

In the free-roaming Misaki horse harems with foals and yearlings, the affiliative/agonistic social behaviors and proximity between the horses were recorded to examine whether and how the mother's social life affects the offspring's sociability and the dynamics of social relationships. The data was collected during the breeding season (spring-summer) and late autumn in 2021/2022, using a video camera and a drone.

The social association patterns of several wandering mother-foal (M-F) pairs and their social tendencies were analyzed. The association indices (AI) of mothers and foals with other individuals were similar in both 2021 and 2022, but the correlations of M-F pairs became weaker in 2022. The positions of mothers and foals in the social network showed similar changes in 2022. Their social tendencies regarding the nearest individuals showed overall similarities, but the detailed patterns and changes varied in the different M-F pairs, which could be related to the different relationships between the mothers and foals. 

13:30-15:30 

Abstract: 

1. Transmission: Cultural evolutionary studies claim that the random drift model explains a wide range of real-world cultural trait frequency datasets. The traditional cultural transmission chain experiments, in which a chain of participants hands down a single trait, do not take the change of frequency over time into account. Here we show that the frequency of cultural traits transmitted in a chain of participants matches random drift simulation very well. In our experiment, participants replicated, improved, selected and transmitted three cultural traits (drawings, logos, and paper aeroplanes). We found that practice, exposure to other designs and experience in design, do not contribute to their success. Even in networks selected mechanically by their performance, the deviation from the neutral model was very small. We suggest that some design processes and their market may be value-neutral.

2. Mutation: The cultural evolution research program is useful for quantitatively explaining complex creative processes such as design. From a design studies perspective, its mutation generation process is particularly intriguing. However, cultural transmission theorists have long modelled the process as a random novelty invention, far from the real-life modern design process. Here we show an instance of such a deviation, examining how the design process and its resulting frequencies of Pokémon TCG variants deviate from a neutral model in which an agent randomly selects and introduces cultural variants to the population from the design pool.

slide deck: https://bit.ly/3UgIrL2 

1

Presenter： Takuto Sugimoto

Title: Third-party evaluation of humans by horses

Language:  English (Slides) and Japanese (Speak)

Abstract： Humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) evaluate others by observing interactions between third parties that are not directly related to their own interests. However, third-party evaluation in non-human animals has not been well studied in situations not directly related to their own interests. Therefore, in Experiments 1 and 2 of this study, we examined whether horses (Equus caballus) evaluate humans based on their cooperativeness by observing interactions between third parties that are not directly related to their own interests. In Experiment 3, we also examined whether horses could distinguish between humans based on their competence which is considered equally important in selecting a cooperative partner. Although it is not clear from this study whether horses could evaluate humans based on their cooperativeness, it suggests the possibility that horses could evaluate humans based on their competence. Future studies using different contexts are needed.

------------------------

2

Presenter： Akiyuki Suzuki

Title：飼育下コツメカワウソのDNAを用いた地理的由来の推定

Language:  Japanese

Abstract：コツメカワウソ（Aonyx cinerea）は現在，商業目的の国際取引が禁止されているワシントン条約附属書Iに2019年に掲載されているため，正規での国際的な取引は規制されているが，密漁や密輸は横行していると考えられる．主な生息地であるタイから密輸されたコツメカワウソの多くは日本に密輸されている．本研究では，日本の飼育下のカワウソのDNA配列の情報から，日本国内に輸入され飼育されているカワウソの地理的な由来を調べ，日本で飼育されているコツメカワウソの詳細な出生地を明らかにし，カワウソの保全活動に役立てることを目的とする．

日本のアニマルカフェおよび動物園と水族館で飼育されている個体（アニマルカフェの19個体，密輸が発覚して保護され動物園や水族館で飼育されている個体5個体，通常飼育の11個体）から糞便または口内細胞を採取した．口内細胞は，綿棒で頬や舌を擦ることで採取した．これらのサンプルからDNAを抽出し、ミトコンドリアDNA配列を解析して、タイの野生個体と比較した．

ミトコンドリアcytBの573塩基を解析した結果，タイで密猟のホットスポットとされている地域のDNAハプロタイプと一致した個体が見られた．また，CITESデータベースで公開されているコツメカワウソの輸入記録によると，タイからの輸入記録は1988年が最後である．このことから，タイ南部由来であると推定される密輸保護個体およびアニマルカフェの個体は，1988年以降に不正な取引を経て日本へ持ち込まれた個体またはその子孫である可能性が示唆された．

今後，密輸された保護個体やアニマルカフェ飼育個体のDNAハプロタイプを動物園や水族館で飼育されているカワウソのDNAハプロタイプと比較し，国内で飼育されているコツメカワウソがどこで，どのように日本にやってくるかを明らかにする予定である．

Abstract：Female mate choice is expected to select good indicators of mate quality. Colourful signals are usually honest indicators of mate quality since they are energetically costly and also increase predation risk. However, how colours are perceived by choosers is highly affected by the environmental light condition, especially in aquatic habitats. Amazon water types have striking differences in prevalent lighting: black waters are strongly red-biased while clear waters show no apparent colour bias. The sailfin tetra Crenuchus spilurus is a sexually dimorphic Amazonian fish species whose males have hyperallometric dorsal and anal fins conspicuously ornamented with red and yellow markings. The species is composed of two main lineages, which inhabit black and clear waters. Additionally, some populations of the clear water lineage, the CJ1 population, undergone secondary contact with black water environments, providing an opportunity to investigate convergent evolution in male ornaments colouration and female mate choice to black water environments. A comparison of the red colouration index of the male ornaments among lineages under unbiased and red-biased lighting conditions, simulating clear and black water environments respectively, indicates that red bias increases the perceived intensity of red colouration but decreased the perceived among-individual variation in red colour. In the mate choice experiments, females of all lineages preferred males with larger-sized ornaments. Females of the clear water lineage were more likely to accept males under red-biased lighting, which increases the apparent red colouration, suggesting the importance of the red colouration in their mate choice. On the other hand, male acceptance by females of the black water lineage and CJ1 population did not change by light condition, suggesting that signals other than the red colouration (e.g. size of ornaments) were more important in their mate choice. Our results suggest that females of black water lineage and CJ1 population shifted the main mating signal from the red colouration to other signals as a result of convergent evolution in black water lighting conditions, though male ornament colouration of CJ1 populations was still similar to those of Clear water lineage. The lower among-individual perceived variation in male’s colourful mating signal posed by the black-water lighting condition might reduce its reliability as signals for mate assessment and have caused the shift of mate-choice signals. 

Language:  English and Japanese

Abstract：The first chimpanzee arrived to Japan in 1921, and in the 100 years following, hundreds of chimpanzees have been either imported from Africa or bred in various zoos and facilities, used

in biomedical experiments, become subjects of academic research, and/or viewed by the public at zoos and wild parks across the country. Over the course of my PhD research, I analyzed the century long historical data of chimpanzees in Japan to reveal their life history patterns such as longevity and mortality patterns across all life stages, from infancy to adulthood. One research project was done in collaboration with the late Steve Ross, where we compared the life history patterns of chimpanzees living in America to those in Japan. Our most recent project examined the effect of Hepatitis C infection on the health and lifespan of chimpanzees used in biomedical research, living at Kumamoto Sanctuary. Other projects include studying how sleep patterns change with age and the discovery of nocturnal penile tumescence. I hope that these projects provide valuable information that care staff and researchers can use in future planning and management of the chimpanzee population.

1921年にチンパンジーが来日して100年、1000個体以上が飼育されてきた。日本のチンパンジーについて、乳児期から老齢期までのライフステージにおける寿命や死亡率などの生活史パターンを調べ、故スティーブ・ロス博士と共同で日米を比較した。また、医学研究に使われたチンパンジーの健康や寿命にC型肝炎の感染が及ぼす影響を調べた。こうした成果を紹介し、飼育スタッフや研究者による今後のチンパンジー個体群の計画や管理に役立てて頂きたい。

Presenter 1 (13:30-)： James Brooks (PhD Thesis Plan Presentation)

Title：The evolutionary origins of group-mindedness: comparative studies with apes and equines

Language:  English

Abstract：While humans’ psychological disposition towards both large scale cooperation and intergroup competition has long been recognized, the majority of previous comparative social cognition research has focused on the dyadic level. I here aim to address this gap in our knowledge, focusing on the evolution of inherently group-level social behaviour through studies with bonobos, chimpanzees, and domestic horses. Bonobos and chimpanzees are humans two closest relatives, and, despite diverging only recently, show considerable differences in group-based behaviour in wild contexts. Horses are relatively distantly related to us phylogenetically, but share with us an evolutionary history of domestication and show group-level herding behaviours with multi-level social structure. Methods focused on measurement of changes to social attention as well as naturalistic social behaviour following administration of exogenous oxytocin or saline placebo, along with observation of behavioural responses to outgroup stimuli. On the whole, evidence suggests that oxytocin supports species-typical sociality, including in group-level contexts, and that, as in humans, perceived outgroup threat promotes ingroup cohesion in some of our closest relatives. These results provide novel empirical support for existing hypotheses about the relation between intergroup competition and group cooperation, highlight new areas of study warranting continued future investigation, and suggest that the evolutionary origins of group-mindedness can, in part, be understood through a history of intergroup competition supported by the oxytocin system.

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Presenter 2 (15:00-)：今野夏季

Title：北海道東部沿岸域において再定着しつつあるチシマラッコの分布拡大に向けた休息行動の定量化

Language:  Japanese (slides and speak)

Abstract：ラッコ(Enhydra lutris)は, かつて日本からカリフォルニアまで北太平洋沿岸に連続的に分布していたが(Wilson et al., 1991), 毛皮を目的として乱獲されたため絶滅間近まで個体数を減らした. しかし20世紀以降は国際的な条約によって保護され, 現在では生息域, 個体数とも回復しつつある.

日本では現在, 北海道東部沿岸域でかつて存在していたラッコの個体数の回復が確認されている. 2005年には目撃情報の増加があり（Hattori et al., 2005）, 2014年には繁殖個体が確認され(産経ニュース, 2014) , 2022年8月の本海域での一斉センサス調査においてもラッコの増加が確認されている(外山ら, 2022 調査). このように現在北海道東部沿岸では個体数が増加傾向にあり, 今後は増加を左右する要因の特定が重要視される.

本研究では, ラッコの分散にとって重要な「休息できる場所」があるかということに着目した. 本種の定着は他の海域から分散してきた若齢のオスから始まり，その後メスが移入し，繁殖を行い，増加していくことで進む．オスは特定のメスパートナーを持たず, テリトリー内に繁殖可能なメスがいれば複数のメスと交尾を行う一夫多妻の性質をもつ一方, メスの出産のピークは年に2回あり, 1回の出産で主に1頭の仔を生み, 仔の換毛が終わり自力での採餌が可能になるまで行動を共にする．またラッコは休息地として海藻の繁茂した風や波の影響を受けにくい入江や岩礁帯を好むとされているが(Kenyon,1969)，特にメスは仔育てに適した環境，すなわち風や波浪の影響を受けにくく，海藻が繁茂している海域を選択する．よって，仔育てに適した休息地の有無が分散の制限要因であると考えられ．仔の有無に着目した休息地の選択性を知ることは，本海域において将来的なラッコの分布予測に役立つと考えられる．

そこで, 仔を持つメス個体は, 風の影響を受けづらい, より守られた場所で休息するという仮説を立て，仔の有無により休息地の選択時に風がどの程度影響するのかを定量的に調べた. また今後は，波浪による影響および地形の複雑性の定量化を行い，本結果と併せて解析を進める予定である.

Abstract (Quote from the paper "Willingness to pay for Conservation of the Asian Elephant in Nakai Nam Theun National Protected Area in Laos," which will be the main topic of this presentation)：

The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is an ecologically important species in the forest ecosystem of Laos. The species is endangered and on the edge of extinction owing to illegal hunting, destruction of elephant habitat, and forest degradation. Payment for conservation could be one of the potential mechanisms to enhance Asian Elephant conservation efforts.

This paper aims to estimate local residents’ Willingness to Pay (WTP) for conservation of the Asian elephant in Nakai-Nam Theun National Park (NNT NP) in Laos, which is a recognised ‘Key Biodiversity Area’ within the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire survey, with a total of 490 respondents living adjacent to the NNT NP, covering seven villages in two districts in Khammouane Province, Laos. The study employed the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to identify the factors’ affecting WTP.

The results showed that respondents were willing to pay a significant amount of money in the form of increasing activities for conservation and protection of NNT NP. Mean WTP for the conservation of the Asian elephant was $8 per household per year. Approximately 62% (303 local people) of the respondents were willing to pay for the conservation of the Asian elephant.

The research findings will be helpful for planners and decision makers to formulate better future strategies for conservation of Asian elephants in Laos and in similar developing countries in the Southeast Asia region.

The population genetics and evolution of biodiversity is important for species survival and the design and implementation conservation strategies. Recent local and cross-border anthropogenic activities bring new opportunities, but also challenges including destruction of wildlife and disease transmission. These challenges resonate with the SDG’s and therefore call for concerted international collaborations. The Molecular Genetics, Evolution and Epidemiology research group at Makerere University has collaboratively built teaching and research expertise in molecular population genetics of wildlife, and epidemiology of animal diseases at the livestock-wildlife interface.  We explore the genetic diversity of large mammals, selected fish, insects, and further delve into the molecular epidemiology and transmission dynamics of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), and African swine fever virus (ASFV).

Presenter 1 (13:30-)： Lim Qi Luan

Title：Genetic Assessment of the Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus) for Its Conservation Implications

Language:  English

Abstract：The Malayan tapir is an endangered species in the tropical ecosystems of Southeast Asia. Its native distribution has shrunk in the past century due to habitat loss and fragmentation, and is now restricted to the forests on Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and southern Myanmar) and Sumatra Island of Indonesia. Current estimation of its population size is < 2500 mature individuals as reported by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Both in-situ and ex-situ conservation efforts have been in place. In Peninsular Malaysia the Malayan tapir is one of the focal species in the Central Forest Spine Master Plan for Ecological Linkages (CFS). Captive breeding program in Japan maintains a group of about 30 tapirs across the country. In either approach, principles of conservation genetics are applied to guide the conservation and management strategies. There are however not sufficient genetic data to comprehensively characterize the species’ population structure and genetic status in both wild and captive environments worldwide. This research therefore employs a genetic approach to investigate the Malayan tapir’s genetic diversity, population structure, effective population size, and sex-biased dispersal in the wild habitats in Peninsular Malaysia, using nine cross-species microsatellite markers and the mitochondrial DNA control region. As a concurrent comparison to the genetic diversity of the wild population, the Japanese captive tapirs were genetically assessed using the same sets of markers. In addition, 38 novel microsatellite markers were developed from a Malayan tapir whole genome data to increase the resolution of distinguishing the Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia (Sumatra Island) lineages present in the Japanese zoos. Whole genomes of six selected tapirs, putatively from three regions (i.e., northern and southern Malay Peninsula and Sumatra Island) from the Japanese zoos were sequenced to investigate the genome-wide diversity and demographic history of the species. Microsatellite results indicated a low genetic diversity in the wild population in Peninsular Malaysia, in which a cryptic pattern of genetic structure in the southwestern portion of the forest complexes was found. No sex-biased dispersal was detected in the current dataset, and the estimated effective population size extrapolated from the effective to census ratio was 500-700 mating individuals. Although captive tapirs in Japan constituted different lineages and therefore adequate genetic diversity, there is little overlap of nuclear genetic diversity between the wild tapirs in Malaysia and captive tapirs in Japan based on the microsatellite markers. Principal coordinate analysis and a rooted UPGMA tree constructed from 3.7M quality-filtered genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci supported two main lineages of Malayan tapir in Southeast Asia—the Malay Peninsula and the Sumatran lineages. Based on sequentially Markovian coalescent analysis, the demographic history of the Malayan tapir was reconstructed. A recent bottleneck occurred post-Last Glacial Maxima and a split time spanning 14 to 4 kya between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra ancestral populations were inferred. This study will have conservation implications to the management of Malayan tapirs in both the wild and captive environments. The low genetic diversity and cryptic pattern in the wild population in Peninsular Malaysia call for a need for the CFS master plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the forest linkages in the regions. Captive breeding program in Japan can use the genetic data as a guideline to increase the genetic representativeness of the wild populations from Peninsular Malaysia. Moreover, a split between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra at least 4 kya implies a need to be cautious about the possible effects on fitness due to the current captive breeding practice that has produced hybrids of these two evolutionary diverging lineages.

Presenter 2 (15:00-)： Tamao Maeda

Title：Drone observation reveals a multilevel society of feral horses

Language:  English

Abstract：Multilevel society is a social structure with nested levels of social organization, and considered as among the most complex social systems in animals. The study of non-human multilevel societies can give us insights into how group-level relationships function and are maintained in a social system, but their mechanisms are still poorly understood because of the lack of quantitative study. The aim of this study is to apply spatial association data obtained from drones to verify the presence and characteristics of a multilevel society in a feral horse society in Portugal.

Presenter1：Ena Onishi

Title：Synchronized urination among captive chimpanzees

Language: English

Abstract：Following the behavior of other individuals is a fundamental component of phenomena such as state-matching and collective behaviors, which are vital for both social and spatial cohesiveness. Hence understanding the social pattern of initiators and followers of synchronized behaviors can provide a deeper understanding of such phenomena. Our study focused on the possibility of urination synchronization as a state-matching behaviour of chimpanzees and aimed to clarify initiator and follower dynamics when urinations were synchronized within 60 sec. Direct observation of four groups of five captive chimpanzees each (N=20) at Kyoto University Kumamoto Sanctuary was conducted for 586.4  cumulative hours. We recorded urinations as well as grooming interactions and inter-individual proximity, as well as frequencies of aggression, pant-hoots, and dominance displays. Preliminary results on the effects of social factors as well as instant distance during synchronized urinations will be discussed. Although further investigation is required, factors predicting urination synchrony may provide novel insights into the evolution of collective behaviors and social cohesion.

Presenter2：Gema Palacino

Title：Allogrooming and Cofeeding Behavior as Joint Activities in Horses

Language: English 

Abstract：Social species engage frequently in joint behaviors, which include cooperative activities, such as hunting behavior, cooperative breeding or allogrooming. Cooperation is defined by the joint actions aimed to a shared goal and it normally require some level of previous coordination or agreement among the participants. In humans, coordinated cooperation is achieved by the establishment of the so-called joint commitments, that is, the exchange of signals necessary to reach the agreement. Joint commitment has been well studied in humans and more recently chimpanzees, bonobos, and Japanese macaques. Research on how agreement is achieved in other social species would broaden our knowledge on the evolutionary basis of cooperation. Horses offer a fruitful target species due to the simultaneous way in which allogrooming behavior occurs. I want to know whether horses communicate an intention to groom with a partner, and how the signals are affected by the social context. Another joint activity in horses is cofeeding behavior. While it has not been thoroughly investigated yet, co-feeding represents a promising study object to understand how the social context and bonding level inside the group affect the joint behavior. The answer could yield further inquiries, precisely if there are communicative signals that occur before engaging in a cofeeding event, as well as how this communication is affected by the social relationships within the group.

Abstract:Dugongs are the only strictly marine herbivorous  mammals and hence have high biodiversity value. These animals feed on seagrass and seemingly tend to spend most of their time foraging in costal areas. Their movement is however highly individualistic and it is difficult to conclude collective patterns.I am utilising different data collected at sites in the Northern Territory in Australia and New Caledonia  to investigate the relationship between body size and ranging behaviours as well as the relationship between seagrass meadow depth and site preferences.

Past research

DNA is constantly being damaged by various external and internal factors. Damage to DNA interferes with important functions such as transcription, replication, and chromosome segregation, causing mutations, chromosomal aberrations, cellular senescence, and cell death, which may lead to various diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and premature aging, especially in humans. As a defense mechanism against such DNA damage, organisms have DNA repair mechanisms. Among them, nucleotide excision repair (NER) is one of the major DNA repair mechanisms that remove various DNA damages caused by UV light and chemicals. In NER of eukaryote, the recognition and binding of proteins such as XPC and DDB2 (XPE), the gene products responsible for xeroderma pigmentosum, to the site of damage is essential for initiation of the repair response. This process is thought to be regulated by higher order chromatin structure in vivo, but the detailed molecular mechanism remains unclear.

Previous work in the laboratory I belonged to has suggested that CHD3 and CHD4 may facilitate XPC recognition of DNA damage by being recruited to the site of DNA damage.

In this study, I attempted to identify the domains that are important for the recruitment of CHD3 to sites of DNA damage in order to understand the detailed regulatory mechanisms of NER via chromatin structure. The results suggest that either the N- or C-terminus is required for recruitment of CHD3 to sites of DNA damage.

In the future, it will be necessary to clarify the mechanisms by which the N-terminal and C-terminal regions are involved in the recruitment of CHD3 to the site of damage and promote damage recognition by XPC, respectively.

Future research

It is said that genetic and environmental factors influence the personality of human and other primates. Genetic factors include genetic polymorphisms such as SNPs and microsatellites. I plan to research the relationship between polymorphisms in sphingolipid metabolism genes and personality in non-human primates at WRC. Sphingolipid plays the key role in neurite growth and myelination in the central nervous system. In addition, sphingolipid metabolism genes have been found to be associated with the risk of ADHD in human.

I am planning to experiment with the DNA stored at the WRC and the personality data already evaluated. 

Language:  English (slides) & Japanese (speach)

Abstract：In this seminar, I will explain my senior thesis research and future research plan.

As my senior thesis, I studied flowering regulation mechanisms of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). There are mainly two types of photoperiodic flowering patterns: Long-day plants (LDPs) and Short-day plants (SDPs). LDPs are promoted flowering when the dark period is below the critical dark period, whereas SDPs are promoted flowering when the dark period exceeds the critical dark period. However, critical factors that create these differences are still unknown. Therefore, I created a molecular model to explain flowering regulation and conducted genetic screening of flowering pattern mutants.

My research plan at WRC is to find genes related to domestic cat (Felis catus) personality, mainly focusing on aggression. I am planning to analyze questionnaires from owners and DNA samples. 

Presenter1：Christen LIN

Title：Growth response of Daphnia pulex to phosphorus deficiency - past and prospective research 

Abstract：

Various genotypes of the zooplankton species Daphnia pulex have been found in Japan, and genetic analysis has revealed that they were only recently introduced within the last thousand to couple hundred years. To examine how different groups of this (partially) asexual species might have evolved and diverged from one another during their recent arrival to Japan, I examined the growth response of different genotypes to varying nutrient levels in their food. In this seminar, I will also briefly discuss my prospective research here at WRC, pertaining to emotional contagion in chimpanzees and bonobos. 

Presenter2：China KOBAYASHI

Title：Past and prospective research

Abstract：

Previous research

 Amami-Oshima Island harbors many endemic and endangered species but has a problem with cat predation on them. To get a clue for improving the management of cats, we aimed at revealing their land use using the data of camera traps. We built a generalized linear mixed model,and its results indicated the three facts:  

(1) Cats would prefer roads to forests but this preference would depend on the types of road.

(2) Cats tend to avoid steep slopes.

(3) Cats would use the areas nearby villages in forests probably for the purpose of human resources.

These results can contribute to increasing the efficiency of capturing cats such as more efficient trap allocation according to cat habitat use.

Research plan

 Oxytocin is said to play a critical role in social groups, but its function in the horse-human relationship is not known. The hypothesis of my prospective research is that under the administration of oxytocin, horses will get more favorable to a familiar person and will get more hostile to a stranger. To verify it, I will conduct the experiment in the JRA facility in Utsunomiya city.

Presenter：工藤宏美　研究推進員（京都市動物園）Dr. Hiromi KUDO (Kyoto City Zoo)

Title：

アオウミガメ亜成体の大胆さおよび新奇探索性の個体群比較

Comparison of personality traits between Iwate and Oita aggregations of juvenile green sea turtles

Abstract：

一般に、動物の性格は、時間や状況の変化によらない個体毎の一貫した行動傾向で示され、その発現要因は遺伝と環境とされる。新奇探索性を示す性格は、移動分散の移動距離に関連する。絶滅危惧種のアオウミガメは移動距離に個体差があるため、移動距離の違いが新奇探索性の高さに関連している可能性がある。また、大胆さを示す性格の主な発現要因は捕食圧とされるため、移動性の高い個体の生息海域の捕食圧は可変的であると予想される。しかし、大胆さおよび新奇探索性を示す性格の違いが移動距離の違いをもたらすのかは明らかでない。そこで本研究では、亜成体アオウミガメを対象に、遺伝的由来は同じだが、移動距離と定置網による致死率（以下、死亡率）が異なる個体の大胆さと新奇探索性の違いを調べた。まず、移動距離が異なる２つの集団が生息する大分県間越海岸付近の混獲個体を用いて、大胆さと新奇探索性の性格を刺激提示実験で特定した。初めに危険な状況として手網を提示して大胆さを調べ、次に奇異な状況として鏡を提示して個体毎の新奇探索性を調べた。各刺激への反応時間を計測し、個体ごとの一貫性を確認して、性格を特定し、２つの集団の性格を比較した。同様の実験を、移動性が高く死亡率が低い岩手県大槌町の混獲で捕獲された個体で行い、性格を特定した後、大分県の移動性の高い集団と比較した。その結果、大分県に来遊する移動性の高い集団は、低い集団に比べて新奇探索性が高い傾向にあった。また、移動性の高い大分県の集団より、さらに移動性の高い岩手県の集団の方が、新奇探索性が高かった。次に、岩手県の死亡率が低い岩手県の集団は、死亡率が高い大分県の集団より、大胆な個体が多かった。このことから、移動距離は新奇探索性に関連するが、大胆さには関連しないことから、新奇探索性と大胆さを示す性格は異なるメカニズムで発現している可能性が示唆された。

Presenter：Heping LI

Title：From previous to future study: How will biotelemetry support the mitigation of seal-fishery conflicts?

Abstract：

Northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus, NFSs) and Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus, SSLs) are members of the family Otariidae distributed widely in the North Pacific Ocean. They undergo seasonal migrations characterized by north-south movements between breeding islands and wintering grounds. According to previous studies, the adjacent waters of Japan served as primary wintering grounds that provide sufficient but seasonal food for NFSs and SSLs. As opportunistic predators, NFSs and SSLs were found to follow their prey distribution, while their prey preference may change in response to the prey diversity and abundance. Stomach-contents analysis of NFSs and SSLs indicated some of their prey species overlapped with target species of commercial fisheries. Direct damages to fishing gear and depredation of caught fish caused by these two migratory seals have been recognized as a significant socio-economic issue in Japan. To realize sustainable long-term yields in fish and mitigate seal-fishery conflicts require a comprehensive understanding of seals’ habitat preferences and the intensity of seal-fishery interactions, which will be the primary research topic of my doctoral study.

Biotelemetry, remote measurement of the physiology and behaviors of free-living animals, enables us to document the movement of seals in real-time and illuminate the relationship between their space use and the oceanic environment. Furthermore, it will help us understand how seals could determine appropriate oceanographic and foraging habitats despite the environmental heterogeneity. Through an example of NFSs’ northbound migration tracking from northern Japan, I will explain how NFSs’ at-sea behaviors respond to certain oceanographic features. Meanwhile, I will briefly introduce my doctoral research plan and discuss how biotelemetry will contribute to my future study and mitigate seal-fishery conflicts in Japan.

Abstract：Unlike most mammals, where the sexes are segregated outside of the breeding season, in feral horses (Equus caballus), females (mares) can associate all-year round in social groups with one male (single-stallion groups) or multiple males (multi-stallion groups). Given the expectation of intense male competition for mating opportunities, multi-stallion groups raise questions regarding their supporting mechanisms and adaptive consequences, which I aim to explore in my PhD.

Considering horses’ social organization and the strong selection pressure to maintain long-lasting bonds between the sexes, the presence of multiple stallions in the same group and male-male dominance behavior may affect how mares and stallions associate. Using inter-individual distance from drone imagery, and affiliative and agonistic behaviors as proxies for association, I explore how social factors (male status, group size, rank, individual tenure, genetic relatedness, and reproductive status) shape stallion-mare relationships in horses. In this progress report, I will present preliminary results and discuss their relevance and future directions. 

Abstract：Hunting is a very common activity all over the planet. However, its practices may induce intense stress responses in wildlife, which can have important consequences for prey populations and, consequently, for hunting management. The wild population of red deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of the most harvested during the seasonal hunting in the Lousã Mountain, Portugal. In this seminar, I will present my previous research focused on the impact of hunting activity on the physiological stress levels and behavioral patterns of free-ranging red deer. I will also introduce my current research plans focused on the study of empathy in elephants.

Air-breathing marine predators make various behaviors associated with the environment and prey distribution. Because their foraging grounds are underwater, they need to forage efficiently in the limited time. In this seminar, I will introduce my study on foraging behavior of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) in Krill Islands and ringed seals (Pusa hispida) in Greenland. 

Presenter1： Maeda

Title： Power-law relationships between a group size and a social interaction number in animal societies

Language: English(slides) & Japanese (speak)

Abstract：Power-law (or scaling) relationships between variables X and Y is Y ~ Xβ. It is well known that such a power law could be found in various natural phenomena for example, magnitude and frequency of earthquakes, and allometric laws in animal body size.

In the seminar, I will explain about the power-law relationships found in animal social networks, and argue on the mechanism behind it using a feral horse social network data.

Presenter2： Furumaki

Title： Introduction of my past research

Language: English(slides) & Japanese (speak)

Abstract：Songs are repetitive sounds thought to be used by baleen whales and birds for breeding. Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), the second-longest species of cetaceans on the earth have their unique songs, which consist of regular sequences repeated 20 Hz pulses and could be subdivided into diverse types by the Inter-pulse intervals (IPIs). Some types indicate geographic difference and further suggest their population structure. Although numerous studies of fin whales’ songs were conducted along the eastern Pacific side, little is known about song types and population structures in the Pacific Arctic region. To identify the song types and compare them to those recorded in other regions and discussed about the population structure of fin whales in the southern Chukchi Sea, fin whale songs were recorded from July 2012 to June 2015 in the southern Chukchi Sea. Data in an one hour interval were randomly selected per week during the study period and measured the IPIs of the songs. Songs were detected from August to November 2012–2014. All songs had a sequence of doublets with two IPIs (10.5 and 19.6 s), which were consistent with previous records of fin whale songs in the eastern North Pacific between 2001–2013 but are differentfrom those in the Bering Sea and the northeastern Chukchi Sea between 2007–2010. Our results suggested that one group of fin whales migrated to the southern Chukchi Sea from the eastern North Pacific in 2012–2014, or the song changed.

The southern and eastern coasts of Hokkaido are productive regions with a high degree of biodiversity and human activity, meanwhile, it is an important habitat for cetaceans. Information regarding cetacean distribution patterns is necessary for ecosystem management and marine conservation. The objective of my doctoral study isto illustrate the distribution patterns and their interactions with environmental variables in coastal Hokkaido using sighting surveys. A maximum entropy model was employed on the previous observation data of four baleen whales (fin, sei, humpback, and minke whales). The distribution map of four species was plotted, results suggested a heterogeneous distribution, which indicated specific habitat preferences among these species. Fin, humpback (Megaptera novaeanglia), and sei(Balaenoptera borealis) whales were highly observed in the Pacific Ocean east of Cape Erimo, while minke whales were observed in the Pacific Ocean east of Cape Erimo and the southern Nemuro Strait. These distributionpatterns are likely to correspond to their migration patterns. Baleen whales were distributed mostly in areas with low sea surface temperatures, which may reflect their distribution bias toward the cold waters east of Cape Erimo influenced by the Oyashio. Baleen whales may tend to select the continuous water mass environment as a corridor for their southward migration from high latitude foraging grounds.