Research interests:

• Chemical relationships and elemental cycles in terrestrial ecosystems

• Constraint of geochemical properties on organisms and influence of organisms on geochemical properties

• Dynamics and degradation of soil organic matter, in relation to microorganisms, minerals, biomoleculars, and climate change

Publications in peer-reviewed, international journals:

• Ono, T., Ohnuma, T., Kawakami, T., Kobayashi, T., Kasuga, J., Matsumoto, S., Ae, N., Hobara, S. (2025) Silicon uptake by rice increases mineral-associated organic carbon in the rhizosphere. Rhizosphere in press

• Tian, Y., Ackermann, K., McCarthy, C., Sternberg, T., Purevtseren, M., Limuge, C., Hagiwara, K., Ogawa, K., Hobara, S., Hoshino, B. (2024) Seasonal Dynamics of the Land-Surface Characteristics in Arid Regions Retrieved by Optical and Microwave Satellite Data. Remote Sensing 16(3143).

• Isobe, K., Suetsugu, R., Kaneko, M., Ise, Y., Oda, T., Hobara, S. (2023) Chemolithotrophic microbiome of buried soil layers following volcanic eruptions: A potential huge carbon sink. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 183 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2023.109055

• Nagata, Y., Osono, T., Hasegawa, M., Hobara, S., Hirose, D., Tanabe, Y., Kudoh, S., Uchida, M. (2023) Application of the Biolog EcoPlateTM technique for assessing the microbial metabolic diversity in moss profiles of continental Antarctica. Polar Science 35: 100924.

• Hatanaka, T., Ogura, T., Matsuyama, S., Hobara, S. (2022) Variation in soil chemical properties in relation to vegetation characteristics in a serpentine area of Hokkaido, Japan. Geoderma Regional 31: e00589.

• Seno, K., McCarthy, C., Kussainova, M., Nurtazin, S., Kaneko, M., Nakatani, N., Hobara, S., Banfill, J., Hoshino, B. (2022) The impact of China's Belt and Road Initiative on change and losing of Central Asian oases agricultural land. Journal of Arid Land Studies: 32-S.

• Hatano, Y., Yoshida, T., Matsuzuka, S., Osono, T., Hobara, S., Hirose, D., Tanabe, Y., Kudoh, S., Uchida, M. (2022) Occurrence, hyphal growth rate, and carbon source utilization of fungi from continental Antarctica. Polar Science 31: 100738.

• Motegi, K., Kobae, Y., Kameoka, E., Kaneko, M., Hatanaka, T., Hobara, S. (2021) Vertical distribution of tree fine roots in the tephra profile with two buried humic soil layers. Plant Roots 15: 60-68.

• Osono, T., Hiradate, S., Hobara, S. (2021) Bleaching of leaf litter accelerates the decomposition of recalcitrant components and release of nitrogen in a subtropical forest. Scientific Reports 11: 1787.

• Kusa, K., Moriizumi, M., Hobara, S., Kaneko, M., Matsumoto, S., Kasuga, J., Ae, N. (2021) Mineral weathering and silicon uptake by rice plants promote carbon storage in paddy fields. Soil Science & Plant Nutrition 67 67: 162-170.

• Matsuoka, S., Ogisu, Y., Sakoh, S., Hobara, S., Osono, T. (2020) Taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of fungi in a forest-tundra ecotone in Quebec. Polar Science 27: 100594.

• Hobara, S., Ogawa, H., Benner, R. (2020) Amino acids and amino sugars as molecular indicators of the origins and alterations of organic matter in buried tephra layers. Geoderma 373: 114449.

• Matsuoka, S., Kobayashi, Y., Hobara, S., Osono, T. (2020) Identifying microbial drivers promoting plant growth on soil amended with composted aquatic plant: insight into nutrient transfer from aquatic to terrestrial systems. Limnology 21: 443-452.

• Matsuoka, S., Fujinaga, S., Kobayashi, Y., Hobara, S., Osono, T. (2019) Bacterial 16S rDNA and alkaline phosphatase gene diversity in soil applied with composted aquatic plants. Limnology 21: 357-364.

• Matsuoka, S., Ogisu, Y., Sakoh, S., Hobara, S., Osono, T. (2019) Taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of fungi along primary successional and elevational gradients near Mount Robson, British Columbia. Polar Science 26: 165-171.

• Liu, X., Koba, K., Koyama, L., Hobbie, S., Weiss, M., Inagaki, Y., Shaver, G., Giblin, A., Hobara, S., Nadelhoffer, K., Sommerkorn, M., Rastetter, E., Kling, G., Laundre, J., Yano, Y., Makabe, A., Yano, M., Liu, C. (2018) Nitrate is an important nitrogen source for arctic tundra plants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA.  doi.org/10.1073/pnas.171538211

• Matsuoka S., Suzuki Y., Hobara S., Osono T. (2018) Fungal succession and decomposition of composted aquatic plants applied to soil. Fungal Ecology 35: 34-41.

• Hirose, D., Hobara, S., Tanabe, Y., Uchida, M., Kudoh, S., Osono, T. (2017) Abundance, richness, and microfungi in relation to chemical changes in Antarctic moss profiles. Polar Biology 40: 2457-2468.

• Hirose, D., Hobara, S., Matsuoka, S., Kato, K., Tanabe, Y., Uchida, M., Kudoh, S., Osono, T. (2016) Diversity and community assembly of moss-associated fungi in ice-free coastal outcrops of continental Antarctica. Fungal Ecology 24: 94-101.

• Hobara, S., Fukunaga-Yoshida, S., Suzuki, T., Matsumoto, S., Matoh, T., Ae, N. (2016) Plant silicon uptake increases active aluminum minerals in root-zone soil: implications for plant influence on soil carbon. Geoderma 279: 45-52.

• Hobara, S., Kushida, K., Kim, Y.W., Koba, K., Lee, B.Y., Ae, N. (2016) Relationships among pH, minerals, and carbon in soils from tundra to boreal forest across Alaska. Ecosystems 19: 1092-1103.

• Matsuoka, S., Mori, A.S., Kawaguchi, E., Hobara, S., Osono, T. (2016) Disentangling the relative importance of host tree community, abiotic environment, and spatial factors on ectomycorrhizal fungal assemblages along an elevation gradient. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 92 DOI:10.1093/femsec/fiw044

• Kushida, K., Hobara, S., Tsuyuzaki, S., Kim, Y., Watanabe, M., Setiawan, Y., Harada, K., Shaver, G.R., Fukuda, M. (2015) Spectral indices for remote sensing of phytomass, deciduous shrubs, and productivity in Alaskan arctic tundra. International Journal of Remote Sensing 36: 4344-4363.

• Hagiwara, Y., Matsuoka, S., Hobara, S., Mori, A.S., Hirose, D., Osono, T. (2015) Bleaching of leaf litter and associated microfungi in subboreal and subalpine forests. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 61: 735-743.

• Katsumata, S., Hobara, S., Osono, T., Takeda, H. (2015) Mass, nitrogen content, and decomposition of woody debris in forest stands affected by excreta deposited in nesting colonies of Great Cormorant. Ecological Research 30: 555-561.

• Mori, A.S., Shiono, T., Haraguchi, T.F., Ota, A.T., Kiode, D., Ohgue, T., Kitagawa, R., Maeshiro, R., Aung, T.T., Nakamori, T., Hagiwara, Y., Matsuoka, S., Ikeda, A., Hishi, T., Hobara, S., Mizumachi, E., Frisch, A., Thor, G., Fujii, S., Osono, T., Gustafsson, L. (2015) Functional redundancy of multiple forest taxa along an elevational gradient: predicting the consequences of non-random species loss and the emergence of novel communities. Journal of Biogeography 42: 1383-1396.

• Hobara, S., Osono, T., Hirose, D., Noro, K., Hirota, M., and Benner, R. (2014) The roles of microorganisms in litter decomposition and soil formation. Biogeochemistry 118: 471-486.

• Hobara, S., Koba, K., Ae, N., Giblin, A.E., Kushida, K., and Shaver, G.R. (2013) Geochemical influences on solubility of soil organic carbon in arctic tundra ecosystems. Soil Science Society of America Journal 77: 473-481.

• Osono, T., Hobara, S., Hishinuma, T., and Azuma, J.I. (2011) Selective lignin decomposition and nitrogen mineralization in forest litter colonized by Clitocybe sp. European Journal of Soil Biology 47: 114-121.

• Hobara, S., Mizuno, N., Amano, Y., Yokota, H., and Taniyama, H. (2009) Mercury distribution in tephra soil layers in Hokkaido, Japan, with reference to 34000-year stratification. Soil Science & Plant Nutrition 55: 582-589.

• Ohte, N., Tokuchi, N., and Hobara, S. (2006) Impact of forest defoliation by pine-wilt disease on biogeochemical cycling and streamwater chemistry in a headwater catchment in central Japan. Advances in Geosciences 4: 1-6.

• Kameda, K., Koba, K., Hobara, S., Osono, T. and Terai, M. (2006) Pattern of natural 15N abundance in lakeside forest ecosystem affected by cormorant-derived nitrogen. Hydrobiologia DOI:10.1007/s10750-006-0052-0, 69-86.

• Hobara, S., McCalley, C., Koba, K., Giblin, A.E., Weiss, M.S., Gettel, G.M., and Shaver, G.R. (2006) Nitrogen fixation in an arctic tundra watershed: A key atmospheric N source. Arctic, Antarctic, & Alpine Research 38: 363-372.

• Osono, T., Hobara, S., Koba, K., and Kameda, K. (2006) Reduction of fungal growth and lignin decomposition in needle litter by avian excreta. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 38: 1623-1630.

• Osono, T., Hobara, S., Koba, K., and Kameda, K. (2006) Immobilization of avian excreta-derived nutrients and reduced lignin decomposition in needle and twig litter in a temperate coniferous forest. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 38: 517-525.

• Hobara, S., Koba, K., Osono, T., Tokuchi, N., Ishida, A. and Kameda, K. (2005) Nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment and balance in forests colonized by cormorants: implications of the influence of soil adsorption. Plant & Soil 268: 89-101.

• Tokuchi, N., Ohte, N., Hobara, S., Kim, S. and Katsuyama, M. (2004) Changes in biogeochemical cycling following forest defoliation by pine wilt disease in Kiryu experimental catchment in Japan. Hydrological Processes 18:2727-2736.

• Kim, S-J., Ohte, N., Kawasaki, M., Katsuyama, M., Tokuchi, N. and Hobara, S. (2003) Interactive responses of dissolved sulfate and nitrate to disturbance associated with pine wilt disease in a temperate forest. Soil Science & Plant Nutrition 49: 539-550.

• Ohte, N., Tokuchi, N., Katsuyama, M., Hobara, S., Asano, Y., and Koba, K. (2003) Episodic increases in nitrate concentrations in streamwater due to the partial dieback of a pine forest in Japan: runoff generation processes control seasonality. Hydrological Processes 17: 237-249.

• Osono, T., Hobara, S., Fujiwara, S., Koba, K., and Kameda, K. (2002) Abundance, diversity, and species composition of fungal communities in a temperate forest affected by the Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 34: 1537-1547.

• Hobara, S., Osono, T., Koba, K., Tokuchi, N., Fujiwara, S., and Kameda, K. (2001) Forest floor quality and N transformations in a temperate forest affected by avian-derived N deposition. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 130: 679-684.

• Hobara, S., Tokuchi, N., Ohte, N., Koba, K., Katsuyama, M., Kim, S-J., and Nakanishi, A. (2001) Mechanism of nitrate loss from a forested catchment following a small-scale, natural disturbance. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 31: 1326-1335.