TOMOKO HAMABATA

TOHOKU UNIVERSITY

Advanced Institute For Marine Ecosystem Change (WPI-AIMEC)

Researcher

About

I am a marine biologist specializing in the ecology and evolution of sea turtles, with a broader interest in understanding how migratory marine animals interact with dynamic coastal ecosystems. My research integrates field ecology with population genomics to uncover long-distance connectivity, habitat use, and local adaptations, particularly in regions where traditional tracking methods are limited. I am also working on applying genetic tools to conservation questions, such as genetic diversity and evaluating population recovery.

Research Disciplines

Marine Biology

Featured Presentation

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Title: Genetic approaches to hidden life histories of marine megafauna

Keywords: Migratory animal, Genetics, Hidden ecology

Abstract: Marine megafauna often migrate widely, crossing national boundaries, making direct tracking difficult and expensive. Green sea turtles are one such species—widely distributed, yet elusive in terms of natal connectivity and long-term movement patterns. In this presentation, I introduce how population genetic approaches, particularly those designed for non-model organisms and applicable to field-collected tissue samples, can complement traditional ecological methods to reconstruct life history traits. Focusing on foraging aggregations in Japanese coastal waters, we estimated natal origins from DNA and revealed population mixing and regional variation in body size depending on birthplace. Building on these findings, our ongoing work aims to investigate how oceanographic features and evolutionary adaptations may influence the formation of these foraging aggregations and the broader population structure. While such questions have long remained difficult to address through direct observation alone, genetic data have begun to illuminate the hidden aspects of marine animal ecology that were previously beyond reach.

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