Each organism perceives the external world through its own unique sensory organs, resulting in a distinct perceptual world for each species. The philosopher Jakob von Uexküll called this the “Umwelt”—the subjective world as experienced by an organism. Understanding the Umwelt of pest species reveals the foundations of their survival strategies, and also provides a basis for developing environmentally sustainable methods of control.

Previous studies have shown that plant-parasitic nematodes possess unique sensory neurons, which are thought to define how these nematodes perceive their surroundings—that is, their Umwelt.

At the core of my research is a fundamental question: What specific stimuli do these neurons detect, and what are their evolutionary origins?

By answering this, we aim to uncover how these nematodes have adapted their sensory systems to support their parasitic lifestyle.

Some nematode species prey on other nematodes—these are known as predatory nematodes. Interestingly, predatory nematodes have been shown to avoid cannibalism, despite their predatory nature. Previous studies have revealed that these nematodes have evolved specialized cuticular structures in parallel with their predatory behavior. These structures are believed to play a role in preventing cannibalistic interactions.

Surprisingly, certain distantly related nematode species—such as those in the genus Poikilolaimus—have also evolved similar cuticular specializations, despite being bacterial feeders rather than predators. Notably, these bacterivorous nematodes are not preyed upon by predatory nematodes.

My research focuses on understanding how these specialized cuticular structures contribute to the avoidance of cannibalism and predation in various nematode species.

Potato cyst nematodes are plant-parasitic nematodes that cause significant damage to potato crops. Our research is conducted in Hokkaido and Kenya, one of the regions heavily affected by outbreaks of these nematodes.

We focus on suppressive soil—soil in which susceptible crops can be grown without suffering damage from pathogens. One possible mechanism behind this suppressiveness is biological factors. Our research aims to uncover what kinds of microbial communities develop in suppressive soils and how the interactions within these communities contribute to the suppression of nematodes.