Chemical Ecology in Ants

 Ants have an ability to discriminate their nestmates, and this ability is very important for their social life. In the laboratory, we are elucidating the mechanism of cooperative group management in ant society, and that of nestmate recognition that is the base of their social infrastructure.

Pest Managements

 Pesticides are very effective and useful but might do a great deal of damage to the natural environment. For reducing such environmental damage, we focuse on  predator-prey interaction in the natural world, and attempt to apply semiochemicals to control the interactions.

Chemical Ecology of Myrmecophiles

 Ants society often have various types of guests. Many of them have symbiotic interactions with the host ants by using various chemical signatures.    We are elucidating their chemical strategies to live with ants without being attacked in ant society. 

Chemical strategies for pollination in plants

　Plants also have various chemical tactics to efficiently pollinate and protect themselves from hervibores. We focus on floral scents and leaf chemicals valuable to gain their inclussive fitness. 

Many insect species are using physical signals to communicate between individuals. It is becoming clear, however, that even such insect species actually carry out chemical communication based on semiochemicals.