HSI Report: Integrated Marine
Biology and Ecology I
University News | July 26, 2018

Red and green algae collected by participants in the HSI course “Integrated Marine
Biology and Ecology I” near the Muroran Marine Station.

“Algae is an untapped group of organisms full of mysteries andsurprises,” says Professor Taizo Motomura, director of Hokkaido
University’s Muroran Marine Station. “Until recently, studies of algae
have been relatively lacking, whilst land plants and animals have beenstudied intensively by scientists.”
To provide students with current knowledge of algal biology andmarine ecology as well as the cutting-edge technical skills for those
fields, the “International Course on Integrated Maine Biology andEcology I” was conducted at the Muroran Marine Station between July
12th and 17th as part of the Hokkaido Summer Institute (HSI). Elevenstudents from Korea, China, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia

participated in the fieldwork-centered program. The course was joinedby two specialists, Associate Professor Gregory Naoki Nishimura fromNagasaki University and Assistant Professor Atsuko Tanaka fromUniversity of the Ryukyus, to cover various methodologies in subjects
ranging from cell biology to marine ecology.
“Our marine station is located in Muroran City, where a cold current
and a warm current meet off the shore. This is advantageous, because it
allows us to study diverse organisms brought by the two currents,” says
Associate Professor Chikako Nagasato, who organized the course.
Algae is a large group of photosynthetic organisms ranging from singlecell species to giant seaweeds over 50 meters in length. “Algae areresponsible for a large part of the primary production on the earth
including 40-50% of oxygen in the atmosphere, and therefore havebroader implications for the environment than one might think,” said
Nagasato in her lecture on the first day.

Associate Professor Chikako Nagasato shows paticipants how to prepare ultra-thinsections of samples during a facility tour (left) and participants observing algae’s
phototaxis (right).

Motomura then introduced the unique characteristics of algae andexplained their reproductive processes. “Algae produce chemoattractants or use sunlight near the sea surface as attractant, so they

can meet each other in the boundless ocean. However, the molecularmechanisms behind such chemotaxis and phototaxis are largely
unknown.”
On the second day, students and researchers went out to the nearby
shore to collect algae samples. Assistant Professor Kensuke Ichihara
mentioned, “Around one hundred algae species can be found in thisarea alone,” and demonstrated how to distinguish different species.
Participants then prepared dried specimens, which is a simple yet
conventional way of preserving algae. Scientists can extract DNA fromdried specimen decades after it was collected.

Professor Taizo Motomura (left) and a participant collecting algae at the sea shore(right).

During the course, participants also received firsthand experience
using various methodologies such as Thin Layer Chromatography toseparate pigments from the samples, Transmission Electron
Microscopy to observe cellular structures, and Fluorescent Microscopy
to observe molecules in the cells. Participants also learned how toconduct an ecological survey to investigate vertical distributions ofalgae and their relation to environmental factors such as seawatertemperature, tide, and light.
Je Jin Jeon, a participant from Korea, said “I study Pyropia, a type ofseaweed, and I’m trying to find a way to prevent it from contracting afungal disease. I was particularly interested in learning the sample

preparation method for Transmission Electron Microscopy from theresearchers in Muroran who have special expertise in it.” Intan Lestari
Dewi from Indonesia said “I am researching fungi that could be used toremove pollutants from water. I joined this course to find something
new that could be applied to my research. I’m so grateful to theresearchers here for the great effort they have gone through to create
this program.”

Participants and the instructors at the seashore.

Written by Naoki Namba