E-mail: t-fukatsu@aist.go.jp

URL: http://staff.aist.go.jp/t-fukatsu/English%20Top.html

In nature, organisms are living in close association with surrounding physical environment as well as other organisms. Thus, each of the organisms is regarded as a component of the ecosystem. Considering the diverse microbial community found inside the organisms in general, each of the organisms can also be regarded as constituting an ecosystem.

Many animals and other organisms constantly harbor microorganisms inside their body, which has been referred to as “endosymbiosis”. Due to the close spatial proximity, extremely intimate biological interactions and inter-dependency are commonly found between the partners called host and symbiont. Novel biological properties are often generated through such associations. In many cases, host and symbiont are integrated into an almost inseparable entity.

Here I present an overview of our research topics on the endosymbiosis and evolution in insects, with emphasis on bacterial symbionts causing reproductive aberrations of their host insects, which might contribute to the enormous biodiversity of the organismal group.