(Photo: private)
Field of research :Plant Ecology, Pollination Biology, Plant–Insect Interaction, Conservation Biology
Address:The Botanical Gardens, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 3-7-1 Hakusan, Bunkyo, Tokyo 112-0001, Japan
E-mail: kawakita[at]ns.bg.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Website: https://sites.google.com/g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/atsushikawakitalab
Profile
I am a botanist and a professor at the Botanical Gardens of the University of Tokyo. My research focuses on understanding how the diversity of angiosperms has been shaped by their interactions with animals, such as pollinators, seed dispersers and herbivores. For example, I have documented the ecology and evolution of obligate pollination mutualism in Phyllanthaceae, novel floral syndrome associated with fungus gnat pollination and the role of leaf shape in defence against herbivores.
From 2021 to 2024, I served as the director of the Botanical Gardens of the University of Tokyo. One of the important activities of our garden is the conservation of endemic plants of the Ogasawara Islands in the Pacific, in which we work with the government and local people to conserve some of the most critically endangered plants on the islands, such as Rhododendron boninense, Melastoma tetramerumand Pittosporum parvifolium.
I have previously been involved in IUBS as an organizing committee member of the General Assembly in 2023 in Tokyo. I am also a member of the IUBS Committee of the Science Council of Japan and understand the goal of IUBS in fostering global collaboration in science. I am willing to contribute to IUBS, especially with regard to biodiversity conservation and education, in order to better pursue its mission.