UWAI, Shinya, Ph.D.

Professor, Division of Biodiversity, Ecology and speciation

HOSHINO, Masakazu, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Division of Biodiversity, Ecology and speciation

Research Interests

Seaweeds are primary producers along coastal communities and have an important role as ecological engineer. Three seaweed groups (green, red and brown algae) evolved separately, and each group has a lot of unique features in their morphologies and reproductions. Our research aims to describe the huge diversity and to uncover the mysterious evolution. Especially, we are interested in speciation and reproductive isolation mechanisms in seaweeds, because a lot of cryptic species and interspecific hybrids have been reported. To understand how species are isolated, or how species keep their identities even under spontaneous hybridization, we use various techniques, such as field investigation, morphological observation, laboratory culture, as well as molecular biological techniques, depending on purpose of each research.

Research Focus

・Systematics and evolution of seaweeds
・Population genetics and its application to conservation for seaweed diversity
・Molecular biology for reproductive isolating mechanisms and sex determination in seaweeds
・Long-term monitoring of seaweed community

Recent Publications

• Barrera-Redondo J, Lipinska AP, Liu P, Dinatale E, Cossard G, Bogaert K, Hoshino M, Avia K, Leiria G, Avdievich E, Liesner D, Luthringer R, Godfroy O, Heesch S, Nehr Z, Brillet-Guéguen L, Peters AF, Hoarau G, Pearson G, Aury J-M, Wincker P, Denoeud F, Cock JM, Haas FM, Coelho SM. 2025
  Origin and evolutionary trajectories of brown algal sex chromosomes. Nature Ecology & Evolution (First published 25 Aug. 2025)

• Hoshino M, Tadokoro S, Akita S, Uwai S. 2024.
  Life cycle and molecular phylogeny of Vaucheria piloboloides (Vaucheriales, Xanthophyceae) from Sado Island, Japan. Phycological Research 72: 229–280.

• Hoshino M, Cossard G, Haas FB, Kane EI, Kogame K, Jomori T, Wakimoto T, Glemin S, Coelho SM. 2024.
  Parallel loss of sexual reproduction in field populations of a brown alga sheds light on the mechanisms underlying the emergence of asexuality. Nature Ecology & Evolution 8: 1916–1932. (First published 16 Aug. 2024)

• Uwai S, Saito D, Sato Y. 2024.
  Evaluation of cryptic invasion in Japanese Undaria populations based on mitochondrial haplotypic analysis. Botanica Marina 67：411-419 (doi.org/10.1515/bot-2024-0002)

• Luthringer R, Raphalen M, Guerra C, Colin S, Martinho C, Min Z, Hoshino M, Badis Y, Lipinska AP, Haas FB, Barrera-Redondo J, Alva V, Coelho SM. 2024.
  Repeated co-option of HMG-box genes for sex determination in brown algae and animals. Science 383: 1309. (First published 22 Mar. 2024)

• Hoshino M, Wakeman KC, Kato A, Kitayama T, Sherwood AR, Uwai S, Kogame K. 2024.
  Taxonomic study of the polyphyletic Dudresnaya (Dumontiaceae, Florideophyceae) with descriptions of Dudresnaya ryukyuensis sp. nov. and two new genera, Himehibirhodia and Nudresdaya. Phycological Research 72: 133–148. (First published 25 Feb. 2024)

• Stiger-Pouvreau V, Mattio L, De Ramon N’Yeurt A, Uwai S, Dominguez H, Flórez-Fernández N, Connan S, Crithchley AT. 2023.
  A concise review of the highly diverse genus Sargassum C. Agardh with wide industrial potential. Journal of Applied Phycology 35: 1453-1483. (DOI: 10.1007/s10811-023-02959-4)

• Krasovec M, Hoshino M, Zheng M, Lipinska AP, Coelho SM. 2023.
  Low spontaneous mutation rate in complex multicellular eukaryotes with a haploid-diploid life cycle. Molecular Biology and Evolution 40: msad105. (DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad105)

• Uwai S, Takagi S, Sekiguchi T, Emura N, Morita T, Kurashima A, Sato Y. 2023.
  Inconsistency between morphological diversity and genetic structuring: proposal for one species of Undaria in Japan. Botanica Marina 66: 81-90. https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2022-0048

• Homma Y, Okuda S, Kasahara M, Takahashi F, Yoshikawa S, Uwai S. 2020.
  　Phenological shifts and genetic differentiation between sympatric populations of Sargassum horneri (Fucales, Phaeophyceae) in Japan. Marine Ecology Progress Series 642: 103-116. doi.org/10.3354/meps13332

Contact (Uwai)

Office:　Building C, room 220, (lab: room 216)　　

E-mail:　uwai@harbor.kobe-u.ac.jp

Contact (Hoshino)

Office:　Building C, room 212　　

E-mail:　mhoshino@harbor.kobe-u.ac.jp