Research on the natural history of marine invertebrates at Seto Marine Biological Laboratory

Seto Marine Biological Laboratory began operations in 1922 as Seto Marine Laboratory, affiliated with the Faculty of Science of Kyoto Imperial University. This marine laboratory was established in what was then the village of Kikyodaira in Banshozaki, on land provided free of charge by the Village of Setonamariyama in Wakayama Prefecture. In 1930 water tanks and observation facilities were added and the facility opened to the public as Shirahama Aquarium. In 1968 the Laboratory purchased Hatakejima, a nearby island whose tourism development was in crisis, and used the island as a nature preserve and asa space for education and research. The abundant biota of the coasts and waters around the Laboratory are relatively well protected, and Laboratory personnel conduct natural-history research here, including systematic taxonomy and ecology. The Laboratory has a tradition of research in the taxonomy and phylogenetics of marine invertebrates and plays a central role in the development of these disciplines. At the same time, ecological research on the distribution, life history, interspecies relationships and behaviors of benthic (sea-bottom) organisms and plankton and, more recently, research using environmental DNA and research in molecular phylogenetics are carried out here. Additionally, the Laboratory is used extensively for marine training of University and other personnel and for research by visiting scientists.

Hatakejima