AsicsTime required for R.attenuata and other beetles to pass through the frog (P. nigromaculatus)MeanMin.Max.AliveDeceasedDeceased020406080100120140160n = 14n = 1n = 13R. attenuataOther speciesTime required for escape (excretion) from cloacal aperture (in hours) 15 out of 14 R. attenuata individuals escaped alive from the frog’s cloacal aperture. Only one individual was already dead when it was excreted. However all 13 the Enochrus japonicus individuals (from the same family of beetles) did not survive.12Clarifying the structure of species interactions How can you investigate the beetle’s actions inside the frog’s body?There are some species of frog found overseas that have translucent skin. You can see the frogs’ internal organs from the outside, therefore if I fed R.attenuata to these species it may be possible to observe the beetles’ movements inside the frogs. In addition, a modied translucent frog has been developed in Japan. I hope that I can use these frogs in my experiments.Insect research and its contribution to societyYou have conducted research on a wide range of insects and plants. Is there a research topic that you are particularly intent on pursuing?For the moment, I would like to focus on researching insect defense mechanisms. I hope to examine the issue as to why certain pest species are increasing in number by elucidating their defensive behaviors against natural enemies.Beyond that, I think it would be good if my research could contribute to society in an interesting way. Rather than contributing directly via my own research, I would be happy if another researcher or research group could apply my results to their own work. For example, research on insects could be useful for the biomimetics eld, in which researchers engineer new products or devices by imitating nature, such as the structures, functions and forms of organisms. Research on insects could be utilized in such a eld.So your research results could be applied to the creation of robotics technology, for example?That is also a possibility but let me give you another example. There is a species of beetle that lives in the desert. On misty mornings, this beetle is able to trap water from the air on the surface of its body and consume these droplets of moisture. The surface structure of this insect has been illuminated, and products such as sheets and bottles that can accumulate water even in a desert environment are being developed by physically recreating the surface structure. Although this is not related to insects, geckos are able to climb slippery walls because the van der Waals force (i.e. the attraction between molecules) generated by the ne hairs on the soles of its feet enables it to stick to the surface. A new type of adhesive tape was actually developed by mimicking the hairs on the gecko’s feet. Your research is a treasure trove of possibilities for biomimetics?I am not able to come up with designs for these products myself as I do not have the engineering knowledge, however I hope my research can be used to create something useful for people.In terms of social contribution, research into interactions between living things may be benecial for the conservation of natural ecosystems. That is to say, if we can establish what kind of interactions exist between organisms; we can understand whether environmental factors will have a strong impact on the ecosystem. For example, some natural forests are able to protect themselves from invasive species. Even if an invasive insect species manages to enter the forest, there are animals that will consume it and the highly competitive native trees exclude invasive plant species. In other words, the competition between organisms and the relationships between predators and prey are intertwined in such a complex way that species from outside are not able to participate. In addition to this, such rich forests also help to minimize the impact of species proliferation and extinction. Species interactions encompass competition and predator-prey relationships among a wide variety of species. By conducting research into these interactions, we can get a sense of the strength of a particular ecosystem and be able to explain it in a logical way. It is a fascinating area of research. Thank you very much for your time.
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