Abstract
Drifted seeds and fruits were studied on beaches in the Miyako Islands, southernmost of Japan. The observation was done at 64 quadrats on 21 beaches and their survey data were devided into two groups; east coast group and west coast group by species composition and number of drift disseminules. The east coast group showed that Barringtonia asiatica, Cocos nucifera and Cerbera manghas were always drifted, with the average number of species washing ashore being 9.6. On the other hand, the west coast group showed that Milletia pinnata was more frequently drifted, with the average number of species washing ashore being 3.3. The difference in these drift disseminule composition may be due to the prevailing northeasterly winds to the islands and shallower waters off the western side of the islands. In addition to the quadrat surveys, rare drift disseminules were collected on all beaches visited. The abundant assemblage of the drift disseminules indicates that there are not only many local species dispersing ocean currents, but also many disseminules from the tropics.
