相模湾産コケムシ動物の研究の現状 : 130年間で得られた膨大な標本から何が明らかとなるのか?

抄録

Numerous researchers, beginning with Busk (1884) and Ortmann (1890), have studied the Japanese marine bryozoan fauna. The first great monograph on Japanese bryozoan that of Ortmann (1890), was based on specimens from Sagami Bay. As the consequence of a long history of faunal studies beginning about 130 years ago, Sagami Bay is known to have a high diversity of marine organisms. Early collections made by two German zoologists, Ludwig Doderlein and Franz Doflein, are important, as they indude many type specimens. In the 20th century, Showa Emperor devoted considerable resources to both collecting in Sagami Bay and curation of the collections. Recently, the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, has conducted faunal surveys in Sagami Bay and collected additional specimens. Examination of the bryozoan specimens in all these collections by using modern methods like scanning electron microscopy is important for determining the bryozoan diversity and short-term changes that may have occurred in the bryozoan fauna in Sagami Bay. The bryozoan database will comprise a valuable tool for assessing the effects of future environmental degradation or change. In this paper, we review the history of bryozoan research in Sagami Bay and summarize new findings.