How well have we understood the environment of the seepage marsh in the Tokai area of Japan?

Abstract

Several seepage marshes are distributed across the Tokai area of Japan. Currently, they are in focus because they represent some of the most critical habitats for various indigenous or endangered species. This paper presents the history of their recognition and summarizes the progress made in understanding their environment. The local botanists knew about the seepage marshes of the Tokai area even before the Meiji period. However, it was only after WWII, with the discovery of the unique flora of these marshes, that significant progress was made in elucidating the environment of these marshes. To date, many studies have focused on understanding the seepage marshes in the Tokai area and have explored a wide array of themes: distribution and cause, topography, surface sediments, water quality, hydrology, continuance, environmental changes, and the biological environment. Further, the inter-relationship between each of these themes have also been documented. Some of the key findings from these studies were applied to the conservation and management of the seepage marsh＇s ecosystem. However, with existing gaps in knowledge, further research is required to gain a deeper understanding of some of the understudied aspects of the seepage marshes.