Luc Ector Bursary award – Kazuki Sugawara
New Insights into Diatom Host Specificity
I first became interested in diatoms during my undergraduate studies. The moment I observed diatoms under a microscope for the first time, I was captivated by their beauty. Given my laboratory’s specialization in seaweeds and diatoms, I naturally began studying diatoms attached to seaweeds (epiphytic diatoms). Most basically, I conducted research to identify “which diatoms” were associated with “which seaweeds.”
This exploration led to the discovery of an undescribed diatom obtained from the red algal genus Laurencia sensu lato. Through morphological observations, it turned out to be a new species, belonging to the genus Falcula, and subsequently named Falcula rectangularis (Sugawara et al. 2024, Phycologia 63: 196–210). More interestingly, further investigation revealed the unique epiphytism of this new species. This diatom can grow specifically on Laurencia and its closely related genus Chondria, with a widespread distribution, at least in Japan. This is a notable example of strong host specificity, which has been rarely reported in diatoms.
I am now engaged in a comprehensive approach involving field studies, co-culture experiments, and genetic analysis to elucidate the mechanism underlying the host specificity of F. rectangularis, supported by an ISDR grant.
X account: https://twitter.com/kazuki19970624
I am a PhD student at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
Host specificity and evolution in diatoms—a study of the marine epiphytic diatom Falcula rectangularis, exclusively inhabiting specific red macroalgae
The ISDR Bursary and ECR Network projects are accepting applications until the first of August. You can read everything here: https://isdr.org/about-isdr-grants/