Details of a Researcher

Denda Tetsuo

写真a

Title	Professor
Researcher Number(JSPS Kakenhi)	50284948
3 3

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Current Affiliation Organization 【 display / non-display 】

Concurrently University of the Ryukyus Graduate School of Engineering and Science Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science
Concurrently University of the Ryukyus Graduate School of Engineering and Science Marine and Environmental Sciences
Duty University of the Ryukyus Faculty of Science Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science Professor

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Graduate School 【 display / non-display 】

1989.04

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1992.03

Kobe University Graduate School, Division of Science and Technology Master's Course Completed
1992.04

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1996.03

Kobe University Graduate School, Division of National Science and Technology Doctor's Course Completed

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Academic degree 【 display / non-display 】

Kobe University - Ph D (Science)

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External Career 【 display / non-display 】

1996.04

　

　

University of the Ryukyus, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Biology, and Marine Science, Ecology and Systematics, Professor
2014

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Research Interests 【 display / non-display 】

speciation
Plant Phylogeny,Ryukyu Archipelago,speciation,molecular phylogeny
Ryukyu Archipelago
molecular phylogeny
Plant Phylogeny

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Research Areas 【 display / non-display 】

Life Science / Biodiversity and systematics
Living Organisms Diversity/Classification

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Published Papers 【 display / non-display 】

Morphological comparison with putative parental species to examine the hybrid origin of Rubus utchinensis (Rosaceae), an endemic species of Okinawajima Island

Masashi UEJO, Ryo MIZUTANI, Masatsugu YOKOTA and Tetsuo DENDA

Biological Magazine Okinawa ( Biological Society of Okinawa ) 64 39 - 55 2026.03 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)
Distribution and habitat status of Mucuna gigantea (Fabaceae) on Okinawajima Island, Japan

Moe TSURUTA, Masaharu AMANO, Shun KOBAYASHI and Tetsuo DENDA

Biological Magazine Okinawa ( Biological Society of Okinawa ) 64 83 - 90 2026.03 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)
Volatile compounds of mammal-pollinated Mucuna macrocarpa (Fabaceae) based on distribution area in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand

Shun Kobayashi, Kenta Watanabe, Eisuke Kuraya, Akiko Touyama, Chi-Cheng Liao, Somsak Panha, Nattawadee Nantarat, Tetsuo Denda, Masako Izawa

Plant Species Biology 2025.06 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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In this study, we aimed to identify the variation in the volatile compounds of Mucuna macrocarpa (Fabaceae), a species pollinated by various mammals in different regions. Volatile compounds of M. macrocarpa were collected from four regions using the dynamic head-space method. Collected compounds were analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Combined, 112 volatile compounds were identified, with the number per flower ranging from 14 to 63 compounds in each flower. Of these, 1,3-pentadiene was the most dominant compound in all flowers across all regions, accounting for 89.2%–98.5% of the total peak area. Several flowers did not contain the sulfur compounds reported to attract mammals, particularly nectar-feeding bats. The results indicate that this plant attracts a diverse range of mammals without changing its primary compounds. Despite the absence of certain known mammal-attracting volatile compounds, 1,3-pentadiene may still effectively attract a range of arboreal mammalian pollinators.
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Morpho-anatomical changes of Ixeris japonica and Ixeris ×nakazonei (Asteraceae) in the Ryukyu Islands in response to light intensity

Mizuno T., Denda T.

Biological Magazine Okinawa ( Biological Society of Okinawa ) 63 29 - 41 2025.03 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)
Pollination system of Mucuna thailandica (Fabaceae), a species endemic to Thailand

Kobayashi S, Panha S, Nantarat N, Chaiphichet K, Choosa-nga P, Higashi T, Denda T and Izawa M

Mammal Study ( Mammal Society of Japan ) 50 ( 1 ) 83 - 89 2024.11 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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The pollination modes of plants vary among regions owing to faunal variations; however, knowledge of pollinators in tropical montane Asia is insufficient. Here, we elucidate the pollination system of Mucuna thailandica (Fabaceae), a plant endemic to the montane forest of Thailand. The genus Mucuna exhibits a distinctive pollination mechanism called “explosive opening″. The stamens and pistils of Mucuna flowers are covered by a pair of keel petals, and pollination is only possible when a flower is opened by a pollinator, which exposes stamens and pistil. In bagging experiments, unopened M. thailandica flowers did not bear fruit, indicating that an explosive opening was necessary for successful pollination. Automatic camera surveys showed that squirrels (Callosciurus finlaysonii/erythraeus complex and Dremomys rufigenis), masked palm civets (Paguma larvata), and northern treeshrews (Tupaia belangeri) opened the flowers explosively. Among them, the C. finlaysonii/erythraeus squirrels opened flowers most frequently, and three flowers bore fruits. Thus, C. finlaysonii/erythraeus squirrels may be effective pollinators of M. thailandica. Opening the flowers grants pollinators access to a large volume of nectar with a high sugar concentration as a reward. Our findings suggest that the role of nonflying mammals as pollinators in tropical Asian montane forests may be greater than previously thought.
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Books 【 display / non-display 】

Nature in the Ryukyu Archipelago: Coral Reefs, Biodiversity, and the Natural Environment

Fujita,K., Arakaki T., Denda T., Hidaka M., Hirose E. and Rimer J.D. (Eds.) ( Part: Joint Editing and Writing )

2015.03
Nature in the Ryukyu Archipelago: Coral Reefs, Biodiversity, and the Natural Environment

Fujita K, Arakaki T, Denda T, Hidaka M, Hirose E, Rimer JD ( Part: Multiple Authorship , Flora of the subtropical Ryukyu Archipelago )

Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus 2015