Institute of Algological Research



The Institute of Algological Research (sometimes referred to as Muroran Marine Station, or Northern Hemisphere Field Station) in Muroran is one of the oldest research institutes for phycology research in Japan. Institute of Algological Research is located in the town of Muroran, Hokkaidō, Japan and is involved in research leading to MS and PhD degrees in Phycology. Graduate students are often registered with Hokkaido University.

History
The Institute of Algological Research was founded in 1933.

Habitat
Coastal zone surrounding the institute has one of the largest seaweed biodiversity in Japan, with over 200 species of macroalgae. The intertidal rocky shore is covered with luxuriant growth of seaweeds belonging to such diverse genera as Ulvophyceae, Rhodophyceae and Phaeophyceae. The close proximity to this very diverse natural habitat makes Institute of Algological Research, one of the most prominent Phycological research institute in the world.

Faculty

 * Taizo Motomura(Working on Spindle formation in Brown algal zygotes)
 * Yotsukura Norishige(Working on Mitosis and Cytokinesis in Brown algae).
 * Chikako Nagasato(Working on taxonomy and ecophysiology of Laminariales)

Notable alumni

 * Ichiro Mine
 * Kazuo Okuda
 * Tatewaki