Dear Members of the Zoological Society of Japan

At the meeting of the Zoological Society of Japan Board of Directors held on Saturday, June 17, starting at 12:00, candidate papers for the 2023 Zoological Science Award were recommended by the Zoological Science Editorial Board.

As a result of deliberation, the Board of Directors of the Zoological Society of Japan decided to present the Zoological Science Award to the following six papers.

The authors of the paper will be presented with a certificate of merit and a cash prize of 50,000 yen.

Zoological Science Award 2023

Satellite Tracking of Migration Routes of the Eastern Buzzard (Buteo japonicus) in Japan through Sakhalin
Naoya Hijikata, Noriyuki M. Yamaguchi, Emiko Hiraoka, Fumihito Nakayama, Kiyoshi Uchida, Ken-ichi Tokita, Hiroyoshi Higuchi
Zoological Science 39 (2): 176-185
Field: Behavioral Biology

This paper is a study that tracked raptors, specifically Eurasian buzzards, by attaching satellite transmitters to them. Analyzing multi-year data from 22 individuals captured at four locations, it revealed their northward and southward migration routes, breeding grounds, wintering grounds, and stopover sites. It is highly valuable not only because it provides essential ecological information on buzzards, such as their migration from Sakhalin to the Chugoku-Shikoku region, but also because it discusses the impact of wind power generation, which has been increasing in recent years, on bird ecosystems.

Phylogenetic Separation of Holotrichia Species (Insecta, Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) Exhibiting Circadian Rhythm and Circa‘bi’dian Rhythm
Sakiko Shiga, Yuzuru Omura, Yuta Kawasaki, Kohei Watanabe
Zoological Science 39 (3): 227-235
Field: Behavioral Biology

Although a 24-hour circadian rhythm is known in various animals, the existence of a circa-bidian rhythm with twice that period has also been demonstrated in several animals, such as the white-spotted chafer. In this paper, as a result of detailed examinations of Japanese species of the genus Holotrichia, it was revealed that while the small black chafer also possesses a circa-bidian rhythm, the black chafer, the round black chafer, and the Ryukyu black chafer exhibited normal circadian rhythms. Because the group possessing the circa-bidian rhythm represents a monophyletic group, it became clear that the circa-bidian rhythm was acquired once in the lineage including the white-spotted chafer and the small black chafer. This is an excellent study that skillfully combines behavioral analysis and molecular phylogenetic methods regarding the evolution of circadian rhythms, and it was highly praised.

Transcriptomes of Giant Sea Anemones from Okinawa as a Tool for Understanding Their Phylogeny and Symbiotic Relationships with Anemonefish
Rio Kashimoto, Miyako Tanimoto, Saori Miura, Noriyuki Satoh, Vincent Laudet, Konstantin Khalturin
Zoological Science 39 (4): 374-387
Field: Phylogeny

This paper performed transcriptome analysis on 7 species across 3 genera of anemones that serve as hosts to anemonefishes and inhabit Okinawan fringing reefs, thereby elucidating the robust phylogenetic relationships among the anemones. Furthermore, focusing on genes specifically expressed in cnidocytes, it was found that the phylogenetic tree based on the gene repertoire is consistent with the interspecific phylogenetic tree. While there are no major differences in the number of cnidocyte-specific genes among the anemone species, characteristic genes with varying copy numbers were also discovered. This study establishes a molecular biological and phylogenetic foundation on the host side for the representative symbiotic relationship between anemones and anemonefishes, and is highly commendable as it opens the door to elucidating the mechanisms of symbiosis.

Osteoclastic and Osteoblastic Responses to Hypergravity and Microgravity: Analysis Using Goldfish Scales as a Bone Model
Tatsuki Yamamoto, Mika Ikegame, Yukihiro Furusawa, Yoshiaki Tabuchi, Kaito Hatano, Kazuki Watanabe, Umi Kawago, Jun Hirayama, Sachiko Yano, Toshio Sekiguchi, Kei-ichiro Kitamura, Masato Endo, Arata Nagami, Hajime Matsubara, Yusuke Maruyama, Atsuhiko Hattori, Nobuo Suzuki
Zoological Science 39 (4): 388-396
Physiology

This paper demonstrates that osteoclasts and osteoblasts respond to gravity using goldfish scales, making them an excellent analytical model for bone formation. Using a scale culture system, it was revealed that marker gene expression in osteoclasts and osteoblasts responds oppositely—and exhibits morphological changes—under hypergravity using a centrifuge and simulated microgravity using a three-dimensional clinostat. In addition, it was shown that the results under simulated microgravity are reproduced in space experiments. This research is highly commendable for demonstrating through various experimental methods that bone formation changes in response to gravity.

Phylogeny of g6pc1 Genes and Their Functional Divergence among Sarcopterygian Vertebrates: Implications for Thermoregulatory Strategies
Genki Yamagishi, Min Kyun Park, Shinichi Miyagawa
Zoological Science 39 (5): 419-430
Field: Diversity and Evolution

This paper focuses on and analyzes the vertebrate evolution of the g6pc1 gene, which encodes a gluconeogenic enzyme. The results show that while the g6pc1 gene underwent independent duplication in amphibians and amniotes, it was subsequently lost in birds. The authors focus on the fact that while mammals possess only a single g6pc1 gene, reptiles have multiple paralogs. This difference provides important implications for considering physiological evolution, such as estrogen sensitivity and the regulation of energy allocation between survival and reproduction, and this research achievement holds great promise for future developments.

Dynamics of Laterality in the Cuttlefish Sepia recurvirostra through Interactions with Prey Prawns
Nahid Sultana Lucky, Kristine Joy L. Tandang, Michelle B. Tumilba, Ryo Ihara, Kosaku Yamaoka, Masaki Yasugi, Michio Hori
Zoological Science 39 (6): 545-553
Ecology

This paper presents research analyzing the bodily directional asymmetry of cuttlefish and two of their prey shrimp species living in the Visayan Sea of the Philippines, based on a vast amount of long-term fluctuation data acquired over more than 10 years, and it graced the cover of Volume 39, Number 6. Although the frequencies of left-right dimorphism in the cuttlefish and shrimp were not synchronous, they fluctuated over time, and the researchers found that the lateralized sex ratio of the cuttlefish tracked that of their shrimp prey, suggesting that directional asymmetry is maintained by frequency-dependent selection. This paper was highly praised for presenting a mechanism for the evolution of morphology and behavior in marine invertebrates.

Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, Zoological Society of Japan