The recently developed environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has been used to estimate the distribution of aquatic vertebrates by using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) as a genetic marker. However, mtDNA markers have certain drawbacks such as variable copy number and maternal inheritance. In this study, we investigated the potential of using nuclear DNA (ncDNA) as a more reliable genetic marker for eDNA analysis by using common carp (Cyprinus carpio). We measured the copy numbers of cytochrome b...

Lognormal distributions and self-similarity are characteristics associated with a wide range of biological systems. The sequential breakage model has established a link between lognormal distributions and self-similarity and has been used to explain species abundance distributions. To date, however, there has been no similar evidence in studies of multicellular organismal forms. We tested the hypotheses that the distribution of the lengths of terminal stems of Japanese elm trees (Ulmus davidiana), the end products of a...