Plant Evolution Laboratory

Fukushima Group

Unraveling evolutionary marvels in plants and beyond

Faculty

FUKUSHIMA, Kenji
Associate Professor

kenji.fukushima@nig.ac.jp

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Research Summary

Evolution has led to remarkable innovations in the structures and functions of organisms, sometimes reaching levels that seem almost unbelievable. Our research aims to demystify these evolutionary marvels. We integrate computational and experimental approaches to study a wide range of organisms, particularly focusing on plants. Our primary interest lies in insect-trapping carnivorous plants, which derive nutrients from their captured prey. By studying these unique plants, our research enhances understanding of key concepts in evolutionary biology, including convergent evolution, co-option, drastic morphological changes, phenotypic plasticity, biological interactions, and whole-genome duplication.

Our research integrates computational and experimental methods to investigate the evolution of innovative traits, with a particular focus on carnivorous plants.

Selected Publications

  • Decoding plant cell heterogeneity and dynamics across responses, development, to evolution with single-cell technologies
    Dongbo Shi, Keiko Sugimoto, and Kenji Fukushima*. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 90: 102854. Apr 2026
  • Transcriptomic prey-capture responses in convergently evolved carnivorous pitcher plants
    Takanori Wakatake, and Kenji Fukushima. New Phytologist 249: 2559-2573. Feb 2026
  • Convergent losses of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in carnivorous plants
    Héctor Montero, Matthias Freund, and Kenji Fukushima. New Phytologist 248: 2040-2051. Sep 2025
  • Subgenome dominance shapes novel gene evolution in the decaploid pitcher plant Nepenthes gracilis
    Franziska Saul†, Mathias Scharmann†, Takanori Wakatake, Sitaram Rajaraman, André Marques, Matthias Freund, Gerhard Bringmann, Louisa Channon, Dirk Becker, Emily Carroll, Yee Wen Low, Charlotte Lindqvist, Kadeem J. Gilbert, Tanya Renner, Sachiko Masuda, Michaela Richter, Gerd Vogg, Ken Shirasu, Todd P. Michael, Rainer Hedrich, Victor A. Albert, and Kenji Fukushima. Nature Plants 9: 2000–2015. Dec 2023
  • Detecting macroevolutionary genotype–phenotype associations using error-corrected rates of protein convergence
    Kenji Fukushima*, and David D. Pollock. Nature Ecology & Evolution 7: 155–170. Jan 2023