The Field Guide "DNA of Forests"

The Field Guide "DNA of Forests" is a workshop conducted by YCAM Bio Research. Participants in the workshop collected living samples from the forests of the city of Yamaguchi, and recorded results based on observation of habitats and inferred from DNA analysis. From certain points in the forests, one can look out over 360° panoramic landscapes and extract information such as the species of the living things collected and inferred by the workshop participants.

A lot of information lies dormant within the natural scenery that we casually take in. Field Guide "DNA of Forests" is a project to cultivate a multifaceted perspective by collecting this dormant information to create a single field guide.

From any location in the city of Yamaguchi, forests lie within sight. Taking "DNA" as a keyword, let's head deeper into the near yet distant forest, which people seldom venture into despite casually viewing it.

Every living thing has its own DNA, a substance that records the design information of the organism. By reading a portion of the information in the DNA of living things and comparing this against known DNA information, it is now possible to an extent to find the name of the species. Known as DNA barcoding, this technology is being increasingly taken up as a technology that enables species identification even by non-specialists.

What is DNA?

Tiny and invisible to the eye, DNA is a substance with the string-like structure in a double helix configuration. Information is recorded in it through the arrangement of four different substances. Deciphering that information makes it possible to learn about the genetic characteristics of living things. As such, efforts are underway around the world to analyze the DNA of many organisms.

State of technology surrounding DNA

Reading the order of the constituent substances of DNA – adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine – and converting these into character strings of A, T, G, and C is known as DNA sequencing.

The ability to represent DNA as digital strings will allow us to think about living things using computers and information technology. The cost of DNA sequencing has dropped 100,000-fold over the last 15 years, bringing it within the reach of individuals.

So, what sort of living things are found in the forests of Yamaguchi? Participants head into the forest with researchers to make observations and investigate the forms and the DNA of living things.

Forms and patterns

What sort of clues are of help in finding out the names and types of living things met in the forest? One method is to observe the characteristic forms and patterns of living things (through photographs, videos, collection, specimen preparation, observation by microscope, etc.) and investigate them through field guides compiling survey data collected so far. However, this can require specialized knowledge and skill.

DNA analysis

Recently, surveys have been performed using DNA analysis as a way to find out names and types of living things. This technology utilizes DNA sequencing as described in the "Introduction" section of this exhibit, and is known as DNA barcoding.

The technology reads certain regions of DNA that enable easy distinguishing of species, compares the information with DNA databases available on the Internet to help identify species of organisms of unknown name and type.

In this project, DNA was read in from living samples collected in the forest, and, using DNA information standardized for plants and lichens, database searches were performed to try to guess the species.

Specifically, rbcL, matK, and other chloroplast genes in plants were used. Searches used the BLAST program that allows side-by-side comparison of similar portions of DNA through bioinformatics.

Let's take a look at the workshop procedure.

The environmental sounds of the forest were also recorded for use in an online field guide. In the first field guide created in the Niho Forest in Yamaguchi, Antoine Bertin of Marshmallow Laser Feast made field recordings of the forest and edited the sound for the field guide.

Marshmallow Laser Feast is a London-based creative unit that has published several works on forest themes. The workshop was produced together with the unit's VR work "In The Eyes Of The Animals," which offers a visual experience of forest creatures.

Participants visited Niho Forest in Yamaguchi by bus and experienced both the work and the workshop.

In this way, the Field Guide "DNA of Forests" was completed. One feature of the field guide is that it offers information on plants and fungi collected by participants as well as information on the forest environment, the ecology of wild animals and insects, and the folklore of the land.

The field guide attempts to integrate information on diverse creatures living within a 360° landscape. In addition to understanding of the living things and their ecosystems through classification, it also seeks to promote understanding of relationships, including what sort of environment creatures live in, and what kind of symbiotic and hostile relationships they experience.

Be sure to look into the Field Guide "DNA of Forests"!

https://special.ycam.jp/dna-of-forests/en/