Dr. Hidetoshi Urakawa

COURTESY PROFESSOR

Professor of Environmental Science
Editor-in-chief, International Journal of Microbiology
Editorial Board, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Frontiers in Microbiology, Ecologies, Applied Microbiology

CONTACT

Florida Gulf Coast University, The Water School
Department of Ecology and Environmental Studies
10501 FGCU Blvd, S., Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565 USA

Office: Seidler Hall Room 434
Phone: (239) 590-1283
Email

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Hidetoshi Urakawa is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Environmental Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University and a Courtesy Professor in the School of Geosciences at the ßÙßÇÂþ»­. His research focuses on aquatic ecology and applied environmental science. As an aquatic ecologist, Dr. Toshi is interested in the biogeochemical interaction between microorganisms and the environment. He has experienced a variety of field studies ranging from freshwater to the deep ocean. His major interest is ecosystem ecology, particularly the nitrogen cycle. He is currently studying the interactions between hydrogen peroxide dynamics and cyanobacteria in subtropical freshwater environments. In addition to his microbiology studies, Dr. Toshi works in other aquatic ecology-related areas such as feeding ecology of marine endangered fish species (Smalltooth Sawfish, Goliath Grouper) and detecting aquatic organisms using environmental DNA. As well as his work in aquatic ecology, he also works in the applied environmental sciences as he studies aquaculture, pet-trading, biotechnology, environmental remediation, and wetland restoration ecology. Currently, he is interested in nutrient reduction technologies. His research has been mainly supported by the National Science Foundation, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and NOAA. Dr. Toshi is editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Microbiology. He also serves on the editorial boards of Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ecologies, Frontiers in Microbiology, and Applied Microbiology.

Research

Specialty areas: Aquatic ecology, Environmental microbiology, Ecosystem ecology, Biological oceanography, Biotechnology, Biodiversity, Microbial systematics



Urakawa, H., Ndungu, K, L., Hancock, L. T., Steele, J. H., & R. Bartleson (2021) Subtropical freshwater cyanobacterial blooms as hydrogen peroxide hotspots. Environmental Science & Technology Letters 8, 911-917.

Lopardo C. R., L. Zhang, W. J. Mitsch and H. Urakawa (2019) Comparison of nutrient retention efficiency between vertical-flow and floating treatment wetland mesocosms with and without biodegradable plastic. Ecological Engineering 131:120-130.

Hancock, T. L., G. R., Poulakis, R. M., Scharer, S. G., Tolley, H. Urakawa, (2019) High-resolution molecular identification of smalltooth sawfish prey. Scientific Reports 9:18307

Urakawa H., S. Rajan, M. E. Feeney, P. A. Sobecky and B. Mortazavi (2018) Ecological response of nitrification to oil spills and its impact on the nitrogen cycle. Environmental Microbiology 21(1):18-33.

Urakawa H., J. C. Garcia, P. D. Barreto, G. A. Molina and J. C. Barreto (2012) A sensitive crude oil bioassay indicates that oil spills potentially induce a change of major nitrifying prokaryotes from the Archaea to the Bacteria. Environmental Pollution 164:42-45.

Martens-Habbena, W., P. M. Berube, H. Urakawa, J. R. de la Torre and D. A. Stahl (2009) Ammonia oxidation kinetics determine niche separation of nitrifying Archaea and Bacteria. Nature 461:976-979.

Graduate students

Taylor Hancock