Member list
Current members
- Lan-Wei Yeh
- Ecology and evolution of Taiwanese Carabus ground beetles.
- Chung-Hsin Huang
- Master topic: Flucuating Asymmetry and Developmental Asymmetry of Cyclommatus mniszechi; PhD topic: Evolution of Mandible Morphology and Fighting Behavior in Stag Beetles
- Ying-Yuan Lo
- Systematics, Behavior and Evolution of Lynx Spiders.
- Leocris Batucan Jr.
- New Species and DNA Barcoding of the Mayfly (Ephemeroptera) in Mt. Malindang, Mindanao, Philippines.
- Chun-Yu Lin
- Parasitoid Wasps of Damselflies; Phylogenetics and Evolution Histories of Treehoppers
- Hsu-Yi Lin
- Fighting Behavior of Odontolabis siva parryi Stag Beetles
- Sheng Lin
- Transcriptome Profiling Psolodesmus mandarinus mandarinus Damselfly
- Pei-Hsuan Chang
- Thermal Adaptation and Habitat Preference of Psolodesmus mandarinus Damselfly
- Min-Chen Lin
- Disruptive Camauflage of Colors of Pachyrhynchus Weevils.
- Masahiko Tanahashi
- Ecology and Evolution of Pachyrhynchus Weevils.
- Su-Ping Lin
- Symbiotic Yeasts of Stag Beetles
- Jun-Ying Wang
- Conservation of Mortonagrion hirosei Damselflies
- Chin-Han Hsiao
- Fighting Behavior of Rhaetulus crenatus Stag Beetles
- Wei-Zhe Tseng
- Systematics and Evolution of Weevils
- Cheng-Tse Yung
- Maternal Gift of Pachyrhynchus sarcitis Weevils
Past members
- Jo-Fan Wang
- Territorial behavior, trait evolution.
- Yu-Hsun Hsu
- Mating strategy, behavioural ecology, molecular ecology, population genetics, molecular phylogenetics, biostatistics.
- Yi-Shou Yang
- Reproductive Isolation of Psolodesmus mandarinus subspecies.
- Wataru Kojima
- Evolution of male sexual traits in Taiwanese scarab beetles.
- Zhen-Yi Chen
- Fighting behavior and reproductive strategy of stag beetles.
- Teng-Yu Liu
- Fighting behaviour and life history observation of a stag beetle Rhaetulus crenatus crenatus.
- Princess Angelie S. Casas
- Insect Diversity and Evolution
- Lu-Yi Wang
- Defense Mechanism of Pachyrhynchus weevils.
- Hui-Yun Tseng
- Aposematic coloration, island biogeography.
- Yu-Jen Yu
- Variation and Adaptation of wings.
- Yen-Ting Chen
- Systematics and evolution of insects.
- Yun-Chieh Cheng
- Damselfly larval diet, molecular evolution.
- Tai-Chia Chiang
- The effect of aposematic colors of Pachyrhynchus weevils on avian predators.
- Yong-Chao Su
- Behavioral ecology, sociobiology, population genetics, and molecular phylogenetics.
- I-Ting Hsiao
- Variation of genitalia in Euphaea amphicyana.
- Jyun-Huei Huang
- The fighting behavior of a stag beetle, Rhaetulus crenatus.
- Shi-Ting Wu
- Membracis Phyllotropis.
- Chiao-Wei Lin
- The fighting behavior of a stag beetle, Rhaetulus crenatus.
- Wei-Liang Xiao
- Variation of wing veins in Euphaea amphicyana.
- Hung-Nien Chen
- 1. The effect of typhoon on survivalship of Matrona cyanoptera. 2. Modes of phenotypic variation in Euphaea amphicyana.
- Chu-Yen Cheng
- Phylogeography of a Philippine's treehopper, Leptocentrus reponens.
- Che-Yu Kuan
- Variation of mandibles in stag beetles.
- Yat-Hung Lee
- Speciation of Euphaea damselflies.
- Ming-Yu Chen
- Phylogeography and population history of the treehoppers, Centrochares horifficus from the Philippines Archipelago.
- Shao-Chang Huang
- Visual Communication of Matrona cyanoptera
- Jen-Pan Huang
- Population Genetics and Phylogeographic Analyses of Formosan Damselfly, Euphaea Formosa (Insecta: Odonata: Euphaeidae) from Taiwan
- Wei-Yun Chen
Visiting scholars and students
- Jillian del Sol
- Behavioral Ecology; Mating System Ecology; Weapon Ecology and Evolution; Evolutionary Biology
- Ian Dela Cruz
- New Species and DNA Barcoding of the Stonefly (Plecoptera) in Mt. Malindang, Mindanao, Philippines.
- Shinya Komata
- Ecology & Evolution of Wing Polymorphism in a Mimetic Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio memnon.
- Vanitha Williams
- Predatory potential of waterbug, Diplonychus rusticus and dragonfly, Diplacodes trivialis on mosquito larvae.
- Marina Vilenica
- Dragonfly composition (Insecta, Odonata) in wetland area of Turopolje region, Croatia
- Klaas-Douwe 'KD' B. Dijkstra
- History, diversity and identification of dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata).
- Erin McCullough
- " Diversification of weapon form: aerodynamic costs of beetle horns.
- Ashley E. King
- Intrasexual combat and intersexual antagonistic co-evolution in horned beetles.
Wei-Yun Chen
Title
Master student 2005-2008
Species: Okiscarta uchidae
Project
Molecular and Phylogenetic Characterization of Endosymbiotic Bacteria of the Froghopper, Okiscarta uchidae (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cercopidae)
Abstrct
E-mail：weiyun33@gmail.com
1. Bacterial Symbionts in the Red Striped Spittlebug, Okiscarta uchidae
Symbiotic life style is a major adaptation of organisms that can increase their diversity. Many insects, especially hemipterans, are associated with the primary as well as secondary endosymbionts. The primary endosymbiont (bacteriome associated) of insects provides their hosts with nutrition whereas the function of secondary endosymbionts is not clear. Here we used molecular phylogenetic analyses to describe the characteristics of bacterial endosymbionts in the red striped spittlebug, Okiscarta uchidae, and to investigate their phylogenetic placement within the eubacteria. We also evaluated relative evolutionary rates of endosymbionts and their free-living and pathogenic relatives. TEMs suggested that there were at least two types of endosymbionts in the bacteriomes, one of them are bacterial symbionts and the other are yeast-like organisms. Phylogenetic results suggested that there are four distinct symbiont lineages, three of them belonging to γ-proteobacteria and the other one clustered witnin the phylum Bacteroidetes. Results obtained from in situ hybridization suggested that five of the isolated endosymbionts were located inside the bacteriomes. In this study, we found that the evolutionary rates of identified symbionts were frequently the lowest among free-living, pathogenic and symbiont bacteria of insects, suggesting that they are most likely to be the “secondary” endosymbionts of O. uchidae.
Bacteriome of O. uchidae
2. Cospeciation of Spittlebugs and their Primary β-Proteobacterial Endosymbionts
Most organisms have evolved mutualistic relationships with other genetic entities. Many insects hemipterans, harbor primary or obligate endosymbionts found inside the bacteriomes, which are tissues specialized for housing bacteria. Spittlebugs are unique among hemiptran insects because they primarily feed on xylem sap, which is the most nutritionally limited diet. Thus spittlebugs were considered to host a large number of diverse bacterial symbionts in bacteriomes. As a consequence of their vertical transmission, the primary endosymbionts were expected to cospeciate with their insect hosts.Our study examined the pattern of cospeciation between a group of newly identified obligate endosymbionts and their cercopid hosts using phylogenetic analyses. According to our analyses, the primary endosymbionts of spittlebugs formed a monophyletic group were clustered phylogenetically within gram-negative, β- proteobacteria. Five cospeciation events occured non-randomly when comparing the phylogenies of endosymbionts and their hosts. Bayesian relative rate analyses indicated hosts and their endosymbionts evolve at the same rate and likely to speciate at the same time. Our results suggest that this lineage of symbiont species in spittlebugs is the primary endosymbionts which cospeciated with their insect hosts.
Present address:
USA