Group of Molecular Ecology and Evolution
About Our Group
Research Interests
Our group focuses on phylogeography over
Long
distance migration of some agricultural pest insects affects much the
effectiveness of integrated pest management strategies. But first after all, is
the so-assumed migration significant? Traditional means to address such
questions are not always effective. We would like to investigate the frequency
and magnitude of long distance migration in some important pest insects in
←Swarm of the migratory locust Locusta migratoria
(June 2002,
Molecular ecology, as an integrated research field, is bridging multiple
disciplines. It has provided scientists an unprecedented opportunity to address
various difficult biological questions, leading to a revolution of macroscopic
biology as a whole. This largely relies on advances in theory, techniques and
analysing methods. Our laboratory has never ceased the efforts in their exploration
along with some more applied research projects. For example, DNA markers are
the primary tools needed for molecular ecology studies, we are interested in
the modes and patterns of molecular evolution of these marker sequences. Also,
complementary to approaches with mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA markers,
analyses with single copy nuclear polymorphic DNA (scnp markers) will play an
important roles in genetic studies of populations. These different systems
reveal different aspects of a complex story at different perceiving depths.
However, the employment of scnp markers in intraspecific studies is not
straightforward. We’re trying to seek solutions to make analyses using scnp
markers easier.
Current Research
1. Ecological and evolutionary consequences
of Quaternary climatic changes in East Asia;
2. Molecular ecology of pest species
(population dynamics, geographical interactions and behavior and ecological
adaptation);
3. Molecular evolution of DNA markers;
4. Methods and techniques for retrieving
and analysing genetic data from populations.
Some of our past work involving various basic issues in
molecular ecology research:
1、Nuclear
mitochondrial pseudogenes. The existence of mitochondrial pseudogenes
in the nuclear genome poses an annoying problem and also provides some unique
opportunity for molecular ecology research. [Two papers are listed by ISI Essential Science Indicators as
Highly Cited Papers]
2、Universal
DNA markers. The availability of universally
applicable DNA markers has greatly promoted molecular ecology research. [One paper is listed
by ISI Essential Science Indicators as Highly Cited Paper]
3、Molecular
evolution of microsatellite DNA. Microsatellite DNA remains to be the
most widely applied molecular markers for genetic study of populations. Some
oddity exists for these sequences in lepidopteran insects suggesting mechanism
of their molecular evolution.
4、Single
copy nuclear polymorphic (scnp) DNA markers. Although challenges still exist,
recent progress in genomic studies and molecular biology technologies, and
increase of statistical power provide a basis for nuclear DNA analyses to be
widely applicable. This will significantly increase our ability to address more
difficult population genetic questions, and lead the genetic analysis of
populations into a new and flourishing era. [One paper is listed by ISI Essential Science Indicators as
Highly Cited Paper, and is among the most read papers in Molecular Ecology]
5、Nuclear
haplotype determination. A practical obstacle to employ scnp
DNA markers is the general problem of haplotype determination due to the common
occurrence of heterozygosity in diploid organisms. We developed a “consensus
vote (CV)” approach and demonstrated it to be a reliable strategy for effective
haplotype determination of nuclear DNA markers. [more]
.
