Research Areas
Behavioural ecology and evolutionary biology
Research Interests
Arthropods are the most abundant animal group on Earth and they play critical roles in the ecosystem. However, the biodiversity and ecology of arthropods is not fully understood, especially in Southeast Asia.
My research employs a range of field and laboratory approaches to examine the ecological interactions between animals and their environment. Currently, my work focuses on investigating the ecology of arthropods in Southeast Asian forests. Through my research, I intend to reveal how behaviours, colour patterns, morphology, life histories and habitat interact to influence survival and fitness of arthropods.
Selected Publications
- Tan, E. J. and Elgar, M. A. (2021) Motion: Enhancing signals and concealing cues. Biology Open, 10: bio058762. doi:10.1242/bio.058762.
- Tan, E. J., Wilts, B. D., Tan, B. T. K., Monteiro, A. (2020) What’s in a band? The function of the color and banding pattern of the Banded Swallowtail. Ecology and Evolution, 10: 2021-2029. doi:10.1002/ece3.6034.
- Peng, P, Stuart‐Fox, D, Chen, S‐W, Tan, E. J., Kuo, G-L, Blamires, S. J., Tso, I-M, Elgar, M. A. (2020) High contrast yellow mosaic patterns are prey attractants for orb‐weaving spiders. Functional Ecology, 4: 853– 864. doi:10.1111/1365-2435.13532.
- Tan, E. J., Reid, C.A.M., Symonds, M.R.E., Jurado-Rivera, J.A., and Elgar, M.A. (2017). The role of life-history and ecology in the evolution of colour patterns in Australian chrysomeline beetles. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 5: 140. doi:10.3389/fevo.2017.00140.
- Tan, E. J., Reid, C.A.M., Elgar, M. A. (2016) Colour pattern variation affects predation in chrysomeline larvae. Animal Behaviour, 118: 3-10. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.05.019.