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Academic Qualifications

PhD, BSc (Hons), National University of Singapore

Area of Interests

Animal Behaviour – how animals sense their environment visually & acoustically

Climate Change & Effects on Animal Behaviour – how environmental changes (caused by climate change) can affect behavioural change in organisms (eg human noises affecting bird nesting behaviour)

Characterization of colours from animal visual perspectives – using colour/ultraviolet and polarization photography, spectrophotometric approaches, and colour space modelling to understand the basic variables of colours (ie brightness, hue & saturation), including UV-induced fluorescence, and how these variables may influence how animals interact with each other (male-female, contests, foraging, predator-prey)

Measuring environmental sounds on land and in water (terrestrial and marine soundscapes) – to identify biological and non-biological sources of sounds, their meaning (ie adaptive functions of animal sounds: eg sounds made by a pygmy woodpecker: what is the purpose?) and implications (impact of noise pollution on wildlife).

Communicating of Science to general audience through storytelling, narrative science, photography and videography – the art of captivating your audience during storytelling, using visuals (photographs, videos) and sounds (e.g. wildlife soundtracks in videos: Singapore’s loudest kingfisher, common cicada).

Mitigating human-wildlife conflicts – using animal communications (ie visual, hearing, smelling) as an approach to understanding how urbanization can influence wildlife behavioural changes

Wildlife Videography – documenting local wildlife the Nat Geo way or the comical way

Modules Taught

• LSM3267 Behavioural Biology
• LSM3272 Global Change Biology
• LSM4267 Light & Vision in Animal Communication (field trip to Bishan Park)
• LSM4268 Environmental Bioacoustics
• BL5239 Science & Communication

 

Short video projects made by individual students

• LSM4268 Environmental Bioacoustics
• Smooth-coated otters
• Soundscape of Singapore Mangroves
• BL5239 Science & Communication
• Fieldtrip to Sg Buloh

 

Workshop

Climate Change Workshop (2 days): Impacts of Climate Change on Animals & Plants (2016-17)*
*Workshop (lectures and practical sessions) initiated by Academy of Teachers Singapore; for JC Biology teachers only (3 sessions)

 

Teaching & Research Interests

I maintain a broad interest in the teaching and research of environmental biology-related themes, mainly in the applied behavioural sciences, investigating how human-induced environmental changes (e.g. climate change) can potentially influence and modify how animals interact (i.e. sense) with their biological and physical environment, and hence affect their ecological roles. I have a keen interest in the instrumentation of the visual & acoustic sciences (e.g. characterizing colours [via spectrometry], sounds and vibrations, see LSM4267), and sensing of carbon dioxide (i.e. measuring CO2 emissions) for various themes, such as climate change (i.e. CO2 as greenhouse gas, see LSM3272) and pedagogy (i.e. CO2 build-up and effect on classroom learning).

Key Publications

1. Ong XR, Slade EM, Lim MLM (2020). Dung beetle-megafauna trophic networks in Singapore’s fragmented forests. Biotropica 52 (5): 818-824.

2. Su S., Lim MLM, and Kunte K (2015). Prey from the eyes of predators: colour discriminability of aposematic and mimetic butterflies from an avian visual perspective. Evolution 69:2985-2994.^#

3. Lim MLM, Li D (2013) UV-Green Iridescence Predicts Male Quality during Jumping Spider Contests. PLoS ONE 8(4): e59774. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0059774

4. Chua TJL & Lim MLM (2012) Cross-habitat predation in Nepenthes gracilis: the red crab spider Misumenops nepenthicola influences abundance of pitcher dipteran larvae. Journal of Tropical Ecology 28, 97-104.*

5. Traill LW, Lim MLM, Sodhi NS & Bradshaw CJA (2010) Mechanisms driving change: altered species interactions and ecosystem function through global warming. Journal of Animal Ecology 79, 937-947.

6. Lim MLM, Li JJ & Li D (2008) Effect of UV-reflecting markings on female mate choice decisions in Cosmophasis umbratica, a jumping spider from Singapore. Behavioral Ecology 19:61-66

7. Lim MLM, Sodhi NS & Endler JA (2008) Conservation with sense. Science 319:281 (Letter)

8. Lim MLM, Land MF & Li D (2007) Sex-specific UV and fluorescence signals in jumping spiders. Science 315: 481 (Brevia)

9. Lim MLM & Li D (2007) Effects of age and feeding history on structure-based ornaments of a jumping spider. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 274: 569-575.

10. Lim MLM & Li D (2006) Extreme ultraviolet sexual dimorphism in jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 89: 397-406.

11. Lim MLM & Li D (2006) Behavioural evidence of UV sensitivity in jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae). Journal of Comparative Physiology A 192: 871-878.

* FYP student-authored publication

^# PhD student authored publication

 

All other publications

1. Todd PA, Wang WY, Huang HW, Belle CC, Lim MLM and Yeo DCJ (2011) The function of colourful facial bands in mangrove crab (Perisesarma) communication. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 407, 26-33.

2. Zou Y, Araujo DP, Lim MLM & Li D (2011) Ultraviolet is a more important cue than reflection in other wavelengths for a jumping spider to locate its spider prey. Animal Behaviour 82, 1457-1463.

3. Li JJ, Zhang Z, Liu F, Liu Q, Gan W, Chen J, Lim MLM & Li D (2008) UVB-based mate-choice cues used by females of the jumping spider Phintella vittata. Current Biology 18: 699-703

4. Land MF, Horwood J, Lim MLM & Li D (2007) Optics of the ultra-violet reflecting scales of a jumping spider. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 274: 1538-1589

5. Li JJ, Lim MLM, Zhang Z, Liu Q, Liu F, Chen J & Li D (2008) Sexual dichromatism and male colour morph in ultraviolet-B reflectance in two populations of the jumping spider Phintella vittata (Araneae: Salticidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 94: 7-20

6. Du N, Liu XY, Narayanan J, Li L, Lim MLM & Li D (2006) Design of superior spider silk: from nanostructure to mechanical properties. Biophysical Journal 91: 4528-4535

7. Li D & Lim MLM (2005) Ultraviolet cues affect the foraging behaviour of jumping spiders. Animal Behaviour 70:771-776

8. Lim MLM & Li D (2004) Courtship and male-male agonistic behaviour of Cosmophasis umbratica Simon, an ornate jumping spider (Araneae: Salticidae) from Singapore. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 52: 97-110

9. Li D, Lim MLM, Seah WK & Tay SL (2004) Prey-attraction as a possible function of discoid stabilimenta of juvenile orb-spinning spiders. Animal Behaviour 68: 629-635

10. Li D, Jackson RR & Lim MLM (2003) Influence of background and prey orientation on an ambushing predator’s decisions. Behaviour 140: 739-764

11. Li D, Kok LM, Seah WK & Lim MLM (2003) Age-dependent stabilimentum-associated predator-avoidance behaviours in orb-weaving spiders. Behaviour 140: 1135-1152

Award

Chua Toh Hua Memorial Gold Medal 2007 (Best Doctor of Philosophy graduate with most outstanding research work done in Life Sciences)