Matthew Lim Lek Min Instructor Contact Information: Department of Biological Science National University of Singapore 14 Science Drive 4 Singapore 117543 Tel: 65162715 Fax: 67792486 Email: dbsllmm@nus.edu.sg

PhD, BSc (Hons), National University of Singapore

Research Area

Behavioral Ecology

Award

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

Research Interests

My PhD thesis focused on the adaptive significance of ultraviolet (UV) vision in jumping spiders, mainly on the sexual selection of UV colorations in an iridescent jumping spider Cosmophasis umbratica (Lim & Li 2004). Main findings include the spider UV reflection and vision (Lim & Li 2006ab), the factors (Lim & Li 2007) and mechanisms (Land et al 2007) that influenced UV reflection, the role of UV in mate selection (Lim et al 2008a), and an emphasis on the importance of UV in the light environment in facilitating male-female interactions in this jumping spider's sex-specific UV-reflective males and fluorescing females (Lim et al 2007).

Long-term research interests

My chief research interest lies in the behaviour and sensory ecology of animals, primarily in identifying the sensory systems involved in the animals' interactions with the abiotic and biotic environment, and how natural and anthropogenic environmental variations can possibly 'interfere' with the sensory systems and signals. In studying animal structural colours, for example, understanding the underlying mechanisms, together with the evolution of animal colour signals and various visual systems of different animals across different habitats, one can go a long way to investigate how environmental changes (e.g. climate change, urbanization, habitat degradation) can affect animal behaviour and consequently the ecological functions provide (Traill et al 2010). Current research interests and past student final year projects (FYP) include:

Sensory ecology and optimal foraging in insect pollinators (postdoctoral research)

Polarized reflection and vision in the UV-reflective jumping spider Cosmophasis umbratica (FYP 2009/10: Chew Li Ling, Jocelyn)

Nepenthes crab spider Misumenops nepenthicola as apex predator in Nepenthes gracilis pitchers (FYP 2009/10: Chua Jie Ling, Trina)

Floral biology of mangrove plants Avicennia alba and Bruguiera cylindrica (FYP 2008/09: Eng Tze Hwee)

Insect pollinators of mangrove plants Avicennia alba and Bruguiera cylindrica (FYP 2008/09: Lee Yanmei)

Functional significance of yellow coloration in the Striped-nose halfbeaks (FYP 2008/09: Su Shiyu)

 

Main Publications 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other Publications

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

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

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

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

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

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

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