Beyond Looking Like a Stick

Abstract:

Stick insects have taken being cryptic to the extreme with their many stick-like disguises. Here in Southeast Asia, they are particularly diverse to reflect the plants they mimic, but this is only part of their amazing life history.  Aside from mimicking motionless sticks, stick insects also have an incredible array of behavioural traits that they deploy together with specific colouration strategies in order to avoid predation. This presentation will share our work uncovering the behaviours of the charismatic, yet largely neglected, leaf and stick insects.

Speaker's Profile:

Dr Eunice is an Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore. Dr Eunice earned her BSc in Life Sciences and Master of Science from the National University of Singapore, and her PhD from the University of Melbourne, Australia. Dr Eunice is passionate about understanding the ecological interactions between animals and their environment. Dr Eunice’s lab currently focuses on the ecology of arthropods in Southeast Asian forests. Dr Eunice’s research intends to reveal how behaviours, colour patterns, morphology, life histories and habitat interact to influence survival and fitness of arthropods