Eunice obtained her BSc in Life Sciences and Master of Science from the Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore. For her Master of Science research supervised by A/Prof. Daiqin Li, Eunice examined the function of web decorations in web-building spiders. Eunice earned her PhD from the University of Melbourne (Australia), advised by Prof. Mark Elgar and Dr Chris Reid (Australian Museum). Eunice examined the factors that influence the evolution of colour patterns in leaf beetles across diverse habitats in Australia. As a postdoctoral fellow at Yale-NUS College, Eunice worked with Prof. Antónia Monteiro to study the function of colour patterns in butterflies and the genes involved in regulating courtship behaviour.
Eunice is passionate about understanding the ecological interactions between animals and their environment. Eunice’s lab currently focuses on the ecology of arthropods in Southeast Asian forests. Eunice’s research intends to reveal how behaviours, colour patterns, morphology, life histories and habitat interact to influence survival and fitness of arthropods.
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.
Research Specialisations
- Arthropod ecology and evolution
- Behavioural ecology
Pohl S, Bungum HZ, Lee KEM, Sani MA, Poh YH, Wahab RHA, Norma-Rashid Y & Tan EJ. (2022). Age and appearance shape behavioral responses of phasmids in a dynamic environment. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9, 767940.
Connahs H, Tan EJ, Ter YT, Dion E, Matsuoka Y, Bear A & Monteiro A. (2022). Developmental plasticity in male courtship in Bicyclus anynana butterflies is driven by 2 hormone regulation of the yellow gene. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 289(1972), 20212665.
Yu L, Xu X, Li F, Zhou W, Tan EJ, Zhang S & Li D. (2022). From crypsis to masquerade: Ontogeny changes the colour defences of a crab spider hiding as bird droppings. Functional Ecology, 36 (4), 837-849.
Tan, E. J. and Elgar, M. A. (2021) Motion: Enhancing signals and concealing cues. Biology Open, 10: bio058762.
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.
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, 00:1–9.
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.
Tan, E. J., Reid, C.A.M., Elgar, M. A. (2017) Predators, parasites and heterospecific aggregations in chrysomeline larvae. Ethology, 123, 293-306.
Tan, E. J., Reid, C.A.M., Elgar, M. A. (2016) Colour pattern variation affects predation in chrysomeline larvae. Animal Behaviour, 118, 3-10.
Conversano, J., Tan, E. J., van Wilgenburg, E., Elgar, M. A. (2014) Background odour may impair detection of chemical signals for social recognition. Austral Entomology, 53, 432-435.
Tan, E. J., Seah, S. W.H., Yap, L. Y. L., Goh, P. M., Gan, W., Liu, F. and Li, D. (2010) Why do orb-weaving spiders (Cyclosa ginnaga) decorate their webs with silk spirals and plant detritus? Animal Behaviour, 79, 179-186.
Tan, E. J., and Li, D. (2009) Detritus decorations of an orb-weaving spider, Cyclosa mulmeinensis (Thorell): for food or camouflage? The Journal of Experimental Biology, 212, 1832-1839.
Tan, E. J., and Tang, B. L. (2006) Looking for Food: Molecular neuroethology of invertebrate feeding behavior. Ethology, 112, 826-832.
