Research

An increase in intraocular pressure in humans and animals could cause glaucoma, a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve. Understandings of the evolution of intraocular pressure (IOP) in vertebrates could shed light on how animals decrease the risk of having glaucoma. Here we conduct a comparative phylogenetic study to answer this question.

During the rainy season in Thailand, a hundred thousand of freshwater shrimp exhibit the upstream migration by walking "on land". The biology of this migration is unknown. In this work, we are investigating the proximate and ultimate causes of this behavior and also the effects of ecotourism and anthropogenic pollutions on the freshwater shrimp.

The Sarcastic Fringehead (Neoclinus blanchardi, Teleostei) exhibits an extreme version of a common aggressive display, the “gaping display. In this study, we investigated the morphological characters related to the extreme gaping display in N. blanchardi and the role of heterochrony in the evolution of maxilla size and shape in the three eastern Pacific species of Neoclinus.

Animal propulsion systems are believed to show high energy and mechanical efficiency in assisting movement compared to artificial designs. This research illustrates the hierarchical structure of the pectoral fin of a representative batoid, the Longnose Skate (Raja rhina), and explain the mechanical implications of its structural design.

 The biological study of wild non-Apis bees can provide useful information that may help with the pollination of food crops and native plants in areas where the keeping of honey bee colonies is restricted or affected by CCD. Here, we describe the nesting biology of the Oriental large carpenter bee, Xylocopa (Biluna) nasalis Westwood, 1838.