Chemical Ecology Group----Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden,CAS

Head of the Group: Prof. Dr. Liu Fanglin

E-mail: flliu@xtbg.ac.cn

Website: http://ce.groups.xtbg.ac.cn/

Group members:

Fanglin Liu, PhD, Professor and Principle Investigator

Jie Gao，PhD, Assistant professor

Jianjun Li, M.S., Assistant professor

Graduate students:

Yulan Liu

Guangying Zhao

Our group focuses on the relationship between nectar phytochemicals and anthophagous insects, and the implications on the organization of natural communities and the evolution of species. Current researches include two main aspects:

1) Ecological and evolutionary significance of nectar phytochemical divergence. Much of this work centers on the interactions between anthophagous insects and nectar secondary compounds, which are susceptible to global environment change.

2) Physiological and behavioral resistance mechanisms to nectar secondary compounds by anthophagous insects. The function and evolution of insect detoxication enzyme, titration behavior and habitat selection provide another focus for our work.

Projects:

1) Bee-mediated precise pollination for the seed production of cauliflower (2007-2009). Academy-Locality Cooperation Program.

2) Co-evolution and the mechanism of species co-existence (2007-2012). 973 Program (2007CB411603) .

3) Effect of nectar phenolics on honeybee’s social behavior and structure (2008-2010). National Natural Science Foundation of China (30870445).

Recent Publications:

Fanglin Liu, Jianzhong He and Wenjun Fu. 2005. Highly controlled nest homeostasis of honey bees helps deactivate phenolics in nectar. Naturwissenschafen, 92: 297-299.

Fanglin Liu, Xuewen Zhang, Jianping Chai and Darong Yang. 2006. Pollen phenolics and regulation of pollen foraging in honeybee colony. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 59: 582-588.

Fanglin Liu, Jin Chen, Jianping Chai, Xuewen Zhang, Xinrong Bai, Dayu He and David W. Roubik. 2007. Adaptive functions of defensive plant phenolics and a nonlinear bee response to nectar components. Functional Ecology, 21: 96-100.

Gabriela de Brito Sanchez, Joäo Ramalho Ortigäo-Farias, Monique Gauthier, Fanglin Liu and Martin Giurfa. 2007. Taste perception in honeybees: just a taste of honey? Arthropod-plant Interactions, 1: 69-76 .

Fanglin Liu, David W. Roubik, Dayu He and Jianjun Li. 2007. Old comb for nesting site recognition by Apis dorsata? Field experiments in China. Insectes Sociaux, 54: 424-426.

Gabriela de Brito Sanchez, Chun Chen, Jianjun Li and Fanglin Liu, Monique Gauthier and Martin Giurfa. 2008. Behavioral studies on tarsal gustation in honeybees: sucrose responsiveness and sucrose-mediated olfactory conditioning. Journal of Comparative Physiology A , 190: 735-745.

Jianjun Li, Ken Tan and Shaoyu He. Hornet predation risk: apperception and response by honey bees. 2008. Journal of Apicultural Research, 47:174-175.

Yulan Liu and Fanglin Liu. Post-ingestive effect of plant phenolics on the feeding behaviour of the honeybee Apis cerana. 2009. Physiological Entomology (in press).