Mr Yuxuan Zhao
Higher Degree by Research Candidate
School of Biological Sciences
College of Science
"Black Boxes and Holes", is how I picture the evolution of organisms. Picture black boxes placed within a larger black box (in a Matryoshka doll style) with lights shining through the holes to the inside of the boxes.Evolutionary biologists exploit various means/proxies to try to decipher the complex evolution history (Black Boxes) based on observational and theoretical evidence. Such inferences based on evidence can sometimes be biased or circumstantial (holes on the Black Boxes), and this is exactly why evolutionary biology is still developing fast, using different study systems of animals.One such animal system is the Australian Water Beetles Underground and Aboveground Fauna, representing the most diverse underground beetle fauna in the world. My research is on the evolution history of these beetles, using various means (morphology/phylogenetics/behaviours/chemistry) to investigate the behavioural ecology of these holometabolous animals.
| Language | Competency |
|---|---|
| Chinese (Mandarin) | Can read, write, speak and understand spoken |
| English | Can read, write, speak and understand spoken |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 - 2027 | the University of Adelaide | Australia | PhD student in Biology |
| 2022 - 2023 | the University of Adelaide | Australia | Honours degree of BSc (First-Class) Major in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology |
| 2018 - 2021 | the University of Adelaide | Australia | Bachelor of Science (advanced) Major in Ecology and Spatial Science |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| - | Zhao, Y., Guzik, M., Humphreys, W., Watts, C. H. S., Cooper, S., & Sherratt, E. (n.d.). Data for: Evolutionary transition from surface to subterranean living in Australian water beetles (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae) through adaptive and relaxed selection. DOI |