My research focuses on revealing adaptation in animals. Adaptation tells us fascinating scientific stories about how organisms are living on this planet and how they have been changing throughout the long history of evolution. Adaptation connects all subdisciplines of biology and even other scientific disciplines that are beyond the boundaries of biology. In our lab, we aim to eveal the diversity and the functional values of the adaptations of animals, with a focus on their morphology and behavior. Our interests cover typical behavioral ecology where fitness benefits of certain behaviors are sought (Question 1 & 2 below), environmental ecology where the effects of environment change on the breeding ecology of animals are investigated (Question 3), and evolutionary ecology that requires multidisciplinary approaches between biology and other scientific disciplines (Question 4).
Research questions Question 1. Consequences of family dynamics in birds Once envisaged as a harmonic and altruistic unit, family of animals is now recognized as a group of relatives where not only cooperation but conflict also occur. We study the variation in parental strategies of males and females and its fitness consequence in magpies. Question 2. Cognitive ecology of birds Family Corvidae is known to be a highly intelligent group, whose intelligence is comparable to the primates. However, only a small number of species in Corvidae has been thoroughly investigated, with many other species remaining to be studied. We aim to study cognitive ecology of several species of corvids to obtain a new broad understanding of the evolution and ecology of cognition in birds. Question 3. Effect of climate change and urbanization on the breeding ecology of birds Due to global warming and urbanization that impact nearly all corners of the world, studying the response of animal populations to these environmental changes became very important in the field of ecology. In our lab, we study the patterns of breeding success variation in magpies in Korea and aim to elucidate its correlation with the climate change and urbanization. Question 4. Functional morphology of birds and insects Birds and insects have a variety of morphological features that intrigued not only biologists but also physicists, chemists, material scientists, and engineers. Among the morphological features, we are particularly interested in the aerodynamic and optic (i.e. color) phenomena of the wings of birds and insects. Through tight collaborations with scientists and engineers from other disciplines, we are currently investigating (i) the relationship between wingshape, flight pattern, and aerodynamic performance in birds, (ii) the function of microstructures on the legs on the movement on the water in waterstriders, and (iii) evolutionary ecology of structural colors in birds and insects.