Biodiversity forms the foundation of processes that sustain all life on Earth. Accurate description and classification are critical to understanding this diversity.

Our laboratory is dedicated to the discovery and systematics of diverse arachnid lineages, with primary expertise in:

• Spiders (Araneae)
• Pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones)
• Harvestmen (Opiliones)
• Scorpions (Scorpiones)
• Sun spiders / Camel spiders (Solifugae)
• Short-tailed whipscorpions (Schizomida)
• Whip spiders / Tailless whipscorpions (Amblypygi)
• Whip scorpions / Vinegaroons (Thelyphonida)

Through integrative approaches—including field expeditions, morphological analyses, and molecular phylogenetics—we aim to discover new species, refine classification systems, and contribute to global biodiversity conservation strategies.

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Our team is dedicated to deciphering the evolutionary relationships (phylogenies) of arachnids to map the origins and diversification of life. By leveraging cutting-edge phylogenomics—such as ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS)—we build robust evolutionary trees across taxonomic scales, from ancient orders to closely related species.

Beyond phylogenetic reconstruction, we integrate a suite of approaches to deepen our understanding of adaptive evolution:

• Ancestral state reconstruction to trace the evolution of key traits.
• Temporal divergence analyses to pinpoint the emergence of evolutionary innovations.
• Historical biogeography to reveal where lineages diversified.
• Comparative genomics to elucidate the genetic basis of adaptation and diversification.
• Comparative morphology to understand functional adaptations and the evolutionary origins of anatomical diversity.

Together, these approaches illuminate how, when, and where key traits have shaped biodiversity throughout deep time, providing insights into the adaptive evolution of arachnid lineages.

We investigate how diverse symbiotic bacteria shape the evolutionary trajectories of arachnids. Combining high-throughput symbiont genomics, host phylogenomics, functional strain screening, and experimental assays, we:

• Map global symbiont diversity across major arachnid lineages (e.g., spiders, harvestmen) to define core microbiomes and host-specialized associations.
• Decipher functional mechanisms enabling symbiont-mediated adaptation —including nutrient provisioning, detoxification, thermal resilience, and defensive mutualisms.
• Track coevolutionary dynamics to reveal how symbiont transmission modes (vertical/horizontal) and host evolutionary history jointly drive adaptive innovation.
• Identify and validate key bacterial strains through in vitro/in vivo assays to quantify their contributions to host resource acquisition, metabolic efficiency, and stress survival.