Research Overview
- We investigate the effect of changing environments on insect and aquatic communities
- We use field and laboratory experiments, syntheses of published literature, and natural history collections to investigate ecological and evolutionary responses to climate and habitat change
- Our work is grounded in ecological and evolutionary theory and we tackle both basic and applied questions
Research Team
Research Themes
Plankton & Freshwater Ecosystems
Insect Communities
Rapid adaptation to warming
- Warming and nutrient availability in aquatic ecosystems
- Microplastics, warming, and aquatic ecosystem heath
Insect Communities
- Effects of warming on insect populations and communities
- Temporal trends in insect diversity and abundance
- Using urban green spaces for insect conservation and pest insect reduction
- Citizen science & insect conservation in urban environments
- Plastic-eating insects
Rapid adaptation to warming
- Mechanisms of adaptation of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and insects to warming
- Trophic significance of rapid phytoplankton evolution to warming
Select Publications
Google Scholar Profile: link
* denotes undergraduate coauthors, please email for pdf requests
* denotes undergraduate coauthors, please email for pdf requests
- Tseng, M and 27 coauthors*. 2022. Effects of temperature on monarch caterpillar colour variation in nature. Insect Conservation and Diversity. In press (BIOL411 class project)
- Büyükyilmaz, E*. and M. Tseng. 2022. Developmental temperature predicts body size, flight, and pollen load in a widespread butterfly. Ecological Entomology. 47:872-882 (Undergraduate Honours Thesis) pdf
- Tseng, M., C. M. Di Filippo, M. Fung*, J.O. Kim*, I.P. Forster, and Y. Zhou*. 2021 Cascading effects of warming in a freshwater community. Functional Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13752. pdf (combo MSc, directed studies & NSERC USRA project)
- Bartlett, B., J. Fortin, M. B. Kantar, M. Tseng, and Z. Mehrabi. 2021. Digital technology helps remove gender bias in academia. Scientometrics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-021-03911-4. pdf
- El-Sabaawi, R., M.B. Kantar, T. Moore, J.H. Pantel, M. Tseng, J. Ware. 2020. The EEB POC Project. Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin 29(3) 97-99
- Tseng, M., R. El-Sabaawi, M. B. Kantar, J. H. Pantel, D. S. Srivastava, and J. Ware. 2020. Strategies and support for Black, Indigenous, and people of colour in ecology and evolutionary biology. Nature Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1252-0, https://rdcu.be/b5tDc
- Tseng, M., E. Yangel*, and A. Zhou*. 2019. Herbivory alters thermal responses of algae. Journal of Plankton Research. 41(5): 641-649 (Undergrad Directed Studies project)
- Tseng, M., J. Bernhardt, and A. Chila*. 2019. Species interactions mediate thermal evolution. Evolutionary Applications. link
- Tseng, M. and S. Soleimani Pari*. 2019. Body size explains interspecific variation in latitude-size relationships in geographically widespread beetle species. Ecological Entomology. 44: 151-156. DOI: 10.1111/een.12684. (Undergrad Directed Studies project)
- Tseng, M., K. M. Kaur*, S. Soleimani Pari*, K. Sarai, D. Chan, C.H. Yao, P. Porto, A. Toor, H.S. Toor, and K. Fograscher. 2018. Decreases in beetle body size linked to climate change and warming temperatures. Journal of Animal Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12789 *co-second author, (BIOL411 class project). Press coverage of this paper: Quirks and Quarks; Science; CBC; Phys.org
- Tseng M., and M. I. O’Connor. 2015. Predators modify the evolutionary response of prey to temperature change. Biology Letters. 11: 20150798. (sup mat), Press: UBC news, Global BC
Teaching
BIOL230 - Fundamentals of Ecology
BIOL411 - Insect Ecology
Teaching Philosophy: Teaching at a large university is a privilege. I'm grateful for the opportunity to interact with hundreds of amazing and talented undergraduates each year. UBC undergrads are phenomenal people with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and lived experiences. I hope they learn from me as much as I learn from them. My goal as an instructor is to provide students with the knowledge and tools needed to be critical thinkers in university and in post-graduate life. I bridge classical examples with cutting-edge research findings. I am committed to a knowledgeable, flexible, inclusive, and fair classroom. I teach fundamental concepts, and apply these concepts to real-world situations. I am an advocate of hands-on research at all levels of undergraduate education.
BIOL411 - Insect Ecology
Teaching Philosophy: Teaching at a large university is a privilege. I'm grateful for the opportunity to interact with hundreds of amazing and talented undergraduates each year. UBC undergrads are phenomenal people with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and lived experiences. I hope they learn from me as much as I learn from them. My goal as an instructor is to provide students with the knowledge and tools needed to be critical thinkers in university and in post-graduate life. I bridge classical examples with cutting-edge research findings. I am committed to a knowledgeable, flexible, inclusive, and fair classroom. I teach fundamental concepts, and apply these concepts to real-world situations. I am an advocate of hands-on research at all levels of undergraduate education.
Land Acknowledgement: The UBC Vancouver campus is situated within the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam). We recognize and value the thousands of years of Indigenous land and biodiversity stewardship. We conduct our research with an open and respectful mind and understand that western approaches to biodiversity science are but one path of the many that strive to understand the natural world around us.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: The Tseng lab is a safe, supportive, and welcoming space for people of all races and ethnicities, for LGBTQIA+, and for all underrepresented minorities in science and society. Hate, bigotry, discrimination, and racism of any kind are not tolerated. We acknowledge our own privilege as we strive for a thriving, inclusive, diverse, and productive lab group.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: The Tseng lab is a safe, supportive, and welcoming space for people of all races and ethnicities, for LGBTQIA+, and for all underrepresented minorities in science and society. Hate, bigotry, discrimination, and racism of any kind are not tolerated. We acknowledge our own privilege as we strive for a thriving, inclusive, diverse, and productive lab group.
