Research Focus
We use field and laboratory studies and biodiversity collections to investigate responses of insects and plankton to climate and habitat change. Our work is grounded in ecological and evolutionary theory and has applications to conservation biology, healthy ecosystems, and urban biodiversity.
Current Members
Michelle Tseng: PI, Departments of Botany and Zoology; Biodiversity Research Centre;
Alexandre Beauchemin: SURE undergraduate researcher, urban aquatic invertebrate biodiversity;
Sophia Fan: MSc student (Zoology), Urban pollinator ecology; related website: Pollinators of Metro Vancouver Butterflyway Gardens;
Wendy Frankel: Undergraduate Honours Student: Effect of cardenolides and temperature on monarch colourations (collaboration with Micah Freedman);
Devlin Grewal: MSc student (Botany): Urban trees & the biodiversity they support, Campus Trees, Insects, and Microbes project link;
Katie Gyte: MSc student (Botany): Warming temperatures and algal fat and lipid production;
Natasha Klasios: PhD candidate (Zoology) Ecology of microplastics; related website: Early career researchers microplastics working group;
Oliver McDermott: Work learn student/ Undergraduate Research Assistant; Campus Trees, Insects, and Microbes project link;
Markus Thormeyer: PhD student (Zoology), Urban mosquito ecology and evolution
Active Research Questions
How do warming temperatures affect nutrient availability and transfer in freshwater ecosystems;
What are the ecological, evolutionary, and immunological effects of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems? Related website: UBC Microplastics Cluster
How do we create urban green spaces that maximize insect diversity and minimize the negative effects of climate change? Campus trees project
How have mosquitoes adapted to living in urban environments?
How do we create a grassroots butterfly monitoring program in British Columbia? Related website: The Great BC Butterfly Search
Teaching
BIOL230 - Fundamentals of Ecology (2023-24 spring term)
BIOL411/APBI427 - Insect Ecology (2023-24 spring term)
Teaching Philosophy
UBC undergrads are phenomenal people with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and lived experiences. 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 new research. 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 one approach of 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.
Select publications (Google Scholar Profile) *denotes undergraduate coauthors; Please email if you would like a pdf
Klasios, N. and M. Tseng. 2023. Microplastics in subsurface water and zooplankton from eight lakes in British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Link
Thormeyer, M. and M. Tseng. 2023. No effect of realistic microplastic exposure on growth and development of wild-caught Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes. Journal of Medical Entomology Link
Tseng, M and 27 coauthors*. 2022. Effects of temperature on monarch caterpillar colour variation in nature. Insect Conservation and Diversity. DOI: 10.1111/ICAD.12608 (class project) pdf
Büyükyilmaz, E*. and M. Tseng. 2022. Developmental temperature predicts body size, flight, and pollen load in a widespread butterfly. Ecological Entomology. 47:872-882 (Honours Thesis) pdf; UBC news release link
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
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 (Directed Studies)
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. (Directed Studies)
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, (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
Lab alumni
MSc: Jihyun Kim (2022), Carla Di Filippo (2020)
Honours: Savi Raghuraman (2023), Erez Büyükyilmaz (2022), Kephra Becket (2018)
NSERC USRA: Mahan Rafieenaini (2022), Ernest Liang (2022), Madeline Fung (2019)
Directed Studies: Nicole Graham (2023), Sunny Gong (2022), Ali Dimitriou (2021), Yi Lin Zhou (2021), Jihyun Kim (2019), Evgeniya Yangel (2018), Casey Patmore (2018), Sina Soliemani Pari (2017), Allison Pritchard (2017)
We use field and laboratory studies and biodiversity collections to investigate responses of insects and plankton to climate and habitat change. Our work is grounded in ecological and evolutionary theory and has applications to conservation biology, healthy ecosystems, and urban biodiversity.
Current Members
Michelle Tseng: PI, Departments of Botany and Zoology; Biodiversity Research Centre;
Alexandre Beauchemin: SURE undergraduate researcher, urban aquatic invertebrate biodiversity;
Sophia Fan: MSc student (Zoology), Urban pollinator ecology; related website: Pollinators of Metro Vancouver Butterflyway Gardens;
Wendy Frankel: Undergraduate Honours Student: Effect of cardenolides and temperature on monarch colourations (collaboration with Micah Freedman);
Devlin Grewal: MSc student (Botany): Urban trees & the biodiversity they support, Campus Trees, Insects, and Microbes project link;
Katie Gyte: MSc student (Botany): Warming temperatures and algal fat and lipid production;
Natasha Klasios: PhD candidate (Zoology) Ecology of microplastics; related website: Early career researchers microplastics working group;
Oliver McDermott: Work learn student/ Undergraduate Research Assistant; Campus Trees, Insects, and Microbes project link;
Markus Thormeyer: PhD student (Zoology), Urban mosquito ecology and evolution
Active Research Questions
How do warming temperatures affect nutrient availability and transfer in freshwater ecosystems;
What are the ecological, evolutionary, and immunological effects of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems? Related website: UBC Microplastics Cluster
How do we create urban green spaces that maximize insect diversity and minimize the negative effects of climate change? Campus trees project
How have mosquitoes adapted to living in urban environments?
How do we create a grassroots butterfly monitoring program in British Columbia? Related website: The Great BC Butterfly Search
Teaching
BIOL230 - Fundamentals of Ecology (2023-24 spring term)
BIOL411/APBI427 - Insect Ecology (2023-24 spring term)
Teaching Philosophy
UBC undergrads are phenomenal people with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and lived experiences. 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 new research. 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 one approach of 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.
Select publications (Google Scholar Profile) *denotes undergraduate coauthors; Please email if you would like a pdf
Klasios, N. and M. Tseng. 2023. Microplastics in subsurface water and zooplankton from eight lakes in British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Link
Thormeyer, M. and M. Tseng. 2023. No effect of realistic microplastic exposure on growth and development of wild-caught Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes. Journal of Medical Entomology Link
Tseng, M and 27 coauthors*. 2022. Effects of temperature on monarch caterpillar colour variation in nature. Insect Conservation and Diversity. DOI: 10.1111/ICAD.12608 (class project) pdf
Büyükyilmaz, E*. and M. Tseng. 2022. Developmental temperature predicts body size, flight, and pollen load in a widespread butterfly. Ecological Entomology. 47:872-882 (Honours Thesis) pdf; UBC news release link
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
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 (Directed Studies)
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. (Directed Studies)
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, (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
Lab alumni
MSc: Jihyun Kim (2022), Carla Di Filippo (2020)
Honours: Savi Raghuraman (2023), Erez Büyükyilmaz (2022), Kephra Becket (2018)
NSERC USRA: Mahan Rafieenaini (2022), Ernest Liang (2022), Madeline Fung (2019)
Directed Studies: Nicole Graham (2023), Sunny Gong (2022), Ali Dimitriou (2021), Yi Lin Zhou (2021), Jihyun Kim (2019), Evgeniya Yangel (2018), Casey Patmore (2018), Sina Soliemani Pari (2017), Allison Pritchard (2017)
