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My primary research interests surround the phylogenetic
systematics and evolution of cynipoid wasps (Insecta, Hymenoptera,
Cynipoidea). My earlier research focused on phylogeny and historical
biogeography of the “macrocynipoid” wasps (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea)
parasitizing wood-boring insects using morphology characters to
reconstruct phylogeny. My systematic work also includes taxonomical
studies, including revisions and description of new species. In a almost
completed project, I, together with my coauthors, discovered 90 new
species of the liopterid genus Paramblynotus. My recent research
uses molecular data to reconstruct phylogeny of cynipid gall wasps, with
special interest in the evolution of the associations between these wasps
and their hosts.
I am also keenly interested in
the interactions between herbivores and their host plants. In a on going
project, I survey systems of gall-inducing cynipid wasps and their host
plants to examine hypothesis about gall formation as a protection
mechanism against natural enemies, especially parasitic wasps.
For more information, please visit my
research page.
Currently, I teach BIO4984 Evolution and BIO5225
Systematics. I am building my teaching pages as the courses develop.
Recent Publications
Liu, Zhiwei, Fredrik Ronquist, Göran
Nordlander (2007) The cynipoid genus Paramblynotus : revision, phylogeny,
and historical biogeography (Hymenoptera, Liopteridae). Bulletin of the
American Museum of Natural History, no. 304: 1-151. (pdf
)
Liu, Zhiwei, Michael S. Engel, and
David A. Grimaldi (2007)Phylogeny and geological history of the cynipoid
wasps (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea). American Museum novitates, no. 3583:
1-48. (pdf)
Crawford, J.C.,
Z. Liu, T. A. Nelson, C. K. Nielsen, and C. K. Bloomquist. 2008
Characterization of Microsatellite Loci in the Beaver (Castor canadensis).
Molecular Ecology Resources 8, 616-618
Crawford, J.C., Z. Liu,
T. A. Nelson, C. K. Nielsen, and C. K. Bloomquist. (2008) Microsatellite
analysis of mating and kinship in beavers (Castor canadensis). Journal
of Mammalogy 89, 575-581.
Poster
Presentations:
Molecular Markers for Mating and Kinship Studies in the Beaver (Castor
canadensis). 2007 |
