我的研究興趣在分子系統分類學、特徵演化、種化及親緣地理在內的演化生物學相關領域。過去二十幾年來分子系統分類學的快速發展提供獨立於形態、行為及生態之外的分子特徵，這些資料可用來建構生物之間的親緣關係。分子親緣研究現今已被廣泛應用於探討生物學中許多重要的問題，包括種化、適應和共演化。我對於分子系統分類學的研究主要使用粒腺體及核DNA分子特徵，來重建親緣關係，並利用這些物種及族群間的親緣關係作為分析分子演化速率，探討物種間行為和生活史的相關性，測試種化型式和速率的假說，及推測物種及族群的地理親緣。

我的研究物種為一種俗稱為角蟬的昆蟲，角蟬為一群植食性刺吸昆蟲，它們在表型及生態特徵有相當多的變異，包括不同的社會行為、生殖、螞蟻共生、寄主植物專一性，及一種新發現的振動性溝通系統。這些行為及生態上的多樣性使得角蟬適合用來作為生物多樣性及演化過程的比較分析。目前及將來在實驗室進行的研究計畫包括(1)東南亞高冠角蟬系統分類及生物地理、(2)角蟬及相關昆蟲內共生菌的生物學及演化，及(3)台灣水生昆蟲的地理親緣。

Metcalfiella nigrihumera
Pyrgonota bifoliata	Membracis sp.
Copyright Chung-Ping Lin

My research program is organized around several complementary themes in evolutionary biology, including molecular systematics, character evolution, speciation and phylogeography. The emergence of molecular systematics over the past two decades has provided powerful tools for inferring phylogeny independent of phenotypic characters such as morphology, behavior or ecological associations. Molecular phylogenetic approaches are now been used to investigate a wide range of significant questions in organismal biology including speciation, adaptation and coevolution. My research in the area of molecular systematics focuses on the use of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences as sources of phylogenetic markers to reconstruct the evolutionary history of targeted groups of organisms. The resulting phylogenies and within-species genealogies provide a basis for comparing rates of molecular evolution, correlating behavioral and life history traits between species, testing hypotheses of the tempo and modes of speciation, and inferring phylogeographic patterns among species and populations.

My research is centered on an insect group: the treehopper family Membracidae (Hemiptera). Treehoppers are plant-feeding insects that display great variation in phenotypic and ecological attributes including social behavior, reproductive biology, degree of ant mutualism, host-plant specialization, and recently discovered plant-borne, vibrational communication signals. This behavioral and ecological diversity makes treehoppers an ideal group of organisms for comparative study of the relationships between biological diversity and evolutionary processes.

Ongoing and future research projects in my laboratory include 1) Systematics and biogeography of the Southeast Asian Hypsauchenine treehoppers 2) Biology and evolution of bacterial endosymbionts of treehoppers and related insects 3) Phylogeography of aquatic insects in Taiwan.