Kuan-Ling (Kelly) Liu

Areas of Expertise

• Urban entomology
• Invasion biology
• Ant biodiversity
• Population genetics
• Molecular ecology

Professional Summary

Kuan-Ling (Kelly) Liu is a Ph.D. student at the Texas A&M University Department of Entomology. Her research lies on the invasion biology of the white-footed ant Technomyrmex difficilis, a recently introduced ant species in Texas that was first identified in 2021. She used genetic, behavioral, and chemical indicators to uncover the colony structure of the white-footed ant between Florida (where they were initially discovered in the US) and Texas (their recent US discovery). Moreover, she investigated the odorous house ant Tapinoma sessile, an urban pest found across the continental USA, discovering diverse social structures in urban and natural environments. Liu intends to examine the potential differences in chemical, thermal tolerance, microbiome, and morphological characteristics between ant colonies in urban and natural habitats. T. sessile provides a unique opportunity to examine invasive characteristics within a native species, as the traits of urban colonies share some similarities with invasive ants.