Elysia XP Toh
PhD Student (University of Sunshine Coast)
Main supervisor: Professor Catherine M Yule
Co-supervisors: Associate Professor Darren CJ Yeo, Research Assistant Professor Zeng Yiwen
Email: elysia.toh@u.nus.edu
MSc National University of Singapore | BES (Hons) National University of Singapore
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Background and current projects
As an undergraduate, I studied the differences behavioural trait expression between two populations of the Oriental river prawn Macrobrachium nipponense along an invasion gradient from a man-made waterway to a nearby forest stream, a non-native freshwater prawn species in Singapore. My research interests have since broadened to other key decapod crustacean species in Singapore, most notably the critically endangered Singapore freshwater crab Johora singaporensis. During my time as an MSc. student in FIB lab, I identified threats to the species, including freshwater acidification and climate change, comparing and assessing the impacts of these threats on J. singaporensis and the common and syntopic lowland freshwater Parathelphusa maculata through both in-situ monitoring and ex-situ experiment. I have also been involved in research projects (as a mentor) on freshwater ecology in Singapore, including status of other endemic freshwater crabs (swamp forest crab Parathelphusa reticulata, Johnson’s freshwater crab Irmengardia johnsoni) as well as mechanisms involving the spread of non-native crayfish species and plausible impacts on native equivalents (Australia redclaw crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus, red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii).
For my PhD, I am working on the “Conservation Biology of tropical and subtropical peat swamps” at the University of Sunshine Coast, Australia (under the supervision of Professor Catherine Yule, and co-supervised by Associate Professor Darren Yeo and Research Assistant Professor Zeng Yiwen). My work will focus on freshwater biodiversity of peat swamps, with case studies across southeastern Queensland and Southeast Asia. I am interested in furthering our understanding of the freshwater ecosystems of peat swamps and freshwater swamps in Southeast Asia and Australia.
Research Interests
- Crustacean biology
- Freshwater biology
- Behavioral biology
- Invasion biology
- Climate change
Selected publications
Toh EXP, Gan LX & Yeo DCJ (2022) A global overview of climate change impacts on freshwater decapods: substantial research gaps across taxa and biogeographic regions. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 42(1): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/ruab088