Dr Ai-Qun (Daisy) Hu

I am the Sainsbury Orchid Research Fellow. I am particularly interested in using species-rich lineages of flowering plants as model system to understand (i) how species diversity (speciation vs. extinction) changes over space and time; (ii) how genetic processes, ecological interaction, and environmental variability jointly shape the evolutionary pattern of species diversity; (iii) how characters interact, evolve and actively respond to environmental changes. My current target study groups include Orchidaceae (subtribe Aeridinae; Bulbophyllum) and Begoniaceae (Begonia). Several characters are of particular interest, including floral traits (pollination syndromes) associated with pollinator-mediated selection; vegetative characters of leaves and roots attributed to photosynthesis efficiency, drought resilience and shade tolerance; C3 and CAM photosynthesis in epiphytic orchids. I also apply comparative phylogenetic approaches to study the genus Vanda (Orchidaceae), with aims to modernize and accelerate monographic study of flagship plant groups with important economic, ecology and conservation values. I am co-supervising a PhD student working on the phylogenomics and conservation geneomics of Phalaenopsis, another flagship orchid genus with extraordinary species diversity in Indonesia and the Philippines. Collaboration and potential PhD or Msc students are welcome!

• PhD, The University of Hong Kong 2018
• Msc, South China Botanical Garden (CAS) 2007
• BA, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine 2004