Educational experience：

BSc: Beijing Normal University, 2012 PhD: Queen Mary, University of London, 2017

Statement：

Along with natural selection, sexual selection drives speciation. With the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) as the target species, my research interest includes: 1. What morphometric or behaviour trait is under sexual selection in the barn swallow, especially in Chinese barn swallows? 2. How sexual selection drives the divergence of different barn swallow populations/subspecies? (Work with Dr. Rebecca Safran from University of Colorado, Boulder) 3. How urbanization affect the behaviour and morphology of barn swallows? (Work with Dr. Emilio Pagani-Núñez from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University)

Selected Publication：

Ÿ Liu, Y.*, Scordato, E. S. C., Zhang, Z., Evans, M., & Safran, R. J. (2020). Analysing phenotypic variation in barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) across China to assess subspecies status. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 131(2), 319–331.

Ÿ Li, D. *, Zhang, J., Liu, Y., Lloyd, H., Pagani-Núñez, E., & Zhang, Z. (2020). Differences in dietary specialization, habitat use and susceptibility to human disturbance influence feeding rates and resource partitioning between two migratory Numenius curlew species. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 106990.

Ÿ Scordato, E. S. C.*, Smith, C. C. R., Semenov, G. A., Liu, Y., Wilkins, M. R., Liang, W., … Safran, R. J. (2020). Migratory divides coincide with reproductive barriers across replicated avian hybrid zones above the Tibetan Plateau. Ecology Letters, 23(2), 231–241.

Ÿ Li, D.*, Bai, Y., Li, X., Guan, S., Liu, Y.*, & Zhang, Z. (2020). Lack of fine-tuned egg rejection adjustment in barn swallows with variable local abundance of common cuckoos. Behavioural Processes, 174, 104087.

Ÿ Liu, Y*., Scordato, E. S. C., Safran, R., & Evans, M. (2018). Ventral colour, not tail streamer length, is associated with seasonal reproductive performance in a Chinese population of Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica gutturalis). Journal of Ornithology, 159(3), 675–685.

Ÿ Li, D.#, Liu, Y.#, Sun, X., Lloyd, H., Zhu, S., Zhang, S., … Zhang, Z*. (2017). Habitat-dependent changes in vigilance behaviour of Red-crowned Crane influenced by wildlife tourism. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 16614.