antebellum plantations, old growth forests, and barrier islands along the Georgia coast—to observe very small, strong-willed creatures that inspire worry or dread in most of us.
(SPOILER WARNING FOR NONSCIENTISTS: INVOLUNTARY SHUDDER AHEAD.) Since leaving Malaysia and meeting entomologist and lead professor Brian T. Forschler at UGA, Lim grew even more deeply absorbed by his work. Forschler introduced her to using biological and DNA information to provide a fuller, more holistic approach for the taxonomy of the termite group Genus Reticulitermes. While Lim is fascinated by ants, mites and ticks, she is particularly delighted by one perplexing insect. Termites, the colorless and insatiable wood-eating insects, are Lim’s specialty. Her fixation, even. But not with a mind bent towards extermination of what most would identify as a dreaded pest. Lim logs hundreds of miles with a team of fellow researchers in order to obtain samples and to study termites, her research focus since 2007. The team includes principal investigator Forschler, lab technician Tabitha Hayes, graduate student Sonja Brannon, and undergraduate students Wesley Gresham, Ashley Roden and Bryce Wyatt. Lim presents research on subterranean termites, (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) sampled from selected sites in Athens, Thomasville and Sapelo Island, Ga. Termites are worth the trouble. They have certain charms, Lim says. “They’re pretty cute,” she jokes. With enthusiasm, Lim adroitly launches into a discussion of her favorite insect, their genus, classification, genesis and behavior. Termites are intricately ordered into colonies that may comprise hundreds, thousands, even millions of members who are segregated by role and caste, she says. “Ants and termites arrived at different branches in terms of insect evolution; not related at all. Genetically, termites are more related to roaches.” Lim announces. “They found an old termite in Australia that is very
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roach- like.” The termite, she says, is the very primitive Mastotermes darwiniensis. And so it happens that termites and roaches are practically kissing cousins. But the roach, unlike the termite, is less organized and not eusocial. And, most likely, they do not kiss. (Say what you will about termites, Lim makes the point that they are discrete when they mate, and commit to a long-term relationship beforehand by essentially sealing themselves into their own personal living space.) Surely, this is something to ponder. Lim pauses. “Does this make you uncomfortable?” she asks as an insect scurries across the floor. Lim helpfully mentions a psychosis that causes sufferers to feel insects are crawling all over them. Then, Lim the lighthearted researcher laughs merrily before recomposing her face. She continues. The mitochondrial genome for the native subterranean termites was fully sequenced in 2007. In the course of her work, Lim scrutinizes the termite genes via bioinformatics programs to decipher relationships between different samples. The work Lim is producing may be used very long term, predicts professor Forschler. “She’s pulling together information that no one else has had the courage to try and do,” says Forschler. “Despite the fact that this is one of the most economically important insects in the U.S., there’s a huge lack in our ability to know what it is. Most of the money spent (identifying termites) has come from the pest control industry...(but) they don’t really care what kind of species there are. They just want to kill them.” Forschler explains why Lim’s work is so tedious and difficult. “All of the workers from all of these species look the same, and the workers make up to 90 percent of the population. The other life form is the adult stage, but they’re only around about 20 minutes once a year; they’re very ephemeral,” Forschler explains. “You read the literature, and there are only three species. A fourth was recently named, identified in Athens.” Lim’s work will result in a new taxonomic key, says Forschler.
“There’s an undescribed species in Georgia, and she’s going to describe it. And she’s going to put together a key that you could pick up and describe what you’re dealing with. Her work is going to be the standard for a long time.” By looking at the termite’s morphology and taking measurements, as well as looking at other characters, such as weight and flight time, Lim will help verify if what she believes is an undescribed species is indeed a new species. Forschler adds, “The whole question of what is a species is a convoluted and topical area of scientific debate. It’s important to define what species concept is used to describe a new species.” “Before I came to UGA, I didn’t know many of the bioinformatics programs. Bioinformatics use software and information technologies to look at gene sequences and analyze those genes,” Lim says. Bioinformatics is a field that merges both information technologies with biological data and information (DNA/gene sequences) to give rise to better understanding of biological processes, she adds.
BUT FIRST, THERE WERE ANTS… Lim’s final year biotechnology dissertation concerned plant regenesis in an in vitro condition. “I was working with plants and had never given much thoughts about insects. But after consulting a few lecturers I was referred to an entomologist.” She soon found herself working on an ant project caring for huge boxes and trays of ant cultures. Lim was hooked. “Ants are really interesting. That was the spark. They would organize their things. They are very neat and clean. They even have piles of garbage.” She joined professor Chow Yang Lee’s laboratory to pursue a master’s degree with the Vector Control Research Unit at Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang during the summer of 2006. Lee first met Lim while she was still a biotechnology major merely exploring an interest in entomology. Lim’s prior work had been in microbiology and molecular biology—