PeerJ Award Winners at ASI-IPFC12

Asian Society of Ichthyologists and the Indo-Pacific Fish Conference (ASI & IPFC 12)

The 2025 Annual Meeting of the Asian Society of Ichthyologists (ASI) and the 12th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference (IPFC12) took place in Taipei, Taiwan from June 9-13, 2025. This prestigious joint conference brought together fish scientists and researchers from around the world at the National Taiwan University and Taipei Zoo venues. Under the main theme of “Conservation and Transition,” the event served as a vital platform for sharing cutting-edge research on Asian and Indo-Pacific fishes.

The five-day conference featured four main themed sessions covering Systematics (evolution, taxonomy, and biogeography), Ecology (including larval fish ecology), and eight special sessions addressing diverse conservation challenges. Among these was Special Session 5, which focused on the resilience and sensitivity of fishes to climate change and environmental stressors—a topic of increasing urgency in our changing world.

PeerJ was proud to have sponsored the Best Presentation Award, which was won by Marine Banse, Postdoctoral Researcher from the University of Liège (Belgium). The best poster Award was won by Ling-Lan Hsu a PhD candidate at National Taiwan University.

Participants enjoyed not only the rich academic program but also networking opportunities through various social events, including a reception, banquet dinner (with complimentary access to Taipei Zoo), and refreshment breaks. The conference successfully fulfilled its mission of fostering collaboration and advancing ichthyological research across the Indo-Pacific region.

Marine Banse Postdoctoral Researcher – University of Liège (Belgium)

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your research interests?

I have a strong interest in fish bioacoustics, animal behavior, and evolution. My academic journey began with a fascination for underwater ecosystems — likely sparked by spending hours as a child in front of my father’s tropical marine aquariums.

I completed my PhD in 2024, during which I studied the evolution of acoustic communication in Holocentridae (squirrelfish and soldierfish), a nocturnal and widespread coral reef fish family. My research combined approaches from acoustics, morphology, phylogeny, and ethology to better understand how acoustic communication evolved in this group, and whether acoustic differences reflect ecological influences.

What first interested you in this field of research?

Who wouldn’t be? Fish talk!

I have been intrigued by marine life from a young age. This passion led me to contact Professor Eric Parmentier at the University of Liège (Belgium) to complete my master thesis in his lab. At that time, like many people, I believed that fish were simple organisms with limited behavioral complexity. My first research project involved studying the development of hearing abilities in a small shark species. After completing a second master’s program, I returned to the lab to investigate the physiology of sound-producing muscles in piranhas

It was during that time in Liège that I discovered that fish used sounds to communicate. Learning that fish produce sounds to interact with one another, just as we do, completely reshaped the way I viewed both fish and underwater life. I realize how little we know about these often-underestimated organisms, and about the vast acoustic world that exists beneath the surface of the ocean.

Can you briefly explain the research you presented at ASI-IPFC12?

Like many other organisms, fish use sounds to communicate across a range of behavioral contexts, including territorial defense, courtship, and social signaling. Recently, I demonstrated that acoustic signals in teleosts – specifically within the Holocentridae family – can convey taxonomic information. At the congress, I presented an integrative framework retracing the evolutionary trajectory of this key yet often overlooked behavioral trait: acoustic communication. Our findings support a three-step model of acoustic evolution in Holocentridae and suggest that sound production has contributed to the diversification of this family.

What are your next steps? How will you continue to build on this research?

The next steps would involve expanding this integrative approach to a broader range of teleost lineages to test whether the evolutionary patterns observed in Holocentridae are conserved or lineage-specific.

I personally plan to investigate the ecological and social drivers underlying acoustic diversity, using a combination of field recordings and experimental approaches. Additionally, I aim to explore potential coevolution between acoustic signals and other morphological or behavioral traits. Through this work, I hope to contribute to a deeper understanding of the evolutionary pressures that have shaped acoustic communication in fishes and its broader role in speciation.

Ling-Lan Hsu, a PhD candidate at National Taiwan University

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your research interests?

I am a PhD candidate specialising in population genetics and marine biogeography. My research aims to uncover the complex evolutionary history of marine fish species, shaped by both biogeographical and ecological processes.

I earned my BSc in Life Science from National Taiwan University, where I developed a strong interest in marine organisms and gained foundational skills in molecular biology. I then pursued an MSc by Research in Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol, UK, where I learned to work with large genomic datasets and strengthened my bioinformatic skills.

During my PhD, my research primarily focused on the population genetic structure and demographic history of shallow-water marine fishes, providing insights that contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of Indo-West Pacific marine species through time.

What first interested you in this field of research?

During my undergraduate studies, I completed a research project under the supervision of Dr. Wei-Jen Chen, focusing on the systematics of a family of benthic fishes, Antigoniidae. I also had the opportunity to participate in ocean surveys aboard research vessels, where I worked with marine specimens—an experience I found particularly engaging.

Can you briefly explain the research you presented at ASI-IPFC12?

At ASI-IPFC12, I presented a poster on the post-glacial population dynamics of five shallow-water fish species from the Mozambique Channel. Our results revealed signals of recent population expansion in both mitochondrial and nuclear genomic markers, likely occurring after the Late Glacial Maximum (~20,000 years ago). These findings support the hypothesis that post-glacial sea-level rise facilitated genetic mixing in the region, potentially contributing to its high regional biodiversity. Importantly, this shared post-glacial signal could also serve as a calibration point for estimating gene substitution rates in non-model species, aiding future evolutionary studies in the Southwest Indian Ocean.

What are your next steps? How will you continue to build on this research?

We plan to submit this project in the next few months. Fortunately, I received valuable feedback during the conference, and we aim to incorporate additional geological evidence to test whether the increase in habitat during sea-level rise corresponds with our genetic results.