Sun Shichun
Professor,
Department of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Ocean University of China
5 Yushan Road, Phone: 86-532-82032216
Qingdao 266003, Fax: 86-532-82031982
P. R. China Email: sunsc@ouc.edu.cn
EDUCATION
BS, Aquaculture, University of China, 1981
MS, Hydrobiology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1988
PhD, Aquaculture, University of China, 2001
RESEARCH
Research Interests:
My lab works on the morphology, taxonomy, comparative biology and evolution of some selected invertebrates.
l Morphology, taxonomy as well as integrative taxonomy of nemerteans
l Comparative mitogenomics of nemerteans
l Molecular phylogeny and evolution of nemerteans
l Comparative biology of brine shrimps (Artemia)
l Adaptation and evolution of Artemia
Specific Research Directions:
1. Comparative mitogenomics of nemerteans. In order to gain a better understanding of the phylogeny and mitogenome evolution of the phylum Nemertea, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genomes of 16 nemertean species during the recent years. A comparison of these nemertean mitogenomes has shown interesting results that might have evolutionary implications. For example, large scale transposition of genes / gene blocks occurs within Palaeonemertea and between Palaeonemertea and the other taxa; only one event of gene transposition is found between Heteronemertea and Hoplonemertea, and the gene order keeps stable within either group; mitogenome sizes of hoplonemerteans are usually smaller than those of Anopla species. Phylogenetic analyses using the mitogenome data support that Nemertea is member of Schizocoela, and Palaeonemertea is not monophyletic. Some of these results have been published in the journals Gene, Molecular Biology Reports, BMC Genomis, Plos One.
2. Diversity of cyst shell structure and its relationship with the low thermotolerance of some Artemia cysts from Qinghai–Xizang Plateau. We compared shell structures and physiological features of resting eggs of some Artemia populations. Marked differences were found for the shell ultrastructure and thermotolerance between cysts from very high sites (>4000 m above the sea level) and those from lower localities. In contrast to the normal well-developed and multilayered outer cuticular membrane (OCM), cysts from alpine habitats are hypoplastic in the OCM layer. Our experiments show that the alpine cysts are much less tolerant to thermal stress than cysts of populations living at lower places, and the thermotolerant capacity of Artemia eggs seems to be negatively related with the permeability of shell/underlying membranes. The hypoplasia in OCM probably is likely responsible for the lower thermotolerant capability of some cysts from very high habitats. These findings have been published in Microscopy Research and Technique, Aquaculture.
Current Research Projects:
§ Comparative mitogenomics and phylogeny of the phylum Nemertea. National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30970333), 2010-2012.
§ Fauna of parasitic/commensal nemerteans from China seas and evolution of some typical groups. National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30970333), 2012-2015.
Honors:
§ 2002, Science & Technology Award for Youth, The People's Government of Qingdao
§ 2008, Reward of National Science and Technology Progress (co-winner)
PUBLICATIONS
1. Sun S.-C., 2006. On the nemerteans with a branched-proboscis from Zhanjiang, China. Journal of Natural History, 40(15-16): 943-965.
2. Zhao Y.-F., Sun S.-C., 2006. Effects of salinity, temperature and pH on the survival of the nemertean Procephalothrix simulus Iwata, 1952. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 328: 168-176.
3. Wu B. & Sun S.-C., 2006. Ammonia and urea excretion of the nemertean Procephalothrix simulus Iwata: effects of salinity, temperature, body weight and amputation. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 337: 13-18.
4. Wang S.-F. & Sun S.-C., 2007. Comparative observations on the cyst shells of seven Artemia strains from China. Microscopy Research and Technique, 70 (8): 663 – 670.
5. Wang H.-Y., Sun S.-C. and Li Q.-L., 2008. Laboratory observations on the feeding behavior and feeding rate of the nemertean, Procephalothrix simulus. Biological Bulletin, 214: 166-175.
6. Zheng B. and Sun S.-C., 2008. Taxonomic consideration of eight Chinese bisexual Artemia populations, based on the morphology of frontal knob and gonopod and the result of cross-breeding tests. Zootaxa, 1919: 25–44.
7. Chen H.-X., Sundberg P., Norenburg J. L., Sun, S.-C., 2009. The complete mitochondrial genome of Cephalothrix simula (Iwata) (Nemertea: Palaeonemertea). Gene, 442: 8–17.
8. Chen H.-X., Liu K.-K., Sun S.-C., 2009. Karyotype analysis of four nemertean species. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 27(4): 748-752.
9. Wang S.-F., Sun S.-C., Okazaki, R. K., 2010. Comparative study on thermotolerance of Artemia resting eggs from Qinghai–Xizang Plateau, China. Aquaculture, 307: 141–149.
10. Chen H.-X., Strand M., Norenburg J.L., Sun S.-C., Kajihara H., Chernyshev A.V., Maslakova S.A., Sundberg P., 2010. Statistical parsimony networks and species assemblages in cephalotrichid nemerteans (Nemertea). PLoS ONE 5(9): e12885.
11. Chen H.-X., Sundberg P., Wu H.-Y., Sun S.-C., 2011. The mitochondrial genomes of two nemerteans, Cephalothrix sp. (Nemertea: Palaeonemertea) and Paranemertes cf. peregrina (Nemertea: Hoplonemertea). Molecular Biology Reports, 38(7): 4509-4525.
12. Andrade S.C.S., Strand M., Schwartz M., Chen H.-X., Kajihara H., Von Döhren J., Sun S.-C., Junoy J., Thiel M., Norenburg J.L., Turbeville J.M., Giribet G.， Sundberg P., 2012. Disentangling ribbon worm relationships: multi-locus analysis supports traditional classification of the phylum Nemertea. Cladistics, 28：141-159.
13. Chen H.-X., Sun S.-C., SundbergP., Ren W.-C., Norenburg J.L., 2012. A comparative study of nemertean complete mitochondrial genomes, including two new ones for Nectonemertes cf. mirabilis and Zygeupoliarubens, may elucidate the fundamental pattern for the phylum Nemertea. BMC Genomics 2012, 13:139.
14. Zheng B. and Sun S.-C., 2013. Review of the biogeography of Artemia Leach, 1819 (Crustacea: Anostraca) in China. International Journal of Artemia Biology, 3(1): 20-50.
15. Kajihara H., Sun, S.-C., Chernyshev A., Chen H.-X., Ito K., Asakawa M., Maslakova S., Norenburg J., Strand M., Sundberg P., Iwata F., 2013. Taxonomic identity of a tetrodotoxin-accumulating ribbon-worm Cephalothrix simula (Nemertea: Palaeonemertea): a species artificially introduced from the pacific to europe. Zoological Science，30: 985–997
