Hang Kyo Lim

Professor

Faculty School of Arts, Sciences & Business Biology Department
hlim@ndm.edu 410-532-5720 Knott Science Center (KNO) 333
Hang Kyo Lim
This profile is currently being updated. Some information may be incomplete.

Biography

I have built my career around the study and teaching of chemical ecology and animal behavior, passions that began during my undergraduate studies in Korea. My fascination with animals is driven by a desire to understand their behaviors in nature and the underlying reasons for these actions, which extends to a broader curiosity about human behavior and society, including my own. I am deeply committed to student mentorship, guiding students through research that often leads to academic recognition and awards. Since the beginning of my graduate studies, as a graduate teaching assistant, I have embraced the idea that “teaching is the best way of learning,” finding joy in helping students expand their understanding of nature through shared experiences. In addition to teaching, I am actively involved in professional organizations such as the Animal Behavior Society. Outside of my academic pursuits, I enjoy spending time outdoors, particularly hiking and camping, as a way to connect with nature—an interest I have had since my teenage years.

Education

  • PhD in Entomology, University of Kansas
  • MS in Behavioral Ecology, Seoul National University, Korea
  • BS in Biology, Seoul National University, Korea

Research

Interests

  • My research focuses on chemical ecology and decision-making in the foraging, mating, and reproduction of insects, earthworms, and teleost fishes. I aim to deepen our understanding of how animals interact with their environment and each other via chemical signals.      

Publications

  1. (1) Sorensen, P. W. and H. Lim. 2024. Extreme olfactory sensitivity of silver and bighead carp to overlapping suites of 21-carbon steroids suggests that theses species, and likely all other Cyprinoidei, employ them as pheromones. General and Comparative Endocrinology 350: 11447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2024.114471
  2. (2) Baek, M., K. M. Lawin*, C. J. Codden*, H. Lim, E. Yang, H-Y. Kim, S. I. Lee, P. Jablonski. 2020. Water strider females use individual experience to adjust jumping behaviour to their weight within physical constraints of water surface tension. Scientific Reports 10:18657. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75564-x
  3. (3) Kim, C., Y. Her, Y. Kim, C. Jung, H. Lim, K. Suh. 2019. Evaluating the Effectiveness of HOCl Application on Odor Reduction and Earthworm Population Growth during Vermicomposting of Food Waste employing Eisenia fetida. Plos One 14(12): e0226229. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226229
  4. (4) Bae, H.-G., C. Nightingale*, D. H. Jeoung, S. Cha, H.-B. Jeon, H. Lim, H. Y. Suk. 2019. Genetic diversity and population structure of Kichulchoia multifasciata in South Korea. Conservation Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-019-01147-7
  5. (5) Sorensen, P. W., M. C. P. Rue, J. M. Leese, R. Ghosal, and H. Lim. 2019. A blend of F prostaglandins functions as an attractive sex pheromone in Silver Carp. Fishes 4(2), 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes4020027
  6. (6) Jeon, H.-B., D. Anderson*, H. Won, H. Lim, and H. Y. Suk. 2017. Taxonomic characterization of Tanakia species (Acheilognathidae) using DNA barcoding analyses. Mitochondrial DNA Part A. 29:6, 964-973. https://doi.org/10.1080/24701394.2017.1398746
  7. (7) Lim, H. and P. W. Sorensen. 2012. Common carp implanted with prostaglandin F2α release a sex pheromone complex that attracts male conspecifics in both the laboratory and field. Journal of Chemical Ecology 38:127–134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-012-0062-5
  8. (8) Lim, H. and P. W. Sorensen. 2011. Polar metabolites synergize the activity of prostaglandin F2α in a species-specific hormonal sex pheromone released by ovulated common carp. Journal of Chemical Ecology 37:695–704. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-011-9976-6
  9. (9) Bajer, P. G., H. Lim, M. J. Travaline, B. D. Miller, and P. W. Sorensen. 2010. Cognitive aspects of food searching behavior in free-ranging wild common carp. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 88, 295–300. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10641-010-9643-8
  10. (10) Lim, H. and M. D. Greenfield. 2008. Female arctiid moths, Utetheisa ornatrix, orient toward and join pheromonal choruses. Animal Behaviour, 75, 673–680. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.07.021
  11. (11) Lim, H., K. C. Park, M. D. Greenfield, and T. C. Baker. 2007. Perception of conspecific female pheromone generates communal calling in an arctiid moth, Utetheisa ornatrix. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 33, 1257–1271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-007-9291-4
  12. (12) Lim, H. and M. D. Greenfield. 2007. Female pheromonal chorusing in an arctiid moth, Utetheisa ornatrix. Behavioral Ecology, 18, 165–173. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arl069
  13. (13) Choi M.-Y., H. Lim, K. C. Park, R. Adlof, S. Wang, A. Zhang, and R. Jurenka. 2007. Identification and biosynthetic studies of the hydrocarbon sex pheromone in Utetheisa ornatrix. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 33, 1336–1345. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-007-9306-1
  14. (14) Buss, D. M., T. K. Shackelford, L. A. Kirkpatrick, J. C. Choe, H. K. Lim, M. Hasegawa, T. Hasegawa, and K. Bennett. 1999. Jealousy and the nature of beliefs about infidelity: Tests of competing hypotheses about sex differences in the United States, Korea, and Japan. Personal Relationships 6: 125-150. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.1999.tb00215.x

Presentations

  • 21-carbon steroidal sex pheromones likely determine when and where invasive Bigheaded carps (Family Xenocyprinidae) spawn, Animal Behavior Society meeting, Portland, July 2023
  • Field evaluation of Sex Pheromone Attractants to control Asian carp and development of protocols for field verification of response, American Fisheries Society 144th Annual Meeting, 2014
  • Species-specific information in hormonally derived sex pheromones is conveyed by body odor and context in the carps, American Fisheries Society 142nd Annual Meeting, St. Paul, MN, 2012
  • Invasive silver carp detect a unique range of steroids and F-type prostaglandins that likely function as sex pheromones, American Fisheries Society 142nd Annual Meeting, St. Paul, MN, 2012
  • The use of chemical stimuli in the control of Asian carp, American Fisheries Society 142nd Annual Meeting, St. Paul, MN, 2012
  • Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) detects and appears to use novel mistures of sex steroids and F prostaglandins as hormonal pheromones, 10th International Congress on the Biology of Fish, Madison, WI, 2012
  • Olfactory sensitivity and specificity of juvenile bighead carp (Hypophthalmichythys nobilis) to steroids and prostaglandins, Minnesota Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Conference, Sandstone, MN, 2011
  • Hormone implants induce potent pheromonal attractant release from common carp (Cyprinus carpio), Minnesota-Wisconsin Invasive Species Conference, St. Paul, MN, 2010
  • Ovulated female common carp (Cyprinus carpio) release a species-specific F prostaglandin-based pheromone complex that attracts conspecific males, International Society of Chemical Ecology, 27th annual meeting, Tours, France, 2010
  • Pheromones in the common carp, American Fisheries Society annual meeting, Nashville, TN, 2009
  • Integrated pest management of the common carp, American Fisheries Society annual meeting, Nashville, TN, 2009

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

  • Animal Behavior Society
  • The International Society of Chemical Ecology
  • American Society of Naturalist