My Research
"Everything is related, that is, connected in dynamic, interactive, and mutually reciprocal relationships." (Tewa scholar Gregory Cajete)
My research focus on how biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning (BEF) and stability under global change drivers. My current projects focus on how plant diversity - productivity relationships changes under nutrient eutrophication. My previous projects involves ecosystm C:N:P stoichiometry, herbivore grazing, camera trap survey, wildlife conservation, etc. You can find my publication here.
I am always super excited about science, regardless of discipline. Feel free to contact me with any insight or questions :) I am also happy to take reviewer request on related field.
My research focus on how biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning (BEF) and stability under global change drivers. My current projects focus on how plant diversity - productivity relationships changes under nutrient eutrophication. My previous projects involves ecosystm C:N:P stoichiometry, herbivore grazing, camera trap survey, wildlife conservation, etc. You can find my publication here.
I am always super excited about science, regardless of discipline. Feel free to contact me with any insight or questions :) I am also happy to take reviewer request on related field.
Grassland overyielding under cumulative N addition
Effects of plant diversity on grassland productivity, or overyielding, are found to be robust to nutrient enrichment. However, the impact of cumulative nitrogen (N) addition (total N added over time) on overyielding and its drivers are underexplored.
Synthesizing data from 15 multi-year grassland biodiversity experiments with N addition, He et al., 2024 found that N addition decreases complementarity effects and increases selection effects proportionately, resulting in no overall change in overyielding regardless of N addition rate. However, we observed a convex relationship between overyielding and cumulative N addition, driven by a shift from complementarity to selection effects. This shift suggests diminishing positive interactions and an increasing contribution of a few dominant species with increasing N accumulation. Recognizing the importance of cumulative N addition is vital for understanding its impacts on grassland overyielding, contributing essential insights for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience in the face of increasing N deposition. |
Interactive effects of grazing and global change factors on BEF
Grazing and global change (e.g., warming, nitrogen deposition, and altered precipitation) both contribute to biodiversity loss and alter ecosystem structure and functioning. However, how grazing and global change interactively influence plant diversity and ecosystem productivity, and their relationship remains unclear at the global scale. He et al., 2022 shows the strength of the change in biodiversity in response to grazing was positively correlated with the strength of the change in BNPP. Yet, global change flipped these relationships from positive to negative even when combined with grazing.
These results indicate that the impacts of global change factors are more dominant than grazing on the belowground biodiversity-productivity relationship, which is contrary to the pattern of aboveground one. Therefore, incorporating global change factors with herbivore grazing into Earth system models is necessary to accurately predict climate-grassland carbon cycle feedbacks in the anthropocene. |
Grassland stoichiometry under herbivore grazing
Livestock grazing can alter carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycles, thereby affecting the C : N : P stoichiometry in grasslands. In He et al., 2019, we aimed to examine mechanisms underlying the impacts of grazing on grassland C : N : P stoichiometry, focusing on belowground processes and their linkages with aboveground vegetation properties.
Our results strongly suggest that grazing intensity regulates the biogeochemical cycles of C, N and P in grassland ecosystems by affecting plant nutrient use efficiency and soil physicochemical processes. |