1. Plant physiological ecology: acclimation and adaptation of plants to biotic and abiotic environmental stresses

2. Soil ecology: belowground ecological processes in relation to carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus transformation, with the emphasis on root turnover and microorganisms

3. Alternative stable states of grassland ecosystems  

-- 1988-1992: Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Chinese Agriculture University, b.ag.
-- 1992-1997: College of Resource and Environment, Chinese Agriculture University,  Ph.D.

   

Lecturing MSc courses:

• Agricultural Water and Nutrient Management

• Plant Physiological Ecology

• Application of isotopic methods in ecological researches

• Plant Ecology

• Plant Nutrition

• Experiments in Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology

2010.4-present: College of Life Sciences, Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, professor
2004.4-2010.4: College of Resource and Environment, Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, associate professor, professor
2001.7-2004.3:National Institute of Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan, Eco-frontier fellowship
2001.1-2: Institute of Agro-Environmental Biology and Forestry, CNR-IBAF, Roma, Italy, visiting scientist
2000.10-12: Institute of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, FAL-PB, Braunschweig, Germany, DAAD scholarship
1999.8-2001.6: Research Institute of Forest Ecology and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, associate professor
1997.9-1999.7: Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, post-doc

   

1. ​Rongxiao CHE, Weijin WANG, Jing ZHANG, Thi Thu Nhan Nguyen, Juan TAO, Fang WANG, Yanfen WANG, Zhihong XU, Xiaoyong CUI*. 2016. Assessing soil microbial respiration capacity using rDNA- or rRNA-based indices: a review. Journal of Soils and Sediments 16:2698–2708.
2. Junfu DONG, Xiaoyong CUI, Shuping WANG, Fang WANG, Zhe PANG, Ning XU, Guoqiang ZHAO, Shiping WANG. 2016. Changes in biomass and quality of alpine steppe in response to N & P fertilization in the Tibetan Plateau. PLoS ONE 11(5): e0156146. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0156146.
3. Yongcui DENG, Xiaoyong CUI, Marc G. DUMONT. 2016. Identification of active aerobic methanotrophs in plateau wetlands using DNA stable isotope probing. FEMS Microbiology Letters 363(16). DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnw168.
4. Xiaoming KANG, Yanbin HAO, Xiaoyong CUI, Huai CHEN, Sanxiang HUANG, Yangong DU, Wei LI , Paul KARDOL, Xiangming XIAO, Lijuan CUI. 2016. Variability and changes in climate, phenology, and gross primary production of an alpine wetland ecosystem. Remote Sensing 8, 391; doi:10.3390/rs8050391.
5. Linfeng LI, Wenyu FAN, Xiaoming KANG, Yanfen WANG, Xiaoyong CUI*, Chengyuan XU, Kevin L. GRIFFIN, Yanbin HAO. 2016. Responses of greenhouse gas fluxes to climate extremes in a semiarid grassland. Atmospheric Environment doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2016.07.039.
6. Jing ZHANG, Fang WANG, Rongxiao CHE, Ping WANG, Hanke LIU, Baoming JI, Xiaoyong CUI*. 2016. Precipitation shapes communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Tibetan alpine steppe. Scientific Reports 6:23488. DOI:10.1038/srep23488.
7. Ruicheng Li, Tianxiang Luo, Thomas Mölg, Jingxue Zhao, Xiang Li, Xiaoyong Cui, Mingyuan Du, Yanhong Tang. 2016. Leaf unfolding of Tibetan alpine meadows captures the arrival of monsoon rainfall. Scientific Reports 6:20985. DOI: 10.1038/srep20985.
8. Shuang MA, Xiaoxue ZHU, Jing ZHANG, Lirong ZHANG, Rongxiao CHE, Fang WANG, Hanke LIU, Haishan NIU, Shiping WANG, Xiaoyong CUI*. (2015) Warming decreased and grazing increased plant uptake of amino acids in an alpine meadow. Ecology and Evolution 5(18):3995–4005
9. Rongxiao CHE, Yongcui DENG, Fang WANG, Weijin WANG, Zhihong XU, Yanfen WANG, Xiaoyong CUI*. 2015. 16S rRNA-based bacterial community structure is a sensitive indicator of soil respiration activity. Journal of Soils and Sediments 15:1987–1990.
10. Yanqi Sun, Xiaoyong Cui, Fulai Liu. 2015. Effect of irrigation regimes and phosphorus rates on water and phosphorus use efficiencies in potato. Scientia Horticulturae 190: 64–69.
11. Shiping Wang, Fandong Meng, Jichuang Duan, Yanfen Wang, Xiaoyong Cui, Shilong Piao, Haishan Niu, Guangping Xu, Caiyun Luo, Zhenhua Zhang, Xiaoxue Zhu, Miaogen Shen, Yingnian Li, Mingyuan Du, Yanhong Tang, Xinquan Zhao, Philippe Ciais, Bruce Kimball, Josep Peñuelas, Ivan Janssens, Shujuan Cui, Liang Zhao, and Fawei Zhan. 2014. Asymmetric sensitivity of first flowering date to warming and cooling in alpine plants. Ecology, 95(12): 3387–3398
12. Yongcui DENG, Xiaoyong CUI, Marcela HERNÁNDEZ, Marc G. DUMONT. 2014. Microbial diversity in hummock and hollow soils of three wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau revealed by 16S rRNA pyrosequencing. PLoS ONE 9(7):e103115. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0103115.
13. Yibo WU, Jing ZHANG, Yongcui DENG, Jing WU, Shiping WANG, Yanhong TANG, Xiaoyong CUI*. 2014. Effects of warming on root diameter, distribution, and longevity in an alpine meadow. Plant Ecology 215(9): 1057-1066.
14. Yanqi SUN, Fei YAN, Xiaoyong CUI, Fulai LIU. 2014. Plasticity in stomatal size and density of potato leaves under different irrigation and phosphorus regimes. Journal of Plant Physiology 171: 1248-1255.
15. Yanfen WANG, Yanbin HAO, Xiaoyong CUI, Haitao ZHAO, Chengyuan XU, Xiaoqi ZHOU,  Zhihong XU. 2014. Responses of soil respiration and its components to drought stress. Journal of Soils and Sediments 14: 99-109
16. Xiaoming KANG, Yanfen WANG, Huai CHEN, Jianqing TIAN, Xiaoyong CUI, Yichao RUI, Lei ZHONG, Paul KARDOL, Yanbin HAO, Xiangming XIAO. 2014. Modeling Carbon Fluxes Using Multi-Temporal MODIS Imagery and CO₂ Eddy Flux Tower Data in Zoige Alpine Wetland, South-West China. Wetlands 34(3): 603-618.
17. Miaogen SHEN, Yanhong TANG, Jin CHEN, Xi YANG, Cong WANG, Xiaoyong CUI, Yongping YANG, Lijian HAN, Le LI, Jianhui DU, Gengxin ZHANG, Nan Cong. 2014. Earlier-season vegetation has greater temperature sensitivity of spring phenology in Northern Hemisphere. PLoS ONE 9(2): e88178. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0088178.
18. Fengchang WU, Yixiang FANG, Yushuang LI, Xiaoyong CUI, Ruiqing ZHANG, Guanghui GUO, John P. GIESY. 2014. Predicted no-effect concentration and risk assessment for 17-[Beta]-estradiol in waters of china. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 228: 31-56.
19. Yongcui DENG, Jing WU, Yibo WU, Yangong DU, Yan ZHANG, Xiaoyong CUI*. 2013. Soil bacterial diversity in relation to altitudinal environment in alpine meadow. Journal of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences 30(5): 620-627
20. Yongcui DENG, Xiaoyong CUI, Claudia LÜKE, Marc G. DUMONT. 2013. Aerobic methanotroph diversity in Riganqiao peatlands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Environmental Microbiology Reports DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12046.
21. Yibo WU, Yongcui DENG, Jing ZHANG, Jing WU, Yanhong TANG, Guangmin CAO, Fawei ZHANG, Xiaoyong CUI*. 2013. Root size and soil environments determine root lifespan: evidence from an alpine meadow on the Tibetan plateau. Ecological Research 28: 493-501.
22. Yanbin HAO, Xiaoming KANG, Xuan WU, Xiaoyong CUI, Wenjun LIU, Hui ZHANG,Yu LI, Yanfen WANG, Zhihong XU, Haitao ZHAO. 2013. Is frequency or amount of precipitation more important in controlling CO₂ fluxes in the 30-year-old fenced and the moderately grazed temperate steppe? Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 171(1): 63-71.
23. Xiaoming KANG, Yanbin HAO, Xiaoyong CUI, Huai CHEN, Changsheng LI, Yichao RUI, Jianqing TIAN, Paul KARDOL, Lei ZHONG, Jinzhi WANG, Yanfen WANG. 2013. Effects of grazing on CO2 balance in a semiarid steppe:field observations and modeling. Journal of Soils and Sediments DOI 10.1007/s11368-013-0675-5.
24. Xiaoyong CUI*, Ke Guo, Yanbin Hao, and Zuozhong Chen. 2012. Degradation and Management of Steppes in China. In: M.J.A. Werger and M.A. van Staalduinen (eds.), Eurasian Steppes: Ecological Problems and Livelihoods in a Changing World, Plant and Vegetation 6, Springer Science+Business Media.
25. Zhou XQ, Chen CR, Wang YF, Xu ZH, Hu ZY, Cui XY, Hao Y.B. 2012. Effects of warming and increased precipitation on soil carbon mineralization in an Inner Mongolian grassland after 6 years of treatments. Biology and Fertility of Soils 48: 859–866.
26. Shiping WANG, Jichuang DUAN, Guangping XU, Yanfen WANG, Zhenhua ZHANG, Yichao RUI, Caiyun LUO, Burenbayin XU, Xiaoxue ZHU, Xiaofeng CHANG, Xiaoyong Cui, Haishan NIU, Xinquan ZHAO, Wenying WANG. 2012. Effects of warming and grazing on soil N availability, species composition, and ANPP in an alpine meadow. Ecology 93(11): 2365-2376.
27. Y.B. HAO, X.M. KANG, X.Y. CUI, K. DING, Y.F. WANG, X.Q. ZHOU. 2012. Verification of a threshold concept of ecologically effective precipitation pulse: From plant individuals to ecosystem    . Ecological Informatics 12:  23-30.
28. Ming PENG, Runkui LI, Xiaoyong CUI, Wenjun DING, Xinfeng ZHAO. 2011. The preliminary application of WebGIS in assessing environmental impact on human health. 2011 19th International Conference on Geoinformatics, I 24-26 June 2011 1 - 4 10.1109/GeoInformatics.2011.5980742 .
29. WANG Y.F., X.Y. CUI, Y.B. HAO, X.R. MEI, G.R. YU, X.Z. HUANG, X.M. KANG, X.Q. ZHOU. 2011. The fluxes of CO2 from grazed and fenced temperate steppe during two drought years on the Inner Mongolia Plateau, China. Science of the Total Environment 410-411: 82-190.
30. KANG Xiaoming, Yanbin HAO, Changsheng LI, Xiaoyong CUI, Jinzhi WANG, Yichao RUI, Haishan NIU, Yanfen WANG. 2011. Modeling impacts of climate change on carbon dynamics in a steppe ecosystem in Inner Mongolia, China.  Journal of Soils and Sediments 11: 562-576.
31. HAO Yan-Bin, Xiao-Yong CUI, Yan-Fen WANG, Xu-Rong MEI, Xiao-Ming KANG, Ning, WU, Peng LUO, Dan ZHU. 2011. Predominance of Precipitation and Temperature Controls on Ecosystem CO₂ Exchange in Zoige Alpine Wetlands of Southwest China. Wetlands 31: 413-422.
32. DU Yangong, Guangmin CAO, Yongcui DENG, Guangchun SUN, Xiaoyong CUI*. 2011. Simulating N₂O emissions from Kobresia humilis alpine meadow on Tibetan Plateau with the DNDC model. Polish Journal of Ecology 59(3): 465-475.
33. HUANG Xiangzhong, Yanbin HAO, Yanfen WANG, Yongfen WANG, Xiaoyong CUI, Xingguo MO, Xiaoqi ZHOU.  2010. Partitioning of evapotranspiration and its relation to carbon dioxide fluxes in Inner Mongolia steppe. Journal of Arid Environments 74: 1616-1623.
34. WU Yibo, Jing WU, Yongcui  DENG, Hongchao TAN, Yangong DU, Song GU, Yanhong TANG, Xiaoyong CUI*. 2011. Comprehensive assessments of root biomass and production in a Kobresia humilis meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Plant and Soil 338: 497-510.
35. HAO Yanbin, Yanfen WANG, Xurng MEI, Xiaoyong CUI. 2010. The response of ecosystem CO2 exchange to small precipitation pulses over a temperate steppe. Plant Ecology 209: 335-347.
36. DU Yangong, Guangmin CAO, Yongcui DENG, Guangchun SUN, CUI Xiaoyong*. 2010. Contribution of the vegetation layers in the nitrous oxide emission from alpine Kobresia humilis meadow ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau. Polish Journal of Ecology 58(1): 115-124.
37. WU Yibo, Hongchao TAN, Yongcui  DENG, Jing WU, Xingliang XU, Yanfen WANG, Yanhong TANG, Teruo HIGASHI, Xiaoyong CUI*. 2010. Partitioning pattern of carbon flux in a Kobresia grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau revealed by field 13C pulse-labeling. Global Change Biology 2322-2333.
38. CUI Xiaoyong, Hongchao TAN, Yibo WU, Jing WU, Yangong DU, Yongcui DENG, Yanhong TANG. 2010. Alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau was a CO2 sink in peak growing season revealed by Keeling Plot method. In: Tundras: Vegetation, Wildlife and Climate Trends (Eds. Gutierrez B, Pena C), Nova Science Publishers, pp 133-151.
39. ZHANG Xiaochun, Song GU, Xinquan ZHAO, Xiaoyong CUI, Liang ZHAO, Shixiao XU, Mingyuan DU, Sha Jiang, Yubao Gao,Chun Ma and Yanhong Tang. 2010. Radiation partitioning and its relation to environmental factors above a meadow ecosystem on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Journal of Geophysical Research–Atmospheres 115, D10106, doi:10.1029/2009JD012373 doi:10.1029/2009JD012373.
40. HAO Yanbin, Yanfen WANG, Xurong MEI, Xiaoyong CUI, Xiaoqi ZHOU, Xiangzhong HUANG. 2010. The sensitivity of temperate steppe CO2 exchange to the quantity and timing of natural interannual rainfall. Ecological Informatics 5(3): 222-228.
41. REN Wei, Hongchao TAN, Jing WU, Yongcui DENG, Yibo WU, Yanhong TANG, Xiaoyong CUI*. 2009. UV light spectral response of photosynthetic photochemical efficiency in alpine mosses. Journal of Plant Ecology doi: 10.1093/jpe/rtp029.
42. CUI Xiaoyong, Song GU, Jing WU, Yanhong TANG. 2009. Photosynthetic response to dynamic changes of light and air humidity in two moss species from the Tibetan Plateau. Ecological Research 24: 645-653.
43. CUI Xiaoyong, Song GU, Xinquan ZHAO, Jing WU, Tomomichi KATO, Yanhong TANG. 2008. Diurnal and seasonal variations of UV radiation on the northern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 148:144-151.
44. GU Song, Yanhong TANG, Xiaoyong CUI, Mingyuan DU, Liang ZHAO, Yingnian LI, Shixiao XU, Huakun ZHOU, Tomomichi KATO, Peitong QI, Xinquan ZHAO. 2008. Characterizing evapotranspiration over a meadow ecosystem on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Journal of Geophysical Research 113, D08118, doi:10.1029/2007JD009173.
45. HAO Yanbin, Yanfen WANG, Xurong MEI, Xiangzhong HUANG, Xiaoyong CUI, Xiaoqi ZHOU, Haishan NIU. 2008. CO₂, H₂O and energy exchange of an Inner Mongolia steppe ecosystem during a dry and wet year. Acta Oecologica 33: 133-143
46. HAO Y.B., WANG Y.F., HUANG X.Z., CUI X.Y., ZHOU X.Q., WANG S.P., NIU H.S., JIANG G.M. 2007. Seasonal and interannual variation in water vapor and energy exchange over a typical steppe in Inner Mongolia, China. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 146(1-2): 57-69
47. CUI Xiaoyong, Shiping WANG, Yanfen WANG, Xuerong XING, Zuozhong CHEN, Silvia HANEKLAUS, Juergen FLECKENSTEIN, and Ewald SCHNUG. 2006. Suitability of extractants for predicting available sulfur in natural grassland in the Inner Mongolia steppe of China. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 37 (5-6): 721-732
48. CUI Xiaoyong, Haishan NIU, Jing WU, Song GU, Yanfen WANG, Shiping WANG, Xinquan ZHAO, and Yanhong TANG. 2006. Response of chlorophyll fluorescence to dynamic light in three alpine species differing in plant architecture. Environmental and Experimental Botany. 58: 149-157.
49. KATO Tomomichi, Yanhong TANG, Song GU, Xiaoyong CUI, Mitsuru HIROTA, Yingnian LI, Xinquan ZHAO, and Takehisa OIKAWA. 2005. Strong temperature dependence and no moss photosynthesis in winter CO2 flux for a Kobresia meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 37: 1966–1969.
50. CUI Xiaoyong, Yanfen WANG, Haishan NIU, Jing WU, Shiping WANG, Ewald SCHNUG, Jutta ROGASIK, Juergen FLECKENSTEIN, Yanhong TANG. 2005. Effect of long-term grazing on soil organic carbon content in semiarid steppes in Inner Mongolia. Ecological Research. 20: 519-527.

The 5th EAFES International Congress: Soil microbial dynamics along an altitude gradient on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. March 16-21, 2012. Otsu, Japan
Ninth CTWF International Workshop on Climate and Environmental Change: Challenges for Developing Countries. November 1-4, 2010. Beijing 
The Thirteenth annual Chinese-American Kavli Frontiers of Science symposium on September 23-25, 2010. Academy’s Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, California.
The Fourth National Environment and Health Forum. September 25-26, 2009. Guangzhou
Eco-summit 2007- Ecological Complexity and Sustainability: Challenges and Opportunities for 21st-Century’s Ecology. May 22-26, 2007. Beijing 
Fertilizers and Fertilization: Stewardship for food security, food quaility, environment and nature conservation. Fourtheenth World Fertilizer Congress. January 22-26, 2006. Chiang Mai, Thailand

1. Plant responses to environmental stresses;

2. Soil Ecology focusing on root and soil microorganisms;

3. Alternative stable state of grassland ecosystems.