Dr. Zeng’s research is centered on forest belowground ecology and soil carbon cycling. Over recent years, she has systematically investigated the root–microbe–soil interplay, with a particular focus on three interconnected themes: (i) root turnover dynamics and their contribution to belowground carbon inputs; (ii) rhizosphere biotic interactions and plant nutrient acquisition strategies; and (iii) the microbial mechanisms governing soil organic carbon turnover. Her overarching objective is to elucidate the key processes and mechanistic pathways through which belowground biotic interactions regulate carbon cycling, thereby providing a scientific basis for enhancing carbon sequestration in plantations, sustaining soil fertility, and informing adaptive ecosystem management.

Wenjing Zeng is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a member of the Qianyanzhou Subtropical Forest Observation and Research Station. She received her B.Sc. in Geography from Fujian Normal University in 2012 and her Ph.D. in Ecology from the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, in 2019. She subsequently undertook postdoctoral training in Physical Geography at Peking University (2019–2021) before joining her current institution in the same year. Her research is dedicated to forest belowground ecology and soil carbon dynamics, with a particular emphasis on root–microbe–soil interactions. Her systematic inquiries encompass root turnover and carbon input, rhizosphere nutrient acquisition, and the microbial regulation of soil organic carbon turnover. The overarching goal of her work is to unravel the mechanistic pathways through which belowground biotic interactions govern carbon cycling, thereby offering scientific underpinnings for enhancing carbon sequestration in plantations, sustaining soil fertility, and informing adaptive forest management. She has authored 30 papers in peer-reviewed journals including Ecology Letters and Soil Biology and Biochemistry, of which 9 are first- or corresponding-authored. She has served as Principal Investigator or key participant in projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Major Program, General Program, Young Scientists Fund), the National Key Research and Development Program, and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation. In 2020, she was honored with the Young Talent Support Program of the Ecological Society of China, and she currently serves as a Young Editorial Board Member for the Chinese Journal of Ecology.

   

• Associate Professor (Jan 2026 – Present)

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China

• Assistant Professor (Mar 2021 – Dec 2025)

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), CAS, Beijing, China

• Postdoctoral Researcher in Physical Geography (Jun 2019 – Mar 2021) Peking University, Beijing, China

Co-supervisors: Prof. Wei Wang and Prof. Shushi Peng

• Ph.D. in Ecology, Peking University, Beijing, China (Sep 2012 – Jan 2019)

Supervisors: Prof. Wei Wang and Prof. Youxu Jiang

• B.Sc. in Geography Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China (Sep 2008 – Jul 2012)

Supervisor: Prof. Yusheng Yang

   

1. Zeng WJ, McCormack M, Lyu Y, Liu YX, Gan HJ, Wang SP, Kong LC, Li L, Ma ZQ*. 2025. Delicate trade-offs: nonlinear multiple biotic constraints on absorptive fine root lifespan across trees. Ecology Letters, 28: e70210. (封面文章)
2. Zeng WJ, Wang ZD, Chen XY, Yao XD, Ma ZQ*, Wang W*. 2023. Nitrogen deficiency accelerates soil organic carbon decomposition in temperate degraded grasslands. Science of the Total Environment, 881: 163424.
3. Zeng WJ, Wang ZD, Chen XY, Yao XD, Wang W*. 2021. Increased nitrogen availability alters soil carbon quality by regulating microbial r-K growth strategy, metabolic efficiency, and biomass in degraded temperate grasslands. Land Degradation & Development, 32: 3550-3560.
4. Zeng WJ, Zhang JY, Dong LZ, Wang W*. Zeng H. 2020. Nonlinear responses of total belowground carbon flux and its components to increased nitrogen availability in temperate forests. Science of the Total Environment, 715: 136954.
5. Dong LZ#, Zeng WJ#, Wang AK, Tang JJ, Yao XD, Wang W*. 2020. Response of soil respiration and its components to warming and dominant species removal along an elevation gradient in alpine meadow of the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau. Environmental Science & Technology, 54: 10472-10482.
6. Zeng WJ, Chen JB, Liu HY, Wang W*. 2018. Soil respiration and its autotrophic and heterotrophic components in response to nitrogen addition among different degraded temperate grasslands. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 124: 255-265.
7. Zeng WJ, Zhang JY, Wang W*. 2018. Strong root respiration response to nitrogen and phosphorus addition in nitrogen-limited temperate forests. Science of the Total Environment, 642: 646-655.
8. Zeng WJ, Wang W*. 2015. Combination of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization enhance ecosystem carbon sequestration in a nitrogen-limited temperate plantation of Northern China. Forest Ecology and Management, 314: 59-66.
9. 张慧, 曾文静*, 龚新桃, 马泽清*. 2023. 亚热带典型树种根毛特征及其与共生真菌的关系. 植物生态学报, 47(1): 88-100.