Grassland ecology, wetland ecology, plant-animal interactions, food webs, biodiversity, ecosystem functions

A.B. 2009, Liaoning Normal University

Major: Biological Science

 

            M.S. 2015, Northeast Normal University

            Major: Ecology

 

           Ph.D. 2017, Northeast Normal University

           Major: Ecology

   

Professor,  2025-now,  Institute of Grassland and Wetland Science, Northeast Institute of geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

 

Associate professor, 2019-2024, School of Life Science, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University  

 

Research lecture,  2016-2020, School of Life Science, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University 

 

Postdoctoral position,  Institute of Zoology，Chinese Academy of Sciences

Research field: Plant-animal interactions, Dr. Zhibin Zhang, advisor, 2019-2020

 

Visiting Scholar, University of Pittsburgh

Research field: Plant community ecology, Dr. Walter Carson, advisor,  2014-2015

   

Zhu, Y.,  Li, X., Tu, X., A. Risch., ...Zhong, Z*. (2024) Behavioural responses to mammalian grazing expose   insect herbivores to elevated risk of avian predation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 291: 20241112.

Li, T., Allan, Eric., Yang, S., Liu, Y., Inbar Moshe., Wang, D*., Zhong, Z*. (2024) Contrasting effects of sheep and cattle grazing on foliar fungal diseases by changing plant community characteristics. Functional Ecology, 215, 345-351.

Li, T., Zhong, Z*., Pearson, D. E., Ortega, Y. K., Li, W., Li, Y., Wang, D*. (2023). Parasites as ecosystem modulators: foliar pathogens suppress top‐down effects of large herbivores. New Phytologist. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.18912

Zhong, Z., Li, G., Sanders, D., Wang, D., Holt, R. D., Zhang, Z*. (2022). A rodent herbivore reduces its predation risk through ecosystem engineering. Current Biology, 32(8), 1869-1874.

Zhong, Z., Li, X., Smit, C., Tianyun Li, Ling Wang, Valeria Aschero, Diego Vázquez, Mark Ritchie, J. Hall Cushman, Wang, D*. (2022). Large herbivores facilitate a dominant grassland forb via multiple indirect effects. Ecology, 103(4): e3635.

Li, X., Risch, A. C., Sanders, D., Liu, G., Prather, C., Wang, Z., Zhong, Z*. (2021). A facilitation between large herbivores and ants accelerates litter decomposition by modifying soil microenvironmental conditions. Functional Ecology. 35(8): 1822-1832.

Zhong, Z., Li, X., Sanders, D., Liu, Y., Wang, L., Ortega, Y. K., Dean Pearson, Wang, D*. (2021). Soil engineering by ants facilitates plant compensation for large herbivore removal of aboveground biomass. Ecology, 102(5), e03312.

Zhu, Y^#., Zhong, Z^#., Pagès, J. F., Finke, D., Wang, D*., Ma, Q., Wang, L. (2019). Negative effects of vertebrate on invertebrate herbivores mediated by enhanced plant nitrogen content. Journal of Ecology, 107(2), 901-912.

Li, X., Zhong, Z*., Sanders, D., Smit, C., Wang, D., Nummi, P., Hassan, N. (2018). Reciprocal facilitation between large herbivores and ants in a semi-arid grassland. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285(1888), 20181665.

Zhong, Z., Li, X., Pearson, D., Wang, D*., Sanders, D., Zhu, Y., Wang, L. (2017). Ecosystem engineering strengthens bottom-up and weakens top-down effects via trait-mediated indirect interactions. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284(1863), 20170894.

Zhong, Z., Wang, D*., Zhu, H., Wang, L., Feng, C., Wang, Z. (2014). Positive interactions between large herbivores and grasshoppers, and their consequences for grassland plant diversity. Ecology, 95(4), 1055-1064.

Grassland ecology, wetland ecology, community ecology, plant-herbivore interactions,  predator-prey interactions, trophic cascades, food webs