Jianguo Chen, Associate Professor, Ph.D.

　　Research Interests

　　1. Species interactions and their functions on the alpine ecosystems

　　There are hundreds of cushions and shrub species distributing on the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains in Southwest China, some of them have been shown to play an important role in enhancing alpine community diversity. I mainly focus on: 1) the population dynamics (including reproduction) of keystone species in the alpine ecosystems; 2) the facilitation by cushion/shrub species and their contributions to the local ecosystems, including diversity, above-ground production, species networks and community dynamics; 3) the responses of species interactions to environmental stress gradient (both abiotic and biotic) thus to climate change; 4) any other interesting topics.

　　2. Evolution and adaptation of plant functional traits

　　In alpine habitats, the extreme abiotic factors exert key selective pressures on species’ evolution, leading them to evolve various functional traits (e.g. showy flowers, dense pubescence, Semi-translucent bracts, etc.) to enhance survival and reproduction. I focus on: 1) evolutionary and adaptive strategies of specialized functional traits; 2) resource allocation strategies of the functional traits and their ecological significance; 3) responses of plant functional traits to climate change.

　　Publications (#co-first authors, *Corresponding authors)

　　1. Jianguo Chen^#, Nadine Engbersen, Laura Stefan, Bernhard Schmid , Hang Sun, Christian Schöb*. 2021a. Diversity increases yield but reduces harvest index in crop mixtures. Nature Plants 7: 893-898.

　　2. Jianguo Chen^#, Yazhou Zhang^#, Hongrui Zhang, Christian Schöb, Songwei Wang, Shuai Chang, Hang Sun*. 2021b. The positive effects of the alpine cushion plant Arenaria polytrichoides on insect dynamics are determined by both physical and biotic factors. Science of the Total Environment 762: 143091.

　　3. Jianguo Chen^#, Yang Yang, Wang Songwei, Sun Hang*, Christian Schöb*. 2020a. Shrub facilitation promotes selective tree establishment beyond the climatic treeline. Science of the Total Environment 708: 134618.

　　4. Jianguo Chen^#, Xiaofang He, Songwei Wang, Yang Yang, Hang Sun*. 2019. Cushion and shrub ecosystem engineers contribute differently to diversity and functions in alpine ecosystems. Journal of Vegetation Science 30: 362-374.

　　5. Jianguo Chen^#, Christian Schöb, Zhuo Zhou, Qiangbang Gong, Xinhui Li, Yang Yang*, Zhimin Li*, Hang Sun*. 2015a. Cushion plants can have a positive effect on diversity at high elevations in the Himalayan-Hengduan Mountains. Journal of Vegetation Science 26: 768-777.

　　6. Jianguo Chen^#, Yang Yang, Songwei Wang, Jürg Stöcklin, Deli Peng, Hang Sun*. 2020b. Recruitment of the high elevation cushion plant Arenaria polytrichoides is limited by competition, thus threatened by currently established vegetation. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 58: 58-69.

　　7. Jianguo Chen^#, Yang Yang^#, Jürg Stöcklin, Lohengrin A. Cavieres, Deli Peng, Zhimin Li, Hang Sun*. 2015b. Soil nutrient availability determines the facilitative effects of cushion plants on other plant species at high elevations in the south-eastern Himalayas. Plant Ecology & Diversity 8: 199-210.

　　8. Jianguo Chen^#, Yang Niu, Zhimin Li, Yang Yang*, Hang Sun*. 2017a. Sex allocation in gynodioecious Cyananthus delavayi differs between gender morphs and soil quality. Plant Reproduction 30: 30:107-117.

　　9. Jianguo Chen^#, Yang Niu, Yang Yang*, Hang Sun*. 2016. Sexual allocation in the gynodioecious species Cyananthus macrocalyx (Campanulaceae) at high elevations in the Sino-Himalaya Mountains. Alpine Botany 126:49-57.

　　10. Jianguo Chen^#, Shuai Chang, Yang Niu, Zhimin Li, Yang Yang*, Hang Sun*. 2017b. Seed quality of the Sino-Himalayan endemic genus Cyananthus (Campanulaceae) increases with elevation and varies with life histories. Plant Ecology & Diversity 10: 43-52.

　　11. Jianguo Chen^#, Yanbo Li, Yang Yang*, Hang Sun*. 2017c. How cushion communities are maintained in alpine ecosystems: A review and case study on alpine cushion plant reproduction. Plant Diversity 39: 221-228.

　　12. Jianguo Chen^#, Yang Yang^#, Zhiqiang Zhang, Yang Niu, Hang Sun*. 2013. A nodding capitulum enhances the reproductive success of Cremanthodium campanulatum (Asteraceae) at high elevations in the Sino–Himalayan Mountains. Plant Ecology & Diversity 6: 487-494.

　　13. Xufang Chen^#, Lishen Qian, Yazhou Zhang, Honghua Shi, Hang Sun*, Jianguo Chen*. 2021. Alpine community recruitment potential is determined by habitat attributes in the alpine ecosystems of the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains, SW China. Ecology & Evolution 11:17397-17408.

　　14. Yazhou Zhang^#, Lishen Qian^#, Xufang Chen, Lu Sun, Hang Sun*, Jianguo Chen*. 2021a. Diversity patterns of cushion plants on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: A basic study for future conservation efforts on alpine ecosystems. Plant Diversity (online).

　　15. Yazhou Zhang^#, Jianguo Chen*, Hang Sun*. 2021b. Alpine speciation and morphological innovations: revelations from a species-rich genus in the Northern Hemisphere. AoB Plants 13: 3.

　　16. Yazhou Zhang^#, Lishen Qian, Spalink, Lu Sun, Jianguo Chen*, Hang Sun*. 2020. Spatial phylogenetics of two topographic extremes of the Hengduan Mountains in southwestern China and its implications for biodiversity conservation. Plant Diversity 43: 181-191.

　　17. 张亚洲^#，王淞伟^#，何小芳，杨扬，陈建国*，孙航*. 2020. 高山垫状植物团状福禄草开花面积与方位随海拔的变化及其适应性. 植物生态学报 44 (11): 1154-1163.