Dr. Zhenhong Hu
Date of Birth: 08/08/1987
Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University
Address: 26 Xinong Rd., Yangling, 712100, China
Tel: +86 156-2215-2245
E-mail: zhhu2008@scau.edu.cn
Education
2013-2017, Ph.D. in Ecology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (Mentor: Prof. Xuhui Zhou).
2015-2016, visiting students (Ph.D.), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, USA (Mentor: Dr. Nate McDowell and Chonggang Xu).
2010-2013, M.S. in Physical Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China (Mentor: Prof. Zhiqun Huang).
2006-2010, B.S. in Geographical Science, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China.
Academic positions
2020- , Professor, Northwest A&F University/ Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, CAS & MWR.
2017-2020, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Joint Institute of Environment Research & Education, South China Agricultural University, Lancaster University
Research focus
My research characterizes the features governing tree productivity and dead wood decomposition in forest ecosystems, and how the dynamics of these processes will be influenced by global change (e.g., warming, drought and nitrogen and phosphorus deposition), tree species and microbial communities. I focus on linking the diverse strategies trees use to promote microbial metabolism and nutrient availability in dead wood with the consequences of these strategies on wood decomposition, C fluxes and soil C inputs. Such work is critical for understanding forest ecosystem functions and services.
Manuscripts in preparation
He, Q., Hu, Z.*, Li, L., Duan H., Yue C., Yu Q. Divergent responses of physiology, morphology and biomass to drought severity and duration between angiosperms and gymnosperms at the global scale, New Phytologist (major review).
SCI journal papers
1. Hu, Z., Song, X., Wang, M., Ma, J., Zhang, Y., Xu, H.-J., . . . Yue, C. (2022). Aridity influences root versus shoot contributions to steppe grassland soil carbon stock and its stability. Geoderma , 413 (115744).
2. Hu, Z., H. Y. H. Chen, C. Yue, X. Gong, G. Zhou, J. Wang, J. Shao, M. Wang, J. Xia, Y. Li, X. Zhou, S. Michaletz. Traits mediate drought effects on wood carbon fluxes, Global Change Biology, 26(6): 3429-3442.
3. Hu, Z., Michaletz, S. T., Johnson, D. J., McDowell, N. G., Huang, Z., Zhou, X. & Xu, C. (2018). Traits drive global wood decomposition rates more than climate. Global Change Biology, 24(11): 5259-5269.
4. Zhou G., Zhou X., He Y., Shao J., Hu Z., Liu R., Zhou H., Hosseinibai S. 2017. Grazing intensity significantly affects belowground carbon and nitrogen cycling in grassland ecosystems: a meta-analysis. Global Change Biology, 23(3): 1167-1179.
5. Hu, Z., C. Xu, N. McDowell, D. Johnson, Y. Luo, M. Wang, X. Zhou, Z. Huang. 2017. Linking microbial community composition to wood C loss during wood decomposition. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 104:108-116.
6. Yu, Z., Z. Huang, M. Wang, R. Liu, L. Zheng, X. Wan, Z. Hu, M. R. Davis, T.-C. Lin. 2015. Nitrogen addition enhances home-field advantage during litter decomposition in subtropical forest plantations. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 90:188-196.
7. Hu, Z, Z. He, Z. Huang, S. Fan, Z. Yu, M. Wang, X. Zhou, C. Fang. 2014. Effects of harvest residue management on soil carbon and nitrogen processes in a Chinese fir plantation. Forest Ecology and Management, 326: 163-170.
8. Huang, Z., X. Wan, Z. He, Z. Yu, M. Wang, Z. Hu, Y. Yang. 2013. Soil microbial biomass, community composition and soil nitrogen cycling in relation to tree species in humid subtropical China. Soil biology and Biochemistry, 62: 68-75.
9. Huang, Z., Z. He, X. Wan, Z. Hu, S. Fan, Y. Yang. 2013. Harvest residue management effects on tree growth and ecosystem carbon in a Chinese fir plantation in subtropical China. Plant and Soil 364: 303–314.
Other journal papers
1. Yu, Z, Z. Huang, M. Wang, Z. Hu, X. Wan, R. Liu, L. Zheng. 2014. Seasonal dynamics of soil respiration and its affecting factors under different tree species in subtropical China. Scientia Silvea Sinicea, 08: 7-14 (In Chinese with English Abstract).
2. Yu. Z., X. Wan, Z. Hu, M. Wang, R. Liu, L. Zheng, Z. Huang. 2014. Contrasting responses of soil respiration to litter manipulation in subtropical Mytilaria laosensis and Cunninghamia lanceolata plantations. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 34(10): 2529-38 (In Chinese with English Abstract).
3. Hu, Z, Z. He, S. Fan, Z. Huang, X. Wan, J. Yang, Z. Yu, M. Wang. 2013. Long-term effects of harvest residue management on total soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations of a replanted Chinese fir plantation, Acta Ecologica Sinica. 33(13):4205-4213 (In Chinese with English Abstract).
4. Hu, Z, S. Fan, Z. He, Z. Huang, X. Wan, Z. Yu, M. Wang, X. Weng. 2013. Effects of harvest residue managements on soil respiration in Chinese fir plantation, Scientia Silvea Sinicea. 49(05):24-29 (In Chinese with English Abstract).
5. Wan, X., Z. Huang, Z. He, Z. Hu, J. Yang, Z. Yu, M. Wang. 2013. Effects of broadleaf plantation and Chinese fir ( Cunninghamialanceolata ) plantation on soil carbon and nitrogen pools. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 24(2):345-350 (In Chinese with English Abstract).
6. Wan, X., Z. Huang, Z. He, Z. Hu, Z. Yu, M. Wang Y. Yang, S Fan. 2013. Tree species effects on soil dissolved organic matter pools in a reforested Chinese fir ( Cunninghamia lanceolata ) woodland. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 25(1):12-18 (In Chinese with English Abstract).
Presentations at conferences
1. Xu, C and Z. Hu. Oral presentation: Process-based tree mortality modeling in Earth System Models. Final Agenda Mortality Workshop. Santa Fe, USA. Oct., 26-28, 2015.
2. Hu, Z. Oral presentation: A key role of wood traits on global wood decomposition. Annual conference of Chinese Ecology Club. Fuzhou, China. Dec. 21-25, 2016.
3. Hu, Z. Oral presentation: Traits drive global wood decomposition rates more than climate. The 7th International Young Ecologist Forum. Shanghai, China. May, 15-17, 2017.
4. Hu, Z. Oral presentation: Wood traits regulated effects of rainfall reduction on carbon fluxes from logs in a subtropical forest. The 4th Young Scholar Symposium on Terrestrial Ecology, Guangzhou, China. Aug, 21-24, 2018.
5. Hu, Z. Oral presentation: Moisture mediates ecosystem carbon cycling in semiarid grasslands. 2018 China Conference on Geography, Xi’an, China. Aug, 28-30, 2018.
6. Hu, Z. Oral presentation: Contrasting effects of soil biodiversity on ecosystem multifunctionality between top- and subsoil across a moisture gradient. Annual conference of Chinese Ecology Club. Kunming, China. Nov. 1-3, 2018.
7. Hu, Z. Oral presentation: Climate & microbial controls on grassland multifunctionality. Addressing food Security, Environmental stress and Water by promoting multidisciplinary Research EU and China Partnerships in science and business closing conference. Guangzhou, China. Mar. 27-28, 2019.
8. Hu, Z. Invited oral presentation: Traits mediate drought effects on wood carbon fluxes. Meteorological Bureau of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an, China. Jun. 7, 2020.
9. Hu, Z. Invited oral presentation: Aridity influences on root vs shoot contributions to steppe grassland soil carbon stocks. Yunnan University, Kunming, China. Aug. 15, 2020.
10. Hu, Z. Invited oral presentation: Aridity influences on root vs shoot contributions to steppe grassland soil carbon stocks. Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China. Dec. 20, 2020.
Research experiences
1. The effect of tree biodiversity on coarse woody debris decomposition and its microbe-driven dynamic. National Natural Science Foundation of China. 2023-2026 (role: PI; ￥540,000).
2. Response mechanism and Simulation of typical vegetation to high temperature heat wave and seasonal drought in the Great Bay area of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province. 2022-2025 (role: PI; ￥100,000).
3. Drought effects on soil carbon processes in plantation forests in China’s Loess Plateau. Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. 2020-2024 (role: PI; ￥600,000).
4. Dynamics of wood decomposition in the background of high nitrogen and low phosphorus deposition in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest. National Natural Science Foundation of China. 2020-2022 (role: PI; ￥250,000).
5. Exploring the mechanisms regulating the response of plant respiration to the increase of atmospheric CO2 concentration, using a 13C disequilibrium method. National Natural Science Foundation of China. 2019-2022 (role: participator; ￥600,000).
6. The response of crop mesophyll conductance to water stress and nitrogen supplementation and its influences on crop water use efficiency. Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province. 2018-2021 (role: participator; ￥100,000).
7. The response of coarse woody debris decomposition to nitrogen addition and its microbial mechanism in a subtropical forest. China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, 2017-2019 (role: PI; ￥50,000).
8. Tree species impact on soil nitrogen transformation and availability in subtropical China. National Natural Science Foundation of China. 2014-2017 (role: participator; ￥800,000).
9. Linking tree species, plant diversity and plant bio-macromolecules to increased soil carbon storage. Funding from Ministry of Education, China. 2012-2015 (role: participator; ￥500,000).
10. Harvest residue management effects on soil carbon storages and soil respiration in a subtropical forest. Funding from Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China. 2011-2013 (role: PI; ￥20,000)
