Research interests

My research interest is soil ecology. My main interests have been in soil microbial communities, soil nematode communities, and soil micro-arthropod communities as ecological indicators for ecosystem management. My current interests are soil biodiversity and micro-food web structure and functions (soil microbes and nematodes), ecosystem restoration and sustainable management, ecosystem multifunctionality.

Work Experience

Professor From 2020 to present, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Research on soil ecology and restoration ecology.

Associate Professor From 2015 to 2019, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Research on soil ecology and restoration ecology.

Assistant Professor From 2012 to 2014, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Research on soil ecology and restoration ecology.

Education

Ph.D. 2012 Majored in soil ecology and restoration ecology, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. As a visiting scholar at The University of Vermont from Dec 2010 to Jan 2012.

B.S. 2007 Biotechnology, Shandong University, Weihai, China.

[1]Liao, X., Fu, S., Zhao, J.*, 2023. Altered energy dynamics of multitrophic groups modify the patterns of soil CO2 emissions in planted forest. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 178: 108953.

[2]Li, J., Zhao, J.*, Liao, X., Yi, Q., Zhang, W., Lin, H., Liu, K., Peng, P., Wang, K., 2023. Long-term returning agricultural residues increases soil microbe-nematode network complexity and ecosystem multifunctionality. Geoderma 430, 116340.

[3]Li, Z., Chen, X., Li, J., Liao, X., Li, D., He, X., Zhang, W., Zhao, J.*, 2022. Relationships between soil nematode communities and soil quality as affected by land-Use type. Forests 13, 1658.

[4]Liao, X., Zhao, J.*, Xu, L., Tang, L., Li, J., Zhang, W., Xiao, J., Xiao, D., Hu, P., Nie, Y., Zou, D., Wang, K.*, 2023. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increase the interspecific competition between two forage plant species and stabilize the soil microbial network during a drought event: Evidence from the field. Applied Soil Ecology 185, 104805.

[5]Liao, X., Zhao, J.*, Yi, Q., Li, J., Li, Z., Wu, S., Zhang, W., Wang, K.*, 2023. Metagenomic insights into the effects of organic and inorganic agricultural managements on soil phosphorus cycling. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 343, 108281.

[6]Wang, J., Wang, H., Lin, Q., Wu, Y., He, X., Chen, X., Yan, W.*, Zhao, J.*, 2023. Legume biological nitrogen fixation improves but chemical nitrogen fertilizer suppresses soil nematode communities in a Camellia oleifera plantation. Land Degradation & Development.

[7]Zhao, J., Wang, K.*, 2022. Methods for cleaning turbid nematode suspensions collected from different land-use types and soil types. Soil Ecology Letters 4, 429-434.

[8]Gao, D., Moreira-Grez, B., Wang, K., Zhang, W., Xiao, S., Wang, W., Chen, H., Zhao, J.*, 2021. Effects of ecosystem disturbance on nematode communities in calcareous and red soils: Comparison of taxonomic methods. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 155, 108162.

[9]Zhao, J., Xiao, J., Zhang, W., Fu, Z., Zhang, M., Liu, T., Tan, Q., Wang, K., 2019. A method for estimating nematode body lengths for use in the calculation of biomass via a simplified formula. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 134, 36-41.

[10]Gao, D., Wan, S., Fu, S., Zhao, J.*, 2021. Effects of understory or overstory removal on the abundances of soil nematode genera in a eucalyptus plantation. Frontiers in Plant Science 12, 640299.

[11]Liao, X., Song, T., Xiong, Y., Zou, D., Wang, K., Du, H., Zhao, J.*, 2021. Soil nematode communities on five oceanic islands across a latitudinal gradient in the north of the South China Sea: Influence of biotic and abiotic factors. Ecological Indicators 129, 107619.

[12]Gao, D., Wang, F., Li, J., Yu, S., Li, Z., Zhao, J.*, 2020. Soil nematode communities as indicators of soil health in different land use types in tropical area. Nematology 22, 595-610.

[13]Wang, Z., He, G., Hou, Z., Luo, Z., Chen, S., Lu, J., Zhao, J.*, 2021. Soil C:N:P stoichiometry of typical coniferous (Cunninghamia lanceolata) and/or evergreen broadleaved (Phoebe bournei) plantations in south China. Forest Ecology and Management 486, 118974.

[14]Ye, Y., Rui, Y., Zeng, Z., He, X., Wang, K., Zhao, J.*, 2020. Responses of soil nematode community to monoculture or mixed culture of a grass and a legume forage species in China. Pedosphere 30, 791-800.

[15]Zhao, J., Xun, R., He, X., Zhang, W., Fu, W., Wang, K., 2015. Size spectra of soil nematode assemblages under different land use types. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 85, 130-136.

[16]Li. J., Peng, P., Zhao, J.*, 2020. Assessment of soil nematode diversity based on different taxonomic levels and functional groups. Soil Ecology Letters 2: 33-39

[17]Zhao, J., He, X., Zhang, W., Nie, Y., Fu, Z., Wang, K., 2015. Unusual soil nematode communities on karst mountain peaks in southwest China. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 88, 414-419.

[18]Zhao, J., Li, D., Fu, S., He, X., Fu, Z., Zhang, W., Wang, K., 2016. Using the biomasses of soil nematode taxa as weighting factors for assessing soil food web conditions. Ecological Indicators 60, 310-316.

[19]Gao, D., Wang, X., Fu, S., Zhao, J.*, 2017. Legume plants enhance the resistance of soil to ecosystem disturbance. Frontiers in Plant Science 8.

[20]Zhang, W., Zhao, J.#, Pan, F., Li, D., Chen, H., Wang, K., 2015. Changes in nitrogen and phosphorus limitation during secondary succession in a karst region in southwest China. Plant and Soil 391, 77-91.

[21]Ciobanu, M., Popovici, I., Zhao, J.*, Stoica, I.-A., 2015. Patterns of relative magnitudes of soil energy channels and their relationships with environmental factors in different ecosystems in Romania. Scientific Reports 5, 17606.

[22]Zhao, J., He, X., Wang, K., 2015. A hypothetical model that explains differing net effects of inorganic fertilization on biomass and/or abundance of soil biota. Theoretical Ecology 8, 505-512.

[23]Zhao, J., Li, S., He, X., Liu, L., Wang, K., 2014. The soil biota composition along a progressive succession of secondary vegetation in a karst area. PLOS ONE 9, e112436.

[24]Zhao, J., Neher, D., 2013. Soil nematode genera that predict specific types of disturbance. Applied Soil Ecology 64, 135-141.

[25]Zhao, J., Neher, D., 2014. Soil energy pathways of different ecosystems using nematode trophic group analysis: a meta analysis. Nematology 16, 379-385.

[26]Zhao, J., Neher, D., Fu, S., Li, Z., Wang, K., 2013. Non-target effects of herbicides on soil nematode assemblages. Pest Management Science 69, 679-684.

[27]Zhao, J., Shao, Y., Wang, X., Neher, D.A., Xu, G., Li, Z.a., Fu, S., 2013. Sentinel soil invertebrate taxa as bioindicators for forest management practices. Ecological Indicators 24, 236-239.

[28]Zhao, J., Wan, S., Fu, S., Wang, X., Wang, M., Liang, C., Chen, Y., Zhu, X., 2013. Effects of understory removal and nitrogen fertilization on soil microbial communities in Eucalyptus plantations. Forest Ecology and Management 310, 80-86.

[29]Zhao, J., Wan, S., Li, Z., Shao, Y., Xu, G., Liu, Z., Zhou, L., Fu, S., 2012. Dicranopteris-dominated understory as major driver of intensive forest ecosystem in humid subtropical and tropical region. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 49, 78-87.

[30]Zhao, J., Wan, S., Zhang, C., Liu, Z., Zhou, L., Fu, S., 2014. Contributions of understory and/or overstory vegetations to soil microbial PLFA and nematode diversities in eucalyptus monocultures. PLOS ONE 9, e85513.

[31]Zhao, J., Wang, F., Li, J., Zou, B., Wang, X., Li, Z., Fu, S., 2014. Effects of experimental nitrogen and/or phosphorus additions on soil nematode communities in a secondary tropical forest. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 75, 1-10.

[32]Zhao, J., Wang, X., Shao, Y., Xu, G., Fu, S., 2011. Effects of vegetation removal on soil properties and decomposer organisms. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 43, 954-960.

[33]Zhao, J., Wang, X., Wang, X., Fu, S., 2014. Legume-soil interactions: legume addition enhances the complexity of the soil food web. Plant and Soil 385, 273-286.

[34]Zhao, J., Zeng, Z., He, X., Chen, H., Wang, K., 2015d. Effects of monoculture and mixed culture of grass and legume forage species on soil microbial community structure under different levels of nitrogen fertilization. European Journal of Soil Biology 68, 61-68.

[35]Zhao, J., Zhang, W., Wang, K., Song, T., Du, H., 2014. Responses of the soil nematode community to management of hybrid napiergrass: The trade-off between positive and negative effects. Applied Soil Ecology 74, 134-144.

[36]Zhao, J., Zhao, C., Wan, S., Wang, X., Zhou, L., Fu, S., 2015. Soil nematode assemblages in an acid soil as affected by lime application. Nematology 17, 179-191