Shen Lab - Biodiversity Research Group

Welcome to the Biodiversity Research Lab at East China Normal University. Our research group focuses on biodiversity change mechanisms under climate change, with a specialization in evergreen broad-leaved forest ecology. We employ quantitative modeling and statistical inference to investigate community patterns and processes, particularly the effects of habitat filtering and interspecific competition on species coexistence and community changes.

Our group combines field observations, experimental studies, and statistical modeling to address fundamental questions in ecology. We work across multiple scales from individual traits to community dynamics, with a strong emphasis on quantitative methods and data-driven approaches.

🧭 Research Directions

Based on the Tiantong Field Observation Center, the 20-hectare forest dynamics monitoring plot, and the Tiantong seedling control experiment platform, we conduct research on forest community assembly mechanisms, species diversity maintenance mechanisms, and biodiversity monitoring. Current main research directions include:

1. Forest community diversity monitoring and conservation: Using near-surface remote sensing and other methods to monitor spatiotemporal patterns of plant diversity in forest communities, predict changes in plant diversity under climate change, and explore conservation measures for rare and endangered plants.

2. Forest community structure and function: Based on long-term tree census data, we study the effects of forest species composition, three-dimensional structure, and functional traits on forest ecosystem functions, and explore pathways for synergistic enhancement of forest plant diversity and ecosystem functions.

3. Plant functional traits and species coexistence: Using woody plant seedling control experiments, we examine the relationships between intraspecific and interspecific differences in plant functional traits and species competition and environmental preferences, investigating modern species coexistence theories based on functional traits.

🤝 Join Our Team

We are always looking for highly motivated students and researchers to join our group. If you are interested in: Biodiversity and community ecology, Forest ecology and conservation, Statistical modeling in ecology, Climate change impacts on ecosystems

Please contact Prof. Guochun Shen at gcshen@des.ecnu.edu.cn with your CV and research interests.

🔥 News & Updates

• 2026.02:  🎉🎉 Huge congratulations to our former group member Dr. Jing Yang (Ph.D. 2016–2022; Postdoc 2022–2024) for being awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF) with a remarkable score of 97.8/100. We wish her the very best for her project “IntraDivS” at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
• 2026.01:  🎉🎉 New paper published in ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing on tree delineation.
• 2026.01： 🌿 Field season - Team members conducted winter fieldwork in subtropical forests.
• 2025.11:  🎉🎉 New paper published in Ecology Letters on intraspecific trait variation in subtropical forests.
• 2025.10:  👥 New team member - Welcome to our new PhD (Nan Jin) and Master (Shuaishuai Sun, Jinbo Huang) students joining the lab!
• 2025.9:  🎉🎉 New paper published in Journal of Plant Ecology on forest structural complexity in subtropical forest.
• 2025.8:  🎉🎉 “Ecological Statistics” course awarded as Shanghai Key Construction Course.
• 2025.7-9:  🌿 Field season - Team members conducted summer fieldwork in subtropical forests.

📝 Publications

📄 Journal Articles

• Empowering tree-scale monitoring over large areas: Individual tree delineation from high-resolution imagery, X. Liang, Y. Wang, J. Pan, J. Heiskanen, N. Wang, S. Wu, I. Vuorinne, J. Tian, J. Troles, M. Cloutier, S. Puliti, A. Chandrasekaran, J. Ball, X. Mi, G. Shen, K. Song, G. Shao, R. Astrup, Y. Wang, P. Pellikka, M. Wang, and J. Gong, ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 2026 [PDF]

Ecology Letters 2025

Competition-Induced Trait Variability Obscures Trait–Growth Relationships of Tree Seedlings

J. Yang, G. Shen✉️, X. Wang, & C. P. Carmona. Ecology Letters 2025 [PDF]

• Latitudinal scaling of aggregation with abundance and coexistence in forests, T. Wiegand, X. Wang, S. M. Fischer, N. J. B. Kraft, N. A. Bourg, W. Y. Brockelman, G. Cao, M. Cao, W. Chanthorn, C. Chu, S. Davies, S. Ediriweera, C. V. S. Gunatilleke, I. A. U. N. Gunatilleke, Z. Hao, R. Howe, M. Jiang, G. Jin, W. J. Kress, B. Li, J. Lian, L. Lin, F. Liu, K. Ma, W. McShea, X. Mi, J. A. Myers, A. Nathalang, D. A. Orwig, G. Shen, S.-H. Su, I.-F. Sun, X. Wang, A. Wolf, E. Yan, W. Ye, Y. Zhu, and A. Huth, Nature 2025 [PDF]
• Bias in Discontinuous Elevational Transects for Tracking Species Range Shifts, S. Li, J. Yao, Y. Lin, S. Wu, Z. Yang, C. Jin, Y. Zhang, Z. Wang, J. Liu, G. Shen✉️, and M. Yu, Plants 2025 [PDF]

Journal Of Plant Ecology 2025

Canopy height and stand density mask nature’s inherent synergy between forest structural complexity and diversity

C. Jin, J. Yang, S. Wu, Q. Yu, X. Wang, & G. Shen✉️. Journal of Plant Ecology 2025 [PDF]

• QuadrantSearch: A Novel Method for Registering UAV and Backpack LiDAR Point Clouds in Forested Areas, G. Li, B. Wu, L. Yang, Z. Pan, L. Dong, S. Wu, G. Shen, J. Zhang, T. Xiao, L. Zhang, J. Wu, and B. Yu, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 2025 [PDF]

Nature Communications 2024

Inverse relationship between species competitiveness and intraspecific trait variability may enable species coexistence in experimental seedling communities

J. Yang, X.Y. Wang, C. P. Carmona, X.H. Wang, & G. Shen✉️. Nature Communications 2024 [PDF]

• Topography and structural diversity regulate ecosystem multifunctionality in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, J. Wang, H. Liu, Q. Yang, G. Shen, X. Zhu, Y. Xu, and X. Wang, Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 2023 [PDF]
• Drone-acquired data reveal the importance of forest canopy structure in predicting tree diversity, J. Zhang, Z. Zhang, J. A. Lutz, C. Chu, J. Hu, G. Shen, B. Li, Q. Yang, J. Lian, M. Zhang, X. Wang, W. Ye, and F. He, Forest Ecology and Management 2022
• Importance and benefit of incorporating the responses of species mean trait values in trait-based community assembly, J. Yang, J. Lu, R. Wang, X. Wang, S. Li, and G. Shen✉️, Ecological Indicators 2021 [PDF]
• Species packing and the latitudinal gradient in beta-diversity, K. Cao, R. Condit, X. Mi, L. Chen, H. Ren, W. Xu, D. F. R. P. Burslem, C. Cai, M. Cao, L.-W. Chang, C. Chu, F. Cui, H. Du, S. Ediriweera, C. S. V. Gunatilleke, I. U. A. N. Gunatilleke, Z. Hao, G. Jin, J. Li, B. Li, Y. Li, Y. Liu, H. Ni, M. J. O’Brien, X. Qiao, G. Shen, S. Tian, X. Wang, H. Xu, Y. Xu, L. Yang, S. L. Yap, J. Lian, W. Ye, M. Yu, S.-H. Su, C.-H. Chang-Yang, Y. Guo, X. Li, F. Zeng, D. Zhu, L. Zhu, I.-F. Sun, K. Ma, & J.-C. Svenning, Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological sciences 2021
• Characterizing spatiotemporal variations of forest canopy gaps using aerial laser scanning data, Z. Du, G. Zheng, G. Shen, & L. M. Moskal, International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 2021
• The U‐shaped pattern of size‐dependent mortality and its correlated factors in a subtropical monsoon evergreen forest, R. Lu, Y. Qiao, J. Wang, C. Zhu, E. Cui, X. Xu, Y. He, Z. Zhao, Y. Du, L. Yan, G. Shen, Q. Yang, X. Wang, & J. Xia, Journal of Ecology 2021
• Arbuscular mycorrhizal trees influence the latitudinal beta-diversity gradient of tree communities in forests worldwide, Y. Zhong, C. Chu, J. A. Myers, G. S. Gilbert, J. A. Lutz, J. Stillhard, K. Zhu, J. Thompson, J. L. Baltzer, F. He, J. A. LaManna, S. J. Davies, K. J. Aderson-Teixeira, D. F. R. P. Burslem, A. Alonso, K.-J. Chao, X. Wang, L. Gao, D. A. Orwig, X. Yin, X. Sui, Z. Su, I. Abiem, P. Bissiengou, N. Bourg, N. Butt, M. Cao, C.-H. Chang-Yang, W.-C. Chao, H. Chapman, Y.-Y. Chen, D. A. Coomes, S. Cordell, A. A. de Oliveira, H. Du, S. Fang, C. P. Giardina, Z. Hao, A. Hector, S. P. Hubbell, D. Janík, P. A. Jansen, M. Jiang, G. Jin, D. Kenfack, K. Král, A. J. Larson, B. Li, X. Li, Y. Li, J. Lian, L. Lin, F. Liu, Y. Liu, Y. Liu, F. Luan, Y. Luo, K. Ma, Y. Malhi, S. M. McMahon, W. McShea, H. Memiaghe, X. Mi, M. Morecroft, V. Novotny, M. J. O’Brien, J. den Ouden, G. G. Parker, X. Qiao, H. Ren, G. Reynolds, P. Samonil, W. Sang, G. Shen, Z. Shen, G.-Z. M. Song, I.-F. Sun, H. Tang, S. Tian, A. L. Uowolo, M. Uriarte, B. Wang, X. Wang, Y. Wang, G. D. Weiblen, Z. Wu, N. Xi, W. Xiang, H. Xu, K. Xu, W. Ye, M. Yu, F. Zeng, M. Zhang, Y. Zhang, L. Zhu, & J. K. Zimmerman, Nature Communications 2021
• Distance-based methods for estimating density of non-randomly distributed populations, G. Shen✉️, X. Wang✉️, F. He, Ecology 2020 [PDF]
• Direct and indirect effects of climate on richness drive the latitudinal diversity gradient in forest trees, C. Chu, J. A. Lutz, K. Král, T. Vrška, X. Yin, J. A. Myers, I. Abiem, A. Alonso, N. Bourg, D. F. R. P. Burslem, M. Cao, H. Chapman, R. Condit, S. Fang, G. A. Fischer, L. Gao, Z. Hao, B. C. H. Hau, Q. He, A. Hector, S. P. Hubbell, M. Jiang, G. Jin, D. Kenfack, J. Lai, B. Li, X. Li, Y. Li, J. Lian, L. Lin, Y. Liu, Y. Liu, Y. Luo, K. Ma, W. McShea, H. Memiaghe, X. Mi, M. Ni, M. J. O’Brien, A. A. de Oliveira, D. A. Orwig, G. G. Parker, X. Qiao, H. Ren, G. Reynolds, W. Sang, G. Shen, Z. Su, X. Sui, I.-F. Sun, S. Tian, B. Wang, X. Wang, X. Wang, Y. Wang, G. D. Weiblen, S. Wen, N. Xi, W. Xiang, H. Xu, K. Xu, W. Ye, B. Zhang, J. Zhang, X. Zhang, Y. Zhang, K. Zhu, J. Zimmerman, D. Storch, J. L. Baltzer, K. J. Anderson-Teixeira, G. G. Mittelbach & F. He, Ecology letters 2019
• Species with moderate intraspecific trait variability are locally abundant within an environmentally heterogeneous subtropical forest, G. Shen, E. Yan, A. Bar-Massada, J. Zhang, H. Liu, X. Wang & M. Xu, Oecologia 2019 [PDF]
• Distance-dependent seed‒seedling transition in the tree Castanopsis sclerophylla is altered by fragment size, R. Wang, Y. Shi, Y. Zhang, G. Xu, G. Shen✉️ & X. Chen✉️, Communications Biology 2019 [PDF]
• Spatially explicit metrics of species diversity, functional diversity, and phylogenetic diversity. insights into plant community assembly processes, T. Wiegand, M. Uriarte, N. J. B. Kraft, G. Shen, X. Wang & F. He, Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 2017 [PDF]
• Conspecific Leaf Litter-Mediated Effect of Conspecific Adult Neighborhood on Early-Stage Seedling Survival in A Subtropical Forest, H. Liu, G. Shen, Z. Ma, Q. Yang, J. Xia, X. Fang & X. Wang, Scientific Reports 2016
• Quantifying effects of habitat heterogeneity and other clustering processes on spatial distributions of tree species, G. Shen, F. He, R. Waagepetersen, I. F. Sun, Z. Hao, Z. S. Chen & M. Yu, Ecology 2013 [PDF]
• Quantifying spatial phylogenetic structures of fully stem-mapped plant communities, G. Shen, T. Wiegand, X. Mi & F. He, Methods in Ecology and Evolution 2013 [PDF]
• Species-area relationships explained by the joint effects of dispersal limitation and habitat heterogeneity, G. Shen, M. Yu, X. Hu, X. Mi, H. Ren, I. Sun & K. Ma, Ecology 2009 [PDF]

📚 Books

• Ecological Statistics - Online Textbook A comprehensive online textbook covering fundamental and advanced statistical methods in ecology, including data analysis, modeling, and interpretation techniques specifically tailored for ecological research.

• Introduction to Environmental Damage Forensic Identification (Chinese translation of selected chapters) Contributed to the translation of several chapters for this textbook on environmental damage forensic identification, focusing on ecological assessment methodologies and legal frameworks.

🔬 Research Projects

Our research group is actively involved in multiple funded projects addressing key questions in ecology and biodiversity conservation. Current projects include:

National Key R&D Program of China Special Project (2024YFF1308101): Mechanisms of feedback between restored vegetation species composition/structure and ecological functions (2024.12-2027.11), Principal Investigator

National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) General Program (32271596): Testing the effects of variable functional traits on habitat filtering and competition (2023.01-2026.12), Principal Investigator

Shanghai Natural Science Foundation General Program (23ZR1419200): Enhancing biodiversity and carbon sink systems through forest vertical structure regulation (2023.04-2026.03), Principal Investigator

National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) General Program (31870404): Testing the predictive power of phylogenetic distance for interspecific ecological differences and community structure dynamics (2019.01-2022.12), Principal Investigator

National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) General Program (31470487): Effects of interspecific niche differences and resource tolerance differences on species coexistence (2015.01-2018.12), Principal Investigator

National Key R&D Program of China Sub-project (2016YFC0503100): Research and demonstration of conservation technologies for germplasm resources of extremely small population wild plants (2016.07-2020.12), Key Participant

National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Youth Program (31100309): Effects of similarity limitation and habitat filtering on seedling spatial patterns (2012.01-2014.12), Principal Investigator

👥 Team Members

Current members

Chao Jin (金超)

PhD Candidate

Enrollment: 202209

Exp. Graduation: 202606

Research: Forest structural complexity and species diversity

Siyu Wu (伍斯宇)

PhD Candidate

Enrollment: 202309

Exp. Graduation: 202606

Research: Light competition and species diversity

Nan Jin (金楠)

PhD Candidate

Enrollment: 202409

Exp. Graduation: 202806

Research: Functional traits and elevational gradient

Jia Yao (姚嘉)

MSc Candidate

Enrollment: 202309

Exp. Graduation: 202606

Research: Trait plasticity and species coexistence

Jiqing Zheng (郑济卿)

MSc Candidate

Enrollment: 202309

Exp. Graduation: 202606

Research: Spatial point pattern and niche differentation

Liu Yang (杨柳)

MSc Candidate

Enrollment: 202409

Exp. Graduation: 202706

Research: Species coexistence under global climate change

Hengyi Zhu (朱恒一)

MSc Candidate

Enrollment: 202409

Exp. Graduation: 202706

Research: Forest 3D structure and niche differentation

Jinbo Huang (黄津菠)

MSc Candidate

Enrollment: 202509

Exp. Graduation: 202806

Research: Functional traits and plant interaction

Shuaishuai Sun (孙帅帅)

MSc Candidate

Enrollment: 202509

Exp. Graduation: 202806

Research: Lagency effect of dead large trees

More About Principal Investigator

Guochun Shen, a Professor at the School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University. His research focuses on biodiversity mechanisms under climate change, specializing in evergreen broad-leaved forest ecology. He employs quantitative modeling and statistical inference to investigate community patterns and processes.

🎖 Honors and Awards

• 2024.10 National Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award in Ecology (Supervisor)
• Will be added

• 📖 Educations

• 2001-2005, B.S. in Life Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
• 2005-2009, Ph.D. in Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China (Direct Ph.D. Program)
• 2007-2008, Joint Ph.D. Training, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

💻 Work Experience

• 2021-present, Professor, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
• 2014-2021, Associate Professor, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
• 2013-2014, Lecturer, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
• 2010-2012, Postdoctoral Fellow, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
• 2011 Spring, Visiting Scholar, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
• 2011 Summer-Autumn, Visiting Scholar, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany

💬 Invited Talks

• 2025.11, The 24th Pacific Science Congress, Shantou, China
• Will be added

🏛️ Academic Appointments

Editorial Board Member:

• Journal of Plant Ecology (Chinese Edition)

Journal Reviewer for:

• Biodiversity Science, Journal of Plant Ecology, Chinese Journal of Ecology, Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, Science China
• Ecology Letters, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Communications Biology, Journal of Ecology, Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics
• Forest Ecology and Management, Landscape Ecology, Chinese Science Bulletin, Journal of Vegetation Science, Journal of Plant Ecology
• Oikos, PLOS ONE, Acta Oecologica, Ecology and Evolution, Plant Biology, Community Ecology
• Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, Scientific Reports, AoB Plants, Folia Geobotanica

Alumni