Yuhan Zou
PhD candidate
yuhan.zou@unine.ch
D219
+41 (0)76 218 97 22
Research area
Wetland ecology; biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF); ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF); arid and semi-arid inland wetlands; water–salinity gradients; restoration ecology.
Main topics
- Multidimensional plant biodiversity (taxonomic, functional, phylogenetic);
- Multitrophic biodiversity (plants, soil microbes, insects, birds);
- Mechanisms maintaining ecosystem multifunctionality under water–salinity stress
Project
My PhD research investigates how multidimensional and multitrophic biodiversity jointly regulates ecosystem multifunctionality in the Chahan Nur wetland, a typical inland lake wetland in arid and semi-arid regions. Along pronounced lake-center to shoreline water–salinity gradients, I use two consecutive years of field surveys (2024–2025) to quantify plant community composition, plant functional traits, soil physicochemical properties, soil microbial communities, and ecosystem functional indicators related to nutrient cycling and productivity.
I further integrate insect and bird datasets to expand from plant- and soil-centered analyses to a multitrophic perspective. The project aims to identify how environmental filtering, biodiversity reassembly, and cross-trophic interactions shape multifunctionality, and to provide science-based guidance for wetland conservation and restoration under increasing climatic and anthropogenic pressures.
