Xingfeng Si

2008–2014 Ph.D. Ecology, Zhejiang University

2012–2013 Visiting Student. Ecology, Duke University

2004–2008 B.S. Biological Science, Zhejiang Normal University

2018–present Professor, East China Normal University

2016–2018 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto

2016–2016 Visiting Scholar, Harvard University

2014–2018 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Zhejiang University

Welcome to The Si Lab in the School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences at East China Normal University. We are principally animal ecologists and biogeographers, with broad interests in island biogeography, community ecology, urban ecology, conservation biology, and ornithology. Using functional and phylogenetic approaches, our lab seeks to understand community assembly of island faunas, biodiversity changes after habitat fragmentation, and human impacts on biodiversity at the large scale.

Our lab is recruiting postdoctoral researchers in animal ecology, biodiversity, community ecology, biogeography and/or ornithology. Please see 'Join The Lab' or email Dr. Xingfeng Si for more details.

Fellow of the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU Fellow) (2022–present)

Editor of Biological Conservation (2021–present)

Associate Editor of Zoological Research: Diversity and Conservation (2023–present)

Associate Editor of Journal of Animal Ecology (2017–present)

Associate Editor of Methods in Ecology and Evolution (2023–present)

Associate Editor of Avian Research (2018–present)

Associate Editor of Wildlife Letters (2022–present)

Editorial Member of Zoological Research (2022–present)

Youth Editor of Integrative Zoology (2022–present)

Research Interests: Beta diversity, biodiversity conservation, biotic homogenization, camera trap, community assembly, functional trait, habitat fragmentation, imperfect detection, island biogeography, land-use change, occupancy model, phylogenetic diversity, species interaction, urban ecology, wildlife monitoring.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Yuhao Zhao (email): Community ecology, island biogeography, myrmecology, conservation biology

Yangheshan Yang (email): Community ecology, plant-animal interaction, food web

Di Zeng (email): Biodiversity, defaunation, ecological networks, rodent seed dispersal

PhD Students

Wande Li (email): Ornithology, plant-animal interaction, ecological network, community ecology

Yue Wang (email): Biodiversity conservation, animal ecology, biogeography

Peng Han (email): Community ecology, insect ecology, bird biodiversity, conservation biology

Sijia Yuan (email): Bird diversity, species coexistence, island biogeography

Yao Shen (email): Bird diversity, consrevation biology, urban ecology, SLOSS debate

Xiaotao Zhou (email): Deep learning, bioacoustics, passive acoustic monitoring

Master's Students

Rui Wang (email): Biodiversity, conservation biology, island biogeography

Chenxiao Wu (email): Urban ecology, biodiversity, island biogeography

Jiaxin Li (email): Bird diversity, community ecology, conservation biology, elevation

Wei Lu (email): Biodiversity and conservation, bird diversity, island biogeography

Qianyuan Chen (email): Bird diversity, interspecific relationship, behavioral ecology

Yingcan Zhu (email): Urban ecology, biodiversity, ecosystem services

Siyu Du (email): Island biogeography, bird diversity, biodiversity

Shifan Gong (email): Behavioral ecology, bird diversity, conservation biology

Undergraduate Students

Enping Cai, Suting Ge, Zhaoyi Xiang, Ximao Wang, Zhou Yang, Meihui Zhang, Manshu Li: Nest selection, bird breeding, human disturbance

Zhou Yang, Wenhao Xu, Yiqian Tang, Xinyue Liang: Bird diversity, bird behavior

PhD Students

Xiangxu Liu (2019–2023)

Master's Students

Duorun Wang (2019–2022), Yi Kang (2020–2023), Guangpei Wei (2020–2023)

Research Assistant

Shupei Tang (2019–2020)

Undergraduate Students

Xinyi Liu, Yao Shen, Jiaxin Li; Zhengyi Liu, Luhang Jiang, Dana Yi; Guzi Ao, Shihao Yin, Yaping Liu; Yuxin Su, Ruoxi Wu

Undergraduate Courses

Animal Ecology

Field Course for Animal Taxonomy

The Ecologists' Telescopes: Field Survey Across Wild China (participate)

Graduate Courses

Avian Ecology

Biodiversity Science: Theory and Practice (participate)

Advances in Community Ecology and Marcoecology (participate)

Advances in Ecology (participate)

2024–2027 Temporal dynamics and maintenance mechanisms of plant-frugivorous bird networks in fragmented habitats. National Natural Science Foundation of China (32371590).

2023–2026 Interactions between land-use change and island biogeography as drivers of animal community assembly in the Zhoushan and Caribbean Archipelagos. National Natural Science Foundation of China (32311520284).

2021–2024 Effects of imperfect detection on estimates of bird diversity: a long-term case study in the Thousand Island Lake. National Natural Science Foundation of China (32071545).

2019–2022 Plant-animal mutualistic networks in fragmented habitats of the Thousand Island Lake. National Natural Science Foundation of China (31872210).

2016–2018 Taxonomic and functional beta diversity of bird and mammal communities in fragmented habitats of the Thousand Island Lake. National Natural Science Foundation of China (31500453).

For a full list of publications, click on my Google Scholar, or ResearchGate.

70). Ding Z, Liang J, Yang L, Wei C, Hu H*, Si X*. (2024) Deterministic processes drive turnover-dominated beta diversity of breeding birds along the central Himalayan elevation gradient. Avian Research, 15, 100170.

69). Zhao Y, Mendenhall CD, Matthews TJ, Wang D, Li W, Liu X, Tang S, Han P, Wei G, Kang Y, Wu C, Wang R, Zeng D, Frishkoff LO, Si X*. (2024) Land-use change interacts with island biogeography to alter bird community assembly. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 291, 20232245.

68). Yang Y, Zhao Y, Stidham TA, Liu X, Zhu X, Li B, Zhang L, Ni X, Si X*. (2024) Uncovering widespread Anthropocene dietary shifts in Chinese large mammalian herbivores. Ecology Letters, 27, e14343. [Cover article]

67). Martínez AE, Zhou L, Si X*, Ding P, Goodale E*. (2024) Island biogeography of mixed-species bird flocks: A gregarious nuclear species influences island area effects. Journal of Biogeography, in press. doi: 10.1111/jbi.14757.

66). Zhu C, Dalsgaard B, Li W, Gonçalves F, Vollstädt MGR, Ren P, Zhang X, Shao J, Ding P, Si X*. (2024) Generalist and topologically central avian frugivores promote plant invasion unequally across land-bridge islands. Ecology, 105, e4216.

65). Zhang X, Dalsgaard B, Staab M, Zhu C, Zhao Y, Gonçalves F, Ren R, Cai C, Qiao G, Ding P*, Si X*. (2023) Habitat fragmentation increases specialization of multi-trophic interactions by high species turnover. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 290, 20231372.

64). Li W^#, Zhu C^#, Grass I, Han P, Shen Y, Ding P, Si X*. (2023) Widespread arboreal foraging behavior in ground-dwelling birds and the urgency of life-history studies. Biological Conservation, 286, 110320.

63). Liu X, Zhao Y, Zeng D, Yang Y, Li W, Kang Y, Wei G, Yuan X, Bo S, Si X*. (2023) Characterizing bird species for achieving the win-wins of conserving biodiversity and enhancing regulating ecosystem services in urban green spaces. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 87, 128064.

62). Zhu C^#, Li W^#, Campos-Arceiz A, Dalsgaard B, Ren P, Wang D, Zhang X, Sun M, Si Q, Kang Y, Ding P*, Si X*. (2023) The reliability of regional ecological knowledge to build local interaction networks: a test using seed-dispersal networks across land-bridge islands. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 290, 20231221.

61). Liang J^#, Ding Z^#, Li C, Hu Y, Zhou Z, Lie G, Hu H*, Si X*. (2024) Patterns and drivers of avian taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity in China vary across geographical backgrounds and dispersal abilities. Zoological Research, 45, 125–135.

60). Wang P, Li S*, Yang X, Si X, Li W, Shu W, Jiang L. (2023) Spatial scaling of soil microbial co-occurrence networks in a fragmented landscape. mLife, 2, 209–215.

59). Matthews TJ*, Wayman JP, Whittaker RJ, Cardoso P, Hume JP, Sayol F, Proios K, Martin TE, Baiser B, Borges PAV, Kubota Y, dos Anjos L, Tobias JA, Soares FC, Si X, Ding P, Mendenhall CD, Sin YCK, Rheindt FE, Triantis KA, Guilhaumon F, Watson DM, Brotons L, Battisti C, Chu O, Rigal F. (2023) A global analysis of avian island diversity–area relationships in the Anthropocene. Ecology Letters, 26, 965–982.

58). Martínez AE^#, Si X^#*, Zhou L, Zeng D, Ding P, Goodale E*. (2023) Interspecific sociality alters the colonization and extinction rates of birds on subtropical reservoir islands. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 378, 20220096.

57). Ren P, Didham RK, Murphy MV, Zeng D, Si X, Ding P*. (2023) Edges increase pollinator network robustness to extinction with declining forest area. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 7, 393–404.

56). Jin T, Si X, Liu J, Ding P*. (2023) An integrated animal tracking technology combining a GPS tracking system with a UAV. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 14, 505–511.

55). Han P, Zhao Y, Kang Y, Ding P, Si X*. (2024) Island biogeography of soundscapes: island area shapes spatial patterns of avian acoustic diversity. Journal of Biogeography, 51, 511–521.

54). Wang D^#, Zhao Y^#, Tang S, Liu X, Li W, Han P, Zeng D, Yang Y, Wei G, Kang Y, Si X*. (2023) Nearby large islands diminish biodiversity of the focal island by a negative target effect. Journal of Animal Ecology, 92, 492–502.

53). Li W, Zhu C, Grass I, Vázquez D, Wang D, Zhao Y, Zeng D, Kang Y, Ding P, Si X*. (2022) Plant-frugivore network simplication under habitat fragmentation leaves a small core of interacting generalists. Communications Biology, 5, 1214.

52). Ren P, Si X, Ding P*. (2022). Stable species and interactions in plant-pollinator networks deviate from core position in fragmented habitats. Ecography, 2022, e06102. [Editor’s Choice]

51). Yao H, Wang P, Wang N, McGowan PJK, Si X, Li J, Xu J*. (2022) Functional and phylogenetic structures of pheasants in China. Avian Research, 13, 100041.

50). Zeng C, Li W, Ding P, Peng Y*, Wu L, Si X. (2022). A landscape-level analysis of bird taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic β-diversity in habitat island systems. Journal of Biogeography, 49, 1162–1175.

49). Liu J*, MacDonald ZG, Si X, Wu L, Zeng D, Hu G, Ding P, Yu M. (2022). SLOSS-based inferences in a fragmented landscape depend on fragment area and species-area slope. Journal of Biogeography, 49, 1075–1085.

48). Si X*, Cadotte MW, Davies TJ, Antonelli A, Ding P, Svenning J-C, Faurby S. (2022) Phylogenetic and functional clustering illustrate the roles of adaptive radiation and dispersal filtering in jointly shaping late-Quaternary mammal assemblages on oceanic islands. Ecology Letters, 25, 1250–1262.

47). López-Bosch D, Rocha R, López-Baucells A, Wang Y, Si X, Ding P, Gibson L*, Palmeirim AF*. (2022) Passive acoustic monitoring reveals role of habitat affinity in sensitivity of sub-tropical East Asian bats to fragmentation. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 8, 208–221.

46). Zhu C, Li W, Gregory T, Wang D, Ren P, Zeng D, Kang Y, Ding P*, Si X*. (2022) Arboreal camera trapping: A reliable tool to monitor plant-frugivore interactions in the trees on large scales. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 8, 92–104.

45). Yan E*, Si X, Zhang J, Chen X. (2022) Edward O. Wilson and the theory of island biogeography. Biodiversity Science, 30, 22024.

44). Wang X, Zhong M, Zhang J, Si X, Yang S, Jiang J, Hu J*. (2022) Multiple dimensions of amphibian diversity and community structure along a 2600-m elevational gradient on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Zoological Research, 43, 46–57. [Cover Article]

43). Zhao Y, Sanders NJ, Liu J, Jin T, Zhou H, Lu R, Ding P, Si X*. (2021) β diversity among ant communities on fragmented habitat islands: the roles of species trait, phylogeny and abundance. Ecography, 44, 1568–1578.

42). Liu J*, Zhao Y, Si X, Feng G, Slik F, Zhang J. (2021) University campuses as valuable resources for urban biodiversity research and conservation. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 64, 127255.

41). Zhang C, Cadotte MW, Chiarucci A, Loreau M, Willis GC, Si X, Li L*, Cianciaruso MV. (2021) Scale-dependent shifts in functional and phylogenetic structure of Mediterranean island plant communities over two centuries. Journal of Ecology, 109, 3513–3523.

40). Ding Z, Hu H, Cadotte MW, Hu Y, Liang J, Si X*. (2021) Elevational patterns of bird functional and phylogenetic structure in the central Himalaya. Ecography, 44, 1403–1417.

39). He W^#, Zhang X^#, Gao G, Gao M, Zhong F, Lv L, Cai Z, Si X, Yang J*, Liu J*. (2021) Clonal spread of Escherichia coli O101: H9-ST10 and O101: H9-ST167 strains carrying fosA3 and bla_CTX−M−14 among diarrheal calves in a Chinese farm, with Australian Chroicocephalus as the possible origin of E. coli O101: H9-ST10. Zoological Research, 42, 461–468.

38). Sreekar R*, Si X, Sam K, Liu J, Dayananda S, Goodale U, Kotagama S, Goodale E. (2021) Land-use and elevation interact to shape bird functional and phylogenetic diversity and structure: Implications for designing optimal agriculture landscapes. Journal of Applied Ecology, 58, 1738–1748.

37). Chu C*, Chen L, Fan P, He Z, Li Y, Liao J, Liu X, Niu K, Si X, Wang S, Xi X. (2021) Conceptual and theoretical dimensions of biodiversity research in China: Examples from plants. National Science Review, 8, nwab060.

36). Møller AP*, Si X. (2021) Personality of hosts and their brood parasites. Current Zoology, 67, 625–630.

35). Wang X, Svenning J-C, Liu J, Zhao Z, Zhang Z, Feng G, Si X, Zhang J*. (2021) Regional effects of plant diversity and biotic homogenization in urban greenspace – the case of university campuses across China. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 62, 127170.

34). Zhu C, Li W, Wang D, Ding P*, Si X*. (2021) Plant–frugivore interactions revealed by arboreal camera trapping. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 19, 149–151.

33). Liu X^#, Jia P^#, Cadotte MW, Zhu C, Si X, Wang Y, Chen F, Wu J, Zhou S*. (2021) Host plant environmental filtering drives foliar fungal community assembly in symptomatic leaves. Oecologia, 195, 737–749.

32). Zhao Y, Dunn R, Zhou H, Si X*, Ding P*. (2020) Island area, not isolation, drives taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity of ants on land-bridge islands. Journal of Biogeography, 47, 1627–1637. [Editor's Choice]

31). Wang N, Mao L, Yang X, Si X, Wang Y, Eiserhardt WL, Feng G*. (2020) High plant species richness and stable climate lead to richer but phylogenetically and functionally clustered avifaunas. Journal of Biogeography, 47, 1945–1954.

30). Yang C*, Si X, Liang W, Møller AP. (2020) Spatial variation in egg polymorphism among cuckoo hosts across four continents. Current Zoology, 66, 477–483.

29). Kays R*, Arbogast BS, Baker-Whatton M, Beirne C, Boone HM, Bowler M, Burneo SF, Cove MV, Ding P, Espinosa S, Gonçalves ALS, Hansen CP, Jansen PA, Kolowski JM, Knowles TW, Lima MGM, Millspaugh J, McShea WJ, Pacifici K, Parsons AW, Pease BS, Rovero F, Santos F, Schuttler SG, Sheil D, Si X, Snider M, Spironello WR. (2020) An empirical evaluation of camera trap study design: How many, how long, and when? Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 11, 700–713.

28). Yang X, Wang Y, Si X, Feng G*. (2020) Species traits linked with range shifts of Chinese birds. Global Ecology and Conservation, 21, e00874.

27). Cadotte MW*, Carboni M, Si X, Tatsumi S. (2019) Do traits and phylogeny support congruent community diversity patterns and assembly inferences? Journal of Ecology, 107, 2065–2077.

26). Chen C, Holyoak M, Wang Y, Si X, Ding P*. (2019) Spatiotemporal distribution of seasonal bird assemblages on land-bridge islands: Linking dynamic and static views of metacommunities. Avian Research, 10, 25.

25). Ding Z, Liang J, Hu Y, Sun H, Liu L, Liu H*, Hu H*, Si X*. (2019) Different responses of avian feeding guilds to spatial and environmental factors across an elevation gradient in the central Himalaya. Ecology and Evolution, 9, 4116–4128.

24). Zeng D, Swihart RK, Zhao Y, Si X, Ding P*. (2019) Cascading effects of forested area and isolation on seed dispersal effectiveness of rodents on subtropical islands. Journal of Ecology, 107, 1506–1517.

23). Si X, Cadotte MW, Zhao Y, Zhou H, Zeng D, Li J, Jin T, Ren P, Wang Y, Ding P*, Tingley MW. (2018) The importance of accounting for imperfect detection when estimating functional and phylogenetic community structure. Ecology, 99, 2103–2112.

22). Ehlers Smith DA, Si X, Ehlers Smith YC, Downs CT*. (2018) Seasonal variation in avian diversity and tolerance by migratory forest specialists of the patch-isolation gradient across a fragmented forest system. Biodiversity and Conservation, 27, 3707–3727.

21). Zhang W, Liang C, Liu J, Si X, Feng G*. (2018) Species richness, phylogenetic and functional structure of bird communities in Chinese university campuses are associated with divergent variables. Urban Ecosystems, 21, 1213–1225.

20). Ehlers Smith DA, Si X, Ehlers Smith YC, Kalle R, Ramesh T, Downs CT*. (2018) Patterns of avian diversity across a decreasing patch-size gradient in a critically endangered sub-tropical forest system. Journal of Biogeography, 45, 2118–2132.

19). Wang Y^#*, Si X^#, Bennett PM, Chen C, Zeng D, Zhao Y, Wu Y, Ding P. (2018) Ecological correlates of extinction risk in Chinese birds. Ecography, 41, 782–794.

18). Song X, Holt RD, Si X, Christman MC, Ding P*. (2018) When the species-time-area relationship meets island biogeography: Diversity patterns of avian communities over time and space in a subtropical archipelago. Journal of Biogeography, 45, 664–675.

17). Chen C, Holyoak M, Si X, Wang Y, Ding P*. (2018) Do seasonal species assemblages differ in their biogeography? Evidence from the spatial structure of bird communities on land-bridge islands. Journal of Biogeography, 45, 473–483.

16). Liang C, Feng G*, Si X, Mao L, Yang G, Svenning J-C, Yang J*. (2018) Bird species richness is associated with phylogenetic relatedness, plant species richness and altitudinal range in Inner Mongolia. Ecology and Evolution, 8, 53–58.

15). Si X, Cadotte MW, Zeng D, Baselga A, Zhao Y, Li J, Wu Y, Wang S, Ding P*. (2017) Functional and phylogenetic structure of island bird communities. Journal of Animal Ecology, 86, 532-542.

14). Si X, Zhao Y, Chen C, Ren P, Zeng D, Wu L, Ding P*. (2017) Beta-diversity partitioning: Methods, applications and perspectives. Biodiversity Science, 25, 464–480.

13). Wu L^#, Si X^#, Didham RK, Ge D, Ding P*. (2017) Dispersal modality determines the relative partitioning of beta diversity in spider assemblages on subtropical land-bridge islands. Journal of Biogeography, 44, 2121–2131.

12). Si X, Baselga A, Leprieur F, Song X, Ding P*. (2016) Selective extinction drives taxonomic and functional alpha and beta diversities in island bird assemblages. Journal of Animal Ecology, 85, 409–418.

11). Wilson MC, Chen X, Corlett RT, Didham RK, Ding P*, Holt RD, Holyoak M, Hu G, Hughes AC, Jiang L, Laurance WF, Liu J, Pimm SL, Robinson SK, Russo SE, Si X, Wilcove DS, Wu J, Yu M*. (2016) Habitat fragmentation and biodiversity conservation: Key findings and future challenges. Landscape Ecology, 31, 219–227.

10). Wu Y, Si X, Chen C, Zeng D, Zhao Y, Li J, Ding P*. (2016) Effects of dispersal abilities on community dynamics of breeding birds on the land-bridge islands in the Thousand Island Lake, China. Biodiversity Science, 24, 1143–1153. [Cover Article]

9). Pan X, Ding Z, Hu Y, Liang J, Wu Y, Si X, Guo M, Hu H*, Jin K*. (2016) Elevational pattern of bird species richness and its causes along a central Himalaya gradient, China. PeerJ, 4, e2636.

8). Si X, Baselga A, Ding P*. (2015) Revealing beta-diversity patterns of breeding bird and lizard communities on inundated land-bridge islands by separating the turnover and nestedness components. PLoS ONE, 10, e0127692.

7). Shen G, Pimm SL, Feng C, Ren G, Liu Y, Xu W, Li J, Si X, Xie Z*. (2015) Climate change challenges the current conservation strategy for the giant panda. Biological Conservation, 190, 43–50.

6). Goodale E, Ding P, Liu X, Martínez A, Si X, Walters M, Robinson SK*. (2015) The structure of mixed-species bird flocks, and their response to anthropogenic disturbance, with special reference to East Asia. Avian Research, 6, 14.

5). Si X, Pimm SL, Russell GJ, Ding P*. (2014) Turnover of breeding bird communities on islands in an inundated lake. Journal of Biogeography, 41, 2283–2292.

4). Si X, Kays R, Ding P*. (2014) How long is enough to detect terrestrial animals? Estimating the minimum trapping effort on camera traps. PeerJ, 2, e374.

3). Si X, Ding P*. (2014) Camera trap survey of population dynamics of mammals and birds in Gutianshan Forest Dynamics Plot, eastern China. Biodiversity Science, 22, 819–822.

2). Xu A, Si X, Wang Y, Ding P*. (2014) Camera traps and its minimum trapping effort for ground-dwelling mammals in fragmented habitats in the Thousand Island Lake, Zhejiang Province. Biodiversity Science, 22, 764–772.

1). Si X, Ding P*. (2011) History, status of monitoring land birds in Europe and America and countermeasures of China. Biodiversity Science, 19, 303–310.

2022 IOU Fellow, International Ornithologists' Union.

2020 Professor of Special Appointment (Eastern Scholar), Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning.

2019 Shanghai Rising-Star Program Award, Shanghai Science and Technology Commission.

2018 Outstanding Young Ecologist Award, Ecological Society of China.

2017 Cheng Tso-Hsin Young Ornithologist Prize, Cheng Tso-Hsin Trust for Ornithology.

2015 Outstanding Graduate Student Award in Ornithology, China Ornithological Society.

2013 Gold Award of the 9th Kingfisher Forum, China Ornithological Society.