Curriculum Vitae

Professor Weihua LI

Personal details

Date of birth 16 August 1970

Nationality Chinese

Family status Married (my husband, Huajie YANG, director in Guangzhou Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau), one child (my daughter, Yibei YANG, 22 years old, student in Melbourne University, Australia)

Home address No. 55 Zhongshan Avenue West, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510631, P R China (stay on the campus of South China Normal University)

Contact details email whli@scnu.edu.cn Mobile phone +86-13424044186

Studies experience in Australia

2019-2020 working as a visiting scholar in Department of Biology, Macquarie University, and study in “Plant Invasion and Restoration Ecology Lab” and join in an ecological restoration research project: Can soil microbial interventions enhances the outcomes of ecological restoration?

2015-2016 working as a visiting scholar in School of BioSciences, the University of Melbourne, join in ARC research project: Interactions among invading species: transient hybridisation and rates of replacement. The experimental material is the two invasive species, Cakile edentula and C. Maritima.

Research

My current research focuses on understanding the success of invasive plants, including how the process of plant invasion has happened, changes of the plant photosynthesis and the resistance to the environmental stress, interaction between invasive plants and soil micro-organisms, especially soil nitrogen cycle. My final aim is to replace the invasive plants by some valuable native species, to create a balance between the native plants and the invaders whereby the noxious weed is kept at an economically acceptable level, thereby improving decisions on their management. 

Welcome postdoc to join my lab!

Tertiary Qulifications

PhD (2006) Ecology, School of Life Science, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou

MD (2002) Plant Science, School of Life Science, South China Nomal University

BSc (1993) Landscape Architecture, School of Forestry, South China Agricultural University

Current Positions

Professor of Ecology (since 2013), Supervisor of MD students, School of Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China

Publications (the first author or corresponding author)

[1] Hanxia Yu, Johannes J. Le Roux*, Zhaoyang Jiang, Feng Sun, Changlian Peng, Weihua Li*. Soil nitrogen dynamics and competition during plant invasion: insights from Mikania micrantha invasions in China. New Phytologist, 2021, 229: 3440-3452.

[2] Zhaoyang Jiang, Yutao Wang, Yaping Zheng, Minling Cai, Changlian Peng, Weihua Li*. Physiological and transcriptomic responses of Mikania micrantha stem to shading yield novel insights into its invasiveness. Biological Invasions, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02546-z

[3] Maofeng Yue, Hao Shen*, Wanhui Ye, Weihua Li, Jinfeng Chen.Winter low temperature disturbance in the southern subtropics of China promotes the competitiveness of an invasive plant. Biological Invasions, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02547-y

[4] Bo Liu^#, Jian Yan^#, Weihua Li^#, Lijuan Yin^#, Ping Li^#, Hanxia Yu, Longsheng Xing, Minling Cai, Hengchao Wang, Mengxin Zhao, Jin Zheng, Feng Sun,  Zhenzhen Wang, Zhaoyang Jiang, Qiaojing Ou, Shubin Li, Lu Qu, Qilei Zhang, Yaping Zheng, Xi Qiao, Yu Xi, Yan Zhang, Fan Jiang, Cong Huang, Conghui Liu, Yuwei Ren, Hangwei Liu, Jianyang Guo, Haihong Wang, Hui Dong, Chanlian Peng^*, Wanqiang Qian^*, Wei Fan^*, Fanghao Wan^*. Mikania micrantha genome provides insights into the molecular mechanism of rapid growth. Nature Communications, 2020, 11(340): 1-13.

[5] Maofeng Yue, Hao Shen^*, Weihua Li, Jinfeng Chen, Wanhui Ye, Xingshan Tian, AiguoYin, Shuiming Cheng. Waterlogging tolerance of Bidens pilosa translates to increased competitiveness compared to native Bidens biternata. Plant and Soil, 2019, 437: 301-311.

[6] Maofeng Yue, Hanxia Yu, Weihua Li^*, Aiguo Yin, Ye Cui, Xingshan Tian^*. Flooding with shallow water promotes the invasiveness of Mikania micrantha, Ecology and Evolution, 2019, 9: 9177-9184.

[7]  Jiayi Wang, Hanxia Yu, Yufang Lai, Fanhao Wan, Wanqiang Qian, Changlian Peng, Weihua Li^*. Physiological response of the invasive weed Mikania micrantha and the native species Pueraria lobata var. thomsonii to water stress. Biodiversity Science, 2017, 25(12): 1267-1275.

[8]  Weihua Li, Jianning Luo, Xingshan Tian, Wah Soon Chow, Zhongyu Sun, Taijie Zhang, Shaolin Peng, Changlian Peng*. A new strategy for controlling invasive weeds: selecting valuable native plants to defeat them. Scientific Reports, 2015, 5, 11004; doi: 10.1038/srep11004.

[9]  Jiang Wang, Chongbang Zhang, Tong Chen, Weihua Li^*. From selection to complementarity: the shift along the abiotic stress gradient in a controlled biodiversity experiment. Oecologia, 2013, 171: 227-235.

[10]  Weihua Li, Jianning Luo, Xingshan Tian, Changlian Peng, Xianye Zhou*. Patterns of defoliation and their effect on the plant growth and photosynthetic characteristics of Ipomoea cairica. Weed Biology and Management, 2012, 12: 40-46.

[11]  Weihua Li, Xingshan Tian, Jianning Luo, Yanhong Dai, Changlian Peng*. Effects of simulated defoliation on growth and photosynthetic characteristics of an invasive liana, Ipomoea cairica (Convolvulaceae). Invasive Plants Science and Management. 2012, 5: 282-289.

[12]  Weihua Li, Chongbang Zhang, Changlian Peng*. Responses of soil microbial community structure and potential mineralization processes to Solidago canadensis invasion. Soil Science, 2012, 177: 433-442.

[13] Jiang Wang, Weihua Li, Chongbang Zhang, Shisheng Ke. Physiological responses and detoxific mechanisms to Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd in young seedlings of Paulownia fortunei. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 2010, 22(12):1916-1922.

[14] Chongbang Zhang, Jiang Wang, Bao Qian, Weihua Li*. Effects of the invader Solidago canadensis on the soil properties. Applied Soil Ecology, 2009, 43: 163-169.

[15]  Weihua Li, Chongbang Zhang, Guijuan Gao, Qijie Zan, Zhongyi Yang^*. Relationship between Mikania micrantha invasions and soil microbial biomass, respiration and functional diversity. Plant and Soil, 2007, 296: 197-207.

[16]  Weihua Li, Chongbang Zhang, Hongbo Jiang, Guorong Xin, Zhongyi Yang^*. Changes in soil microbial community associated with invasion of the exotic weed, Mikania micrantha H. B. K. Plant and Soil, 2006, 281: 307-322.

Grants (since 2008)

2022-2025 Nitrogen compensation mechanism of native legumes for replacement 
controlling Mikania micrantha (National Natural Science Foundation of China, 3217170119), ￥728,100

2022-2024 Phenotypic plasticity  of the invasive weed Mikania micrantha to flooding and its transcriptome response mechanism (Guangdong Natural Science Foundation), ￥100,000

2017-2020 Dynamic monitoring and habitat regulation of invasive plants in vulnerable ecosystems (National Key Research and Development Plan) ￥2,700,000

2016-2018 Replacement control of the notorious invasive weeds in Guangdong province and its ecological mechanism (Guangdong Natural Science Foundation) ￥100,000

2012-2013 Effects of non-crop habitats in orchard on the invasive weed Mikania micrantha (the Program of Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Plant Protection of New Technologies) ￥25,000

2010-2012 Response of the invasive plants to the different forms of soil nitrogen nutrition (the PhD Programs Foundation of Ministry of Education of China) ￥36,000

2010-2011 Investigation of quarantine objects for forest plants in Zhongshan, Guangdong (the Project of Zhongshan Forestry Bureau) ￥99,000

2009-2012 Distribution of the invasive plants in Guangdong (the Science andTechnology Project of Guangdong Province) ￥20,000

2008-2011 Control of the invasive weed Ipomoea cairica (the Science and Technology Project of Guangdong Province) ￥400,000