Yu Peng | Plant Ecology | Research Excellence Award

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Prof. Dr. Yu Peng | Plant Ecology | Research Excellence Award

Minzu University | China

Yu Peng is an Associate Professor of Ecology at the College of Life & Environmental Science, Minzu University of China, Beijing. He earned his Ph.D. in Ecology from the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2005), followed by a post-doctoral appointment at Tsinghua University. His teaching spans courses such as Landscape Ecology, Biodiversity Conservation, Remote Sensing and GIS, and Plant Biology. Dr. Peng leads research in landscape ecology, biodiversity conservation, and vegetation remote sensing, with a strong focus on plant-diversity estimation using UAV and hyperspectral techniques. He has presided over multiple national research projects and published about 80 research papers, including 49 in SCI-indexed journals, along with authoring three monographs. His Google Scholar profile reports an h-index of 18 and over 978 citations, and his ResearchGate profile lists 75 scientific documents, reflecting his substantial scholarly output. Dr. Peng also holds several invention patents and contributed to formulating China’s national standard for estimating plant diversity using UAV remote sensing. His achievements have earned him distinctions such as the Wiley China Open Science High Contribution Author, teaching awards, and recognition as Best Reviewer by Acta Ecologica Sinica. He additionally serves in key academic roles, including Deputy Secretary-General of the Long-term Ecology Committee of the Chinese Ecological Society and Director of the Beijing Biodiversity Research Association. His work continues to integrate advanced remote sensing technologies with practical conservation strategies, reinforcing his commitment to ecological restoration and sustainable biodiversity management.

Profiles: Scopus | Orcid

Featured Publications

Xin, J., Li, J., Zeng, Q., Peng, Y., Wang, Y., Teng, X., Bao, Q., Yang, L., Tang, H., Liu, Y., et al. (2024). High-precision estimation of plant alpha diversity in different ecosystems based on Sentinel-2 data. Ecological Indicators.

Cao, Y., Peng, Y., Li, J., Yuan, J., Wang, C., Bao, Q., & Li, G. (2024). Landscape connection and patch complexity explain plant community similarity in sandy grasslands better than habitat amount and landscape heterogeneity via network analysis. Community Ecology.

Xin, J., Peng, Y., Peng, N., Yang, L., Huang, J., Yuan, J., Wei, B., & Ren, Y. (2024). Both class- and landscape-level patterns influence crop yield. European Journal of Agronomy.

Peng, Y., Xin, J., Peng, N., Li, Y., Huang, J., Zhang, R., Li, C., Wu, Y., Gong, B., & Wang, R. (2024). Global patterns and drivers of spatial autocorrelation in plant communities in protected areas. Diversity and Distributions.

Jin, H., Xu, J., Peng, Y., Xin, J., Peng, N., Li, Y., Huang, J., Zhang, R., Li, C., Wu, Y., et al. (2023). Impacts of landscape patterns on plant species diversity at a global scale. Science of The Total Environment.

Babar Iqbal | Plant Physiology | Editorial Board Member

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Assoc. Prof. Dr. Babar Iqbal | Plant Physiology | Editorial Board Member

Jiangsu University | China

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Babar Iqbal is an environmental biotechnologist at Jiangsu University (School of Environment & Safety Engineering) in China, whose work addresses major challenges in agroecosystems such as microplastic pollution, soil microbial health, and toxic metal stress. He leads projects on the mechanisms by which microplastic contamination affects crop physiology, soil microbial metabolism, and carbon‐use efficiency, including investigations on wheat  under cadmium stress. He co-authored an open-access Frontiers Ecology & Evolution paper on how soil microplastics affect Oryza sativa root traits under alien plant invasion. His other recent research includes the regulation of soil microbial metabolism through changes in plant communities in wetlands. On his university profile, he is noted as the principal investigator of a major project (2024–25) investigating the combined effects of microplastic and invasive plant contamination on wheat. His research interests center on sustainable agriculture, soil ecotoxicology, microbial ecology, and bio-remediation of polluted soils. Dr. Iqbal has contributed to both fundamental research and applied strategies, such as biochar-based remediation of contaminated soils. He also serves as corresponding author on several high-impact review articles, reflecting leadership in his field. Overall, his work is helping to build more resilient, sustainable agricultural systems in the face of emerging environmental threats.

Profile: Google Scholar

Featured Publications

Nazir, M. J., Li, G., Nazir, M. M., Zulfiqar, F., Siddique, K. H. M., Iqbal, B., & Du, D. (2024). Harnessing soil carbon sequestration to address climate change challenges in agriculture. Soil and Tillage Research.

Iqbal, B., Zhao, T., Yin, W., Zhao, X., Xie, Q., Khan, K. Y., Zhao, X., Nazar, M., Li, G., … (2023). Impacts of soil microplastics on crops: A review. Applied Soil Ecology.

Iqbal, B., Li, G., Alabbosh, K. F., Hussain, H., Khan, I., Tariq, M., Javed, Q., … (2023). Advancing environmental sustainability through microbial reprogramming in growth improvement, stress alleviation, and phytoremediation. Plant Stress.

Zahoor, R., Zhao, W., Dong, H., Snider, J. L., Abid, M., Iqbal, B., & Zhou, Z. (2017). Potassium improves photosynthetic tolerance to and recovery from episodic drought stress in functional leaves of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Plant Physiology and Biochemistry.

Nazar, M., Xu, L., Ullah, M. W., Moradian, J. M., Wang, Y., Sethupathy, S., Iqbal, B., … (2022). Biological delignification of rice straw using laccase from Bacillus ligniniphilus L1 for bioethanol production: A clean approach for agro-biomass utilization. Journal of Cleaner Production

Stephanie Coronado | Plant Ecology | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Stephanie Coronado | Plant Ecology | Best Researcher Award

University of South Florida | United States

Stephanie M. Coronado is a postdoctoral fellow in the Geography and Environmental Science Program at the University of South Florida, where she began her appointment. She earned her PhD in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno holds a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz (2013). Her research centers on ant–plant mutualisms, canopy ecology, tropical agroforestry and herbivore-community assembly — for example exploring how keystone ant species shape arboreal ant diversity and how plant–ant mutualists influence caterpillar communities. She has published peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution and Biotropica, and has additional manuscripts in preparation for submission to high-impact journals. Her research contributions include investigations of species-pool effects, ontogeny of mutualistic ant-plants, and agroecological biodiversity patterns. Recognized for her work with awards such as the Outstanding Graduate Student Assistant Award (University of Nevada, Reno, 2024) and the Diana Hadley-Lynch Scholarship (2023-24), she also contributes as a peer-reviewer for multiple ecology and entomology journals. In her ongoing career she aims to deepen our mechanistic understanding of how biotic interactions drive diversity patterns under global change.

Profile: Orcid

Featured Publications

Coronado, S. M., López-Muñoz, R., Morris, J. R., & Jiménez-Soto, E. (2025). A keystone ant species drives patterns of arboreal ant diversity in the canopy of a tropical coffee agroforest. Myrmecological News.

Coronado, S. M., Vincent, A. G., Pozos, F. H., Espinoza Siezar, L. A., & Pringle, E. G. (2025). Challenges in the early ontogeny of a mutualistic plant: Resource availability and plant defense in juvenile Cecropia ant-plants. Biotropica.

Villamarín-Cortez, S., Hankin, L., Coronado, S. M., Macdonald, J., & Noriega, J. A. (2022). Diversity and distribution patterns of Ecuador’s dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae). Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

Yonghong Bi | Plant Stress | Best Researcher Award

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Prof. Dr. Yonghong Bi | Plant Stress | Best Researcher Award

Institute of hydrobiology, CAS | China

Author Profile

Scopus
Google Scholar

👨‍🔬 Summary

Dr. Yonghong Bi (born October 1, 1974) is a distinguished Professor at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. With over two decades of experience in freshwater algal ecology, his research focuses on the dynamics of phytoplankton communities, hydrodynamic impacts on freshwater systems, and algal responses to environmental changes.

🎓 Education

He earned his PhD in Hydrobiology from the Institute of Hydrobiology, CAS (2004), following a Master’s degree in Hydrobiology from Shanghai Ocean University (2001), and a Bachelor’s degree from Huazhong Agricultural University (1998).

💼 Professional Experience

Dr. Bi currently serves as a Professor (2015–present) and previously held roles as Associate Professor (2009–2015) and Assistant Professor (2004–2009) at the same institute, contributing extensively to algal ecological research and reservoir ecosystem analysis.

📚 Academic Citations & Publications

He has published widely in high-impact journals like Scientific Reports, Chemosphere, Science of the Total Environment, and Environmental Science and Pollution Research. Notable papers include studies on phytoplankton heterogeneity, hydrodynamic impacts on algae, and algal community structure in the Three Gorges Reservoir.

🛠️ Technical Skills

Expert in algal taxonomy, HPLC-CHEMTAX pigment analysis, freshwater ecology, and hydrological impact modeling. Skilled in designing and executing large-scale ecological monitoring projects.

👨‍🏫 Teaching Experience

While not explicitly listed, his long tenure at CAS implies mentoring graduate students and contributing to academic training in freshwater ecology and hydrobiology.

🔬 Research Interests

His key interests include phytoplankton dynamics, freshwater ecosystem responses to hydrological changes, algal physiological ecology, and reservoir management strategies.

🏆 Grants & Awards

Dr. Bi has led multiple high-profile projects funded by agencies such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Key R&D Program, and China Three Gorges Corporation, receiving over 15 million RMB in research support.

📖Publications

 Water level fluctuations shape phytoplankton community in the Xiangxi Bay from Three Gorges Reservoir
  • Authors: L. Fang, W. Mi, Y. Li, X. Ai, Y. Bi
    Journal: Journal of Environmental Sciences (China)
    Year: 2025
 Photodegradation mechanism of organic contaminants mediated by chlorinated algal organic matter
  • Authors: X. Wan, C. Yu, Y. Zhao, C. Liu, Y. Bi
    Journal: Water Research
    Year: 2025
Sll1725, an ABC transporter in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 for the detoxification of cadmium ion stress
  • Authors: G. Ruan, C. Liu, G. Song, B. Hu, Y. Bi
    Journal: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    Year: 2025
A coupled hydraulic-ecological model for simulating periphytic algal detachment in water delivery canals
  • Authors: M. Yang, G. Guan, Y. Bi, Y. Zhu, K. Wang
    Journal: Journal of Environmental Management
    Year: 2025
 Effects of flushing flow on periphytic algal community at different colonization stages
  • Authors: M. Yang, Y. Bi, S. Duan, G. Guan, Y. Zhu
    Journal: Hydrobiologia
    Year: 2025