My research focuses on biodiversity and landscape ecology. In particular, I am interested in how arthropod diversity response to environmental changes, and how living landscapes influence ecosystem services (e.g. pollination and biological pest control), food security and farmer incomes.
Qualifications
Ph.D. , University College London (UCL), - 2014
MSc , Lancaster University, - 2008
BSc , Shandong University, - 2007
Experience
Lecturer, Xi'an-Jiaotong Liverpool University - 2016 to Present
Postdoc research fellow, Wageningen University - 2014 to 2016
QA manager, Rikang Food and Beverage Co., Ltd. - 2009 to 2010
Articles
Zhou, S., Wu, N., Zhang, M., Peng, W., He, F., Guo, K., Yan, S., Zou, Y., & Qu, X. (2020) Local environmental, geo-climatic and spatial factors interact to drive community distributions and diversity patterns of stream benthic algae, macroinvertebrates and fishes in a large basin, Northeast China. Ecological Indicators, 117, 106673.
Zou, Y., Pan, S., Zhao, P., Han, L., Wang, X., Hemerik, L., Knops, J., & van der Werf, W. (2020) Outbreak analysis with a logistic growth model shows COVID-19 suppression dynamics in China. PLOS ONE, 15, e0235247.
Liu, R., Chen, D., Luo, S., Xu, S., Xu, H., Shi, X., & Zou, Y., Quantifying pollination efficiency of flower-visiting insects and its application in estimating pollination services for common buckwheat. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 301, 107011.
Faghihinia, M., Zou, Y., Bai, Y., Marrs, R., & Staddon, P. L. Seasonal variation in the response of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to grazing intensity. Mycorrhiza. Accepted.
Zou, Y. & Axmacher, J.C. (2020) The Chord-Normalized Expected Species Shared (CNESS)- distance represents a superior measure of species turnover patterns. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 11, 273-280.
Zou, Y., van der Werf, W., Liu, Y., & Axmacher, J.C. (2020) Predictability of species diversity by family diversity across global terrestrial animal taxa. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 29, 629–644.
Faghihinia, M., Zou, Y., Chen, Z., Bai, Y., Li, W., Marrs, R., & Staddon, P.L. (2020) Environmental drivers of grazing effects on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in grasslands. Applied Soil Ecology, 153, 103591.
Sun, X., Yang, X., Diekman, M., Zou, Y., Sang, W., & Axmacher, J. (2020) Diversity and seasonal changes in carabid assemblages of mature, secondary and plantation forests in the Zhangguangcai Mountains, North-eastern China. Insect Conservation and Diversity. 13, 340-350.
Faghihinia, M., Zou, Y., Chen, Z., Bai, Y., Li, W., Marrs, R. & Staddon, P.L. (2020) The response of grassland mycorrhizal fungal abundance to a range of long-term grazing intensities. Rhizosphere, 13, 100178.
Li, T., Luo, P., Luo, C., Yang, H., Li, Y., Zuo, D., Xiong, Q., Mo, L., Mu, C., Gu, X., Zhou, S., Huang, J., Li, H., Wu, S., Cao, W., Zhang, Y., Wang, M., Li, J., Liu, Y., Gou, P., Zhu, Z., Wang, D., Liang, Y., Bai, S. & Zou, Y. (2020) Long-term empirical monitoring indicates the tolerance of the giant panda habitat to climate change under contemporary conservation policies. Ecological Indicators. 110, 105886.
Zou, Y., de Kraker, J., Bianchi, F.J.J.A., Xiao, H., Huang, J., Deng, X., Hou, L. & van der Werf, W. (2020) Do diverse landscapes provide for effective natural pest control in subtropical rice? Journal of Applied Ecology. 57, 170-180.
Dainese et al., (2019) A global synthesis reveals biodiversity-mediated benefits for crop production, Science Advances, 5, eaax0121.
Zou, Y., Sang, W., Bai, F., Brennan, E., Diekman, M., Liu, Y., Li, L., Marples, A., Shi, H., Sui, Z., Sun, X., Wang, C., Wang, X., Warren-Thomas, E., Yang, X., Yu, Z. & Axmacher, J.C. (2019) Large-scale α-diversity patterns in plants and ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) indicate a high biodiversity conservation value of China’s restored temperate forest landscapes. Diversity and Distributions, 25, 1613-1624.
Ma, C., Zhang, Y., Sun, J., Imran, M., Yang, H., Wu, J., Zou, Y., Li-Byarlay, H., & Luo, S. (2019) Impact of acute oral exposure to thiamethoxam on the homing, flight, learning acquisition and short-term retention of Apis cerana. Pest Management Science, 75, 2975-2980.
Woodcock, B.A., Garratt, M.P.D., Powney, G.D., Shaw, R.F., Osborne, J.L., Soroka, J., Lindström, S.A.M., Stanley, D., Ouvrard, P., Edwards, M.E., Jauker, F., McCracken, M.E., Zou, Y., Potts, S.G., Rundlöf, M., Noriega, J.A., Greenop, A., Smith, H.G., Bommarco, R., van der Werf, W., Stout, J.C., Steffan-Dewenter, I., Morandin, L., Bullock, J.M., & Pywell, R.F. (2019) Meta-analysis reveals that pollinator functional diversity and abundance enhance crop pollination and yield. Nature Communications, 10, 1481.
Hemerik, L., Bianchi, F., van de Wiel, I., Fu, D., Zou, Y., Xiao, H., & van der Werf, W. (2018) Survival analysis of brown plant hoppers (Nilaparvata lugens) in rice using video recordings of predation events. Biological Control, 127, 155-161.
Karp, D.S., Chaplin-Kramer, R., ...Zou, Y. (2018) Crop pests and predators exhibit inconsistent responses to surrounding landscape composition. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115, E7863-E7870.
Zou, Y., Bianchi, F.J.J.A., Jauker, F., Xiao, H., Chen, J., Cresswell, J., Luo, S., Huang, J., Deng, X., Hou, L., & van der Werf, W. (2017) Landscape effects on pollinator communities and pollination services in small-holder agroecosystems. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 246, 109-116.
Zou, Y., Xiao, H., Bianchi, F.J.J.A., Jauker, F., Luo, S., & van der Werf, W. (2017) Wild pollinators enhance oilseed rape yield in small-holder farming systems in China. BMC Ecology, 17, 6.
Zou, Y., de Kraker, J., Bianchi, F.J.J.A., Xiao, H., van Telgen, M.D., & van der Werf, W. (2017) Video monitoring of brown planthopper predation in rice shows flaws of sentinel methods. Scientific Reports, 7, 42210.
Li, X., Zou, Y., Yang, H., Xiao, H., & Wang, J. (2017) Meteorological driven factors of population growth in brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens Stål (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), in rice paddies. Entomological Research, 47, 309–317.
Beck, J., McCain, C.M., Axmacher, J.C., Ashton, L.A., Bärtschi, F., Brehm, G., Choi, S.-W., Cizek, O., Colwell, R.K., Fiedler, K., Francois, C.L., Highland, S., Holloway, J.D., Intachat, J., Kadlec, T., Kitching, R.L., Maunsell, S.C., Merckx, T., Nakamura, A., Odell, E., Sang, W., Toko, P.S., Zamecnik, J., Zou, Y., & Novotny, V. (2017) Elevational species richness gradients in a hyperdiverse insect taxon: a global meta-study on geometrid moths. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 26, 412-424.
Zou, Y., van Telgen, M.D., Chen, J., Xiao, H., de Kraker, J., Bianchi, F.J.J.A., & van der Werf, W. (2016) Modification and application of a leaf blower-vac for field sampling of arthropods. Journal of Visualized Experiment, e54655.
Zou, Y., Sang, W., Warren-Thomas, E., & Axmacher, J.C. (2016) Geometrid moth assemblages reflect high conservation value of naturally regenerated secondary forests in temperate China. Forest Ecology and Management, 374, 111-118.
Zou, Y., Sang, W., Hausmann, A., & Axmacher, J.C. (2016) High phylogenetic diversity is preserved in species-poor high-elevation temperate moth assemblages. Scientific Reports, 6, 23045.
Chen, J., Fu, D., Zou, Y., Xiao, H., Hou, L., & van der Werf, W. (2016) Relationship between agricultural landscape composition and population density of Phytomyza nigricornis during bloom of oil seed rape. Plant Protection, 42, 165-170. (Chinese with English abstract)
Zou, Y., Sang, W., Wang, S., Warren-Thomas, E., Liu, Y., Yu, Z., Wang, C., & Axmacher, J.C. (2015) Diversity patterns of ground beetles and understory vegetation in mature, secondary, and plantation forest regions of temperate northern China. Ecology and Evolution, 5, 531-542.
Zou, Y., Sang, W., & Axmacher, J.C. (2015) Resilience of insect assemblages to climate change in mature temperate mountain forests of NE China. Journal of Insect Conservation, 19, 1163-1172.
Zou, Y., Sang, W., Zhou, H., Huang, L., & Axmacher, J.C. (2014) Altitudinal diversity patterns of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in the forests of Changbai Mountain, Northeast China. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 7, 161-171.
Warren-Thomas, E., Zou, Y., Dong, L., Yao, X., Yang, M., Zhang, X., Qin, Y., Liu, Y., Sang, W., & Axmacher, J.C. (2014) Ground beetle assemblages in Beijing’s new mountain forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 334, 369-376.
Zou, Y., Sang, W., Bai, F., & Axmacher, J.C. (2013) Relationships between plant diversity and the abundance and α-diversity of predatory ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in a mature Asian temperate forest ecosystem. PLoS ONE, 8, e82792.
Zou, Y., Feng, J., Xue, D., Sang, W., & Axmacher, J.C. (2012) A comparison of terrestrial arthropod sampling methods. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 3, 174-182.
Zou, Y., Feng, J., Xue, D., Sang, W., & Axmacher, J.C. (2011) Insect diversity: addressing an important but strongly neglected research topic in China. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2, 380-384.
De Deyn, G.B., Quirk, H., Zou, Y., Oakley, S., Ostle, N.J., & Bardgett, R.D. (2009) Vegetation composition promotes carbon and nitrogen storage in model grassland communities of contrasting soil fertility. Journal of Ecology, 97, 864-875.
Conference presentations
Zou, Y., Bianchi, F.J.J.A., de Kraker, J., Xiao, H. & van der Werf, W. (2019) Contribution of living landscapes on ecosystem services in small-holder farming systems. The 10th IALE World congress. Milano, Italy.
Zou, Y. & Liu, R. (2019) Quantifying insect pollination: from individual pollination efficiency to regional service evaluation. The 4th Pollinator Insects Forum. Beijing, China.
Fu, D., Bianchi, F.J.J.A., Zou, Y., Xiao, H., Kraker, J.d. & Werf, W.v.d. (2019) Landscape composition affects frogs abundance and diversity in rice, but not their contribution to biocontrol. International Organisation for Biocontrol and Integrated Control - Landscape management for functional biodiversity. Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Zou, Y., Sang, W., & Axmacher, J.C. (2018) Insect diversity patterns in primary, secondary and plantation forests in temperate regions of north China. In The 17th academic conference of ecology society of China, Nanjing, China.
Zou, Y., Huang, S., Bianchi, F.J.J.A., Cresswell, J., Fu, D., Xiao, H., & Werf, W.v.d. (2018) A comparison of pollinator exclusive methods in measuring pollination services for oilseed rape. In The 3rd Pollinator Insects Forum, Beijing, China.
Zou, Y., de Kraker, J., Bianchi, F.J.J.A., Xiao, H., van Telgen, M.D., & van der Werf, W. (2017) Video monitoring of brown planthopper in rice shows importance of frogs for biological pest control. In International Organisation for Biocontrol and Integrated Control - West Palaearctic Regional Section, Dundee, UK.
Zou, Y., Bianchi, F.J.J.A., Xiao, H., Luo, S., Deng, X., Hou, L., Huang, J., & Werf, W.v.d. (2017) Landscape effects on pollinator communities and pollination services in small-holder agroecosystems in South China. In The 2nd Pollinator Insects Forum, Beijing, China.
Zou, Y., Bianchi, F.J.J.A., de Kraker, J., Xiao, H., Luo, S., Deng, X., Hou, L., Huang, J., & van der Werf, W. (2017) The impact of agricultural landscapes on biodiversity, pollination and biocontrol. In 2017 Annual academic conference of ecology society of Beijing, Beijing, China.
Zou, Y., Bianchi, F.J.J.A., de Kraker, J., Xiao, H., Luo, S., Deng, X., Hou, L., Huang, J., & van der Werf, W. (2017) Small-holder living landscapes and agricultural ecosystem: biodiversity, pollination and biological pest control services. In The 9th IALE-China Conference, Guangzhou, China.
Zou, Y., Bianchi, F.J.J.A., Xiao, H., Jauker, F., Luo, S., Hou, L., Huang, J., & Werf, W.v.d. (2016) Agricultural landscapes and pollination services in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). In Netherlands Annual Ecology Meeting, Lunteren, The Netherlands.
Axmacher, J.C., Zou, Y., & Sang, W. (2016) China’s new forests harbour diverse insect assemblages. In The Biogeography of Ecology; IBS (International Biogeography Society) Beijing, China.
Zou, Y. & Xiao, H. (2015) Living landscapes and agricultural ecosystem services: pollination and biological pest control. In Chinese National Insect Ecology and Pest Control Youth Scientists Conference, Hangzhou, China.
Zou, Y., Sang, W., & Axmacher, J.C. (2012) Elevational diversity pattern of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) on Changbaishan, North-eastern China. In The 10th Biodiversity Protection and Sustainable Use, Haerbing, China.
Grants
PI, Industry project, “Agricultural biodiversity investigation in Chuodunshan, Kunshan” (2019 - 2021)
PI, XJTLU PGRS project “The impact of changing landscapes on arthropod diversity and biological pest control in agro-ecosystem” (2019-2022)
Co-I, NSFC project “The effects of landscape structure on the bee diversity and pollination service in the main apple producing areas of China” ( 2019 - 2022)
PI, Jiangsu-NSF project “Mechanisms of the impact of landscape diversity on biological pest control” (2018 – 2020)
PI, NSFC project “Effects of agricultural landscape pattern on pollinator insect diversity and pollination services” (2018 – 2020)
PI, XJTLU RDF project “Influence of agricultural landscape and environmental factors on pollinator diversity and pollination services” (2018-2020)
PI, XJTLU RDF project “Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and soil carbon fluxes in Citrus groves under different land management regimes” (2017-2019)
Co-I, NSFC project “Influence and regulating mechanism of agricultural landscape differences on ecosystem services during over-summering/over-wintering diapause in Pieris melete” (2017 - 2020)
Co-I, NSFC “Plant diversity and ecosystem functioning along altitudinal gradient in temperate forest ecosystem” (2014-2016)
Co-I, NSFC project “Biodiversity patterns in different trophic levels in temperate forest ecosystem and its response to environmental changes” (2013-2016)
Professional service activities
Journal Review
2020: Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews; Forest Ecology and Management (2); Landscape Ecology; Insect Conservation and Diversity; Ecology Letters (3)
2019: Ecology Letters (3); Biodiversity Science (Chinese); Journal of Biogeography (2); Global Ecology and Conservation; Insect Science (2); Ecological Entomology; Scientific Reports
2018: Acta Oecologica
2017: Journal of Applied Ecology; The Coleopterists Bulletin; Arid Land Research and Management
2016: Scientific Reports; Annals of Forest Science
2014: Insect Conservation and Diversity
Courses taught
ENV306, Ecology in a Changing World
ENV301, Final Year Project
ENV205, Environmental Change: Past, Present and Future
ENV201, Research Design
Professional memberships
Fellowship of the UK Higher Education Academy (HEA)
Certificate in Professional Studies in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (CPS)
Awards and honours
2018 Outstanding Educator of Suzhou
2018 Suzhou SIP Dushu Lake Higher Education Town “SEID Key Educator”
2017 Jiangsu Province Innovation & Entrepreneurship Talent Program, Jiangsu Province Department of Education