1. Monograph
1. Lan, G.Y., Cao, M., Zhu, H. (2014) Tree Species Diversity of a Tropical Seasonal Rainforest in Xishuangbanna. China Forestry Publishing House, Beijing. 1-153. (In Chinese)
2. Cao, M., Zhu, H., Wang, H., Lan, G., Hu, Y., Zhou, S., Deng, X., Cui, J. (2008) Xishuangbanna tropical seasonal rainforest dynamics plot: tree distribution maps, diameter tables and species documentation. Yunnan Science and Technology Press, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
2. Selected papers
1. Sun, L., He, Y.Y., Cao, M., Wang, X.Z., Zhou, X., Yang, J.*, Swenson, G.N. (2024) Tree phytochemical diversity and herbivory are higher in the tropics. Nature Ecology & Evolution, in press.
2. Song, X.Y.#, Katabuchi, M.#, Chase, J.M., Johnson, D.J., Zhang, W.F., Deng, X.B., Cao, M., Yang, J.* (2024) Drought tolerance and species abundance mediate dry season negative density dependence in a tropical forest. Ecology, online.
3. Hu, Y.H.*, Johnson, D.J., Sun, Z.H., Gao, L.M., Wen, H.D., Xu, K., Huang, H., Liu, W.W., Cao, M., Song, Z.W.*, Kennedy, P.G. (2024) Selection dictates the distance pattern of similarity in trees and soil fungi across forest ecosystems. Fungal Diversity, online.
4. Yang, J., Cao, M., Swenson, G.N*. (2018) Why functional traits do not predict tree demographic rates? Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 33: 326-336.
5. Song, X.Y.#, Lim, J.Y., Yang, J., Luskin, M.S.#* (2021) When do Janzen–Connell effects matter? A phylogenetic meta‐analysis of conspecific negative distance and density dependence experiments. Ecology letters, 24: 608-620.
6. Zhang, Y.Z., Liu, Y., Sun, L., Baskin, C.C., Baskin, J.M., Cao, M., Yang, J*. (2022) Seed dormancy in space and time: global distribution, paleoclimatic and present climatic drivers, and evolutionary adaptations, New Phytologist, 234: 1770-1781.
7. Wang, X.Z., Sun, S.W, Sedio, B.E., Glomglieng, S., Cao, M., Cao, K.F., Yang, J.H., Zhang, J.L., Yang, J.* (2022) Niche differentiation along multiple functional-trait dimensions contributes to high local diversity of Euphorbiaceae in a tropical tree assemblage. Journal of Ecology, 110: 2731-2744.
8. Xu, G.R., Zhang, Y.X., Zhang, S., Ma, K.M.* (2020) Biodiversity associations of soil fauna and plants depend on plant life form and are accounted for by rare taxa along an elevational gradient. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 140: 107640.
3. Published papers
2024
1. Sun, L., He, Y.Y., Cao, M., Wang, X.Z., Zhou, X., Yang, J.*, Swenson, G.N. (2024) Tree phytochemical diversity and herbivory are higher in the tropics. Nature Ecology & Evolution, in press.
2. Song, X.Y.#, Katabuchi, M.#, Chase, J.M., Johnson, D.J., Zhang, W.F., Deng, X.B., Cao, M., Yang, J.* (2024) Drought tolerance and species abundance mediate dry season negative density dependence in a tropical forest. Ecology, online.
3. Hu, Y.H.*, Johnson, D.J., Sun, Z.H., Gao, L.M., Wen, H.D., Xu, K., Huang, H., Liu, W.W., Cao, M., Song, Z.W.*, Kennedy, P.G. (2024) Selection dictates the distance pattern of similarity in trees and soil fungi across forest ecosystems. Fungal Diversity, online.
4. Zhang, Y.Z., Worthy, S.J., Xu, S.J., He, Y.Y., Wang, X.Z., Song, X.Y., Cao, M., Yang, J.* (2024) Phytochemical diversity and their adaptations to abiotic and biotic pressures in fine roots across a climatic gradient. Science of the Total Environment, 927: 172051.
5. Yang, J., Fan, H., He, Y.Y., Wang, G., Cao, M., Swenson, N.G.* (2024) Functional genomics and co-occurrence in a diverse tropical tree genus: the roles of drought- and defence-related genes. Journal of Ecology, 112, 575-589.
6. Pan, L.B., Song, X.Y., Zhang, W.F., Yang, J., Cao, M.* (2024) Seedling dynamics differ between canopy species and understory species in a tropical seasonal rainforest, SW China. Plant Diversity, in press.
7. Pan, L.B., Hogan, J.A., Song, X.Y.*, Zhang, W.F.*, Zhou, H., Chen, Z., Yang, J., Cao, M. (2024) Intraspecific variation in Janzen–Connell effect is mediated by stress and plant–soil feedbacks. Ecology and Evolution, 14(7): e11614.
2023
8.Wang, X.Z. #, He, Y.Y. #, Sedio, B.E., Jin, L., Ge, X.J., Glomglieng, S., Cao, M., Yang, J.H., Swenson, N.G., Yang, J.* (2023) Phytochemical diversity impacts herbivory in a tropical rainforest tree community.Ecology Letters, 26(11): 1898-1910.
9. Yang, J., Swenson, N.G.* (2023) Height and crown allometries and their relationship with functional traits: An example from a subtropical wet forest. Ecology and Evolution, 13(2): e9804.
10. Xu, S.J., Yuan, Y., Song, P.F., Cui, M.F., Zhao, R.S., Song X.Y., Cao, M., Zhang, Y.Z.*, Yang, J.* (2023) The spatial patterns of diversity and their relationships with environments in rhizosphere microorganisms and host plants differ along elevational gradients. Frontiers in Microbiology, 14:1079113. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1079113
2022
11. Zhang, Y.Z.#, Liu, Y.#, Sun, L.#, Baskin, C.C., Baskin, J.M., Cao, M., Yang, J.* (2022) Seed dormancy in space and time: global distribution, paleo- and present climatic drivers and evolutionary adaptations. New Phytologist, 234: 1770-1781.
12. Wang, X.Z.#, Sun, S.W.#, Sedio, B.E., Glomglieng, S., Cao, M., Cao, K.F., Yang, J.H., Zhang, J.L.*, Yang, J.* (2022) Niche differentiation along multiple functional-trait dimensions contributes to high local diversity of Euphorbiaceae in a tropical tree assemblage. Journal of Ecology, 110: 2731-2744.
13. Asefa, M., Worthy, S.J., Cao, M., Song, X.Y., Lozano, Y.M., Yang, J.* (2022) Above- and below-ground plant traits are not consistent in response to drought and competition treatments. Annals of Botany, mcac108. DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcac108.
14. Song, X.Y. & Corlett, R.T. (2022). Do natural enemies mediate conspecific negative distance‐and density‐dependence of trees? A meta‐analysis of exclusion experiments. Oikos, 5: e08509.
15. Xu, G.R., Yang, L., Xu, L., Yang, J.* (2022) Soil microplastic pollution under different land uses in tropics, southwestern China. Chemosphere, 289: 133176.
16. Deng, Y., Dong, J.L., Zhang, W.F., Yuan, S.D., Tan, Z.H., Song, Q.H., Deng, X.B., Cao, M.* (2022) Quantifying the vertical microclimate profile within a tropical seasonal rainforest, based on both ground- and canopy-referenced approaches. iForest, 15: 24-32.
17. He, Y.Y., Srisombut, K., Xing, D.L., Swenson, N.G., Asefa, M., Cao, M., Song, X.Y., Wen, H.D., Yang, J.* (2022) Ontogenetic trait variation and metacommunity effects influence species relative abundances during tree community assembly. Plant Diversity, 44(4): 360-368.
18. Zhao, R.S., Xu, S.J., Song, P.F., Zhou, X., Zhang, Y.Z.*, Yuan, Y.* (2022) Distribution patterns of medicinal plant diversity and their conservation priorities in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Biodiversity Science, 30(4): 21385. (In Chinese with English abstract)
19. Zhang, W.F., Wang, X.H., Zhou, H.Z., Ai, D.N., Zhang, R.F., Su, Q.Z., Liu, S.Q.*, Yuan, W. (2022) Spatial Distribution of Mercury in Bubeng Typical Tropical Forest of Yunnan Province, China. Earth and Environment, 50(3): 52-59. (In Chinese with English abstract)
2021
20. Asefa, M.#, Song, X.Y.#, Cao, M., Lasky, J.R., Yang, J.* (2021). Temporal trait plasticity predicts the growth of tropical trees. Journal of Vegetation Science, 32(4): e13056.
21. Song, X.Y., Cao, M.*, Li, J., Kitching, R.L., Nakamura, A., Laidlaw, M.J., Tang, Y., Sun, Z., Zhang, W.F., Yang, J. (2021). Different environmental factors drive tree species diversity along elevation gradients in three climatic zones in Yunnan, southern China. Plant Diversity, 43(6): 433-443.
22.Song, X.Y.#, Lim, J.Y., Yang, J., Luskin, M.S.#* (2021) When do Janzen–Connell effects matter? A phylogenetic meta‐analysis of conspecific negative distance and density dependence experiments. Ecology letters, 24: 608-620.
23. Song, X.Y., Yang, J.*, Cao, M.*, Lin, L.X., Sun, Z.H., Wen, H., Swenson, N.G. (2021) Traits mediate a tradeoff in seedling growth response to light and conspecific density in a diverse subtropical forest. Journal of Ecology, 109: 703-713.
24. Yang, J.#, Song, X.Y.#, Zambrano, J., Chen, Y., Cao, M.*, Deng, X.B., Zhang, W.F., Yang, X.F., Zhang, G.C., Tang, Y., Swenson, N.G. (2021) Intra-specific variation in tree growth responses to neighborhood composition and seasonal drought in a tropical forest. Journal of Ecology, 109: 26-37.
25. Yang, J., Song, X.Y., Cao, M., Deng, X.B., Zhang, W.F., Yang, X.F., Swenson, N.G.* (2021) On the modeling of tropical tree growth: the importance of intra-specific trait variation, non-linear functions and phenotypic integration. Annals of Botany, 127(4): 533-542. (doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaa085)
2020
26. Song, X.Y.#, Zhang, W.F.#, Johnson, D.J., Yang, J.*, Asefa, M., Deng, X.B., Yang, X.F., Cao, M. (2020) Conspecific negative density dependence in rainy season enhanced seedling diversity across habitats in a tropical forest. Oecologia, 193: 949-957.
27. Deng, Y., Deng, X.B., Dong, J.L., Zhang, W.F., Hu, T., Nakamura, A., Song, X.Y., Fu, P.L., Cao, M.* (2020) Detecting Growth Phase Shifts Based on Leaf Trait Variation of a Canopy Dipterocarp Tree Species (Parashorea chinensis). Forests, 11(11): 1145.
28. Xu, G.R., Zhang, Y.X., Zhang, S., Ma, K.M.* (2020) Biodiversity associations of soil fauna and plants depend on plant life form and are accounted for by rare taxa along an elevational gradient. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 140: 107640.
29. Liu, L.B., Yang, J., Cao, M.* and Song, Q.H. (2021) Intraspecific trait variation of woody species reduced in a savanna community, southwest China. Plant Diversity, 44(2): 163-169.
30. Liu, Y., Baskin, C.C., Baskin, J.M., Yang, J., Cao, M.*, Wen, B.* (2021) Seed dormancy profiles for forest dynamics plot data: focusing on a tropical seasonal rainforest in Xishuangbanna, southwest China". Plant biology, 23(3):420-426.
31. Xu, Y.Y., Cao, M., Xu, G.R.* (2020) Diversity distribution patterns of Collembola in litter layers along three typical climate zones in Yunnan Province. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 40(14): 5008-5017. (In Chinese with English abstract)
2019
32. Song, X.Y., Cao, M., Kitching, R.L., Tang, Y., Sun, Z.H., Nakamura, A., Laidlaw, M.J., Yang; J.* 2019. Environmental and spatial contributions to seedling and adult tree assembly across tropical, subtropical, and subalpine elevational gradients. Journal of Plant Ecology, 12: 103-112.
33. Asefa, M., Brown, C., Cao, M., Zhang, G.C., Ci, X.Q., Sha, L.Q., Li, J., Lin, L.X., Yang, J.* (2019) Contrasting effects of space and environment on functional and phylogenetic dissimilarity in a tropical forest. Journal of Plant Ecology, 12: 314-326.
2018
34. Yang, J., Cao, M., Swenson, G.N.* (2018) Why functional traits do not predict tree demographic rates? Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 33: 326-336.
35. Xu, G.R., Zhang, S., Zhang, Y.X., Ma, K.M.* (2018) Environmental correlates underlying elevational richness, abundance, and biomass patterns of multi-feeding guilds in litter invertebrates across the treeline, Science of the Total Environment, 633: 529-538.
36. Song, X.Y., Hogan, J.A., Lin, L.X., Wen, H.D., Cao, M.*, Yang, J.* (2018) Canopy openness and topographic habitat drive tree seedling recruitment after snow damage in an old-growth subtropical forest. Forest Ecology and Management, 429: 493-502.
37. Song, X.Y., Johnson, D.J. Cao, M., Umaña, M.N., Deng, X.B., Yang, X.F., Zhang, W.F., Yang, J.* (2018) The strength of density-dependent mortality is contingent on climate and seedling size. Journal of Vegetation Science, 29: 662-670.
38. Hu, Y.H.*, Johnson, D.J., Mi, X.C., Wang, X.G., Ye, W.H., Li, Y.D., Lian, J.Y., Cao, M. (2018) The relative importance of space compared to topography increases from rare to common tree species across latitude. Journal of Biogeography, 45: 2520-2532.
39. Dou, L.N., Zhang, W.F., Deng, X.B., Cao, M.*, Tang, Y. (2018) Nine-year seed rain dynamics in Parashorea chinensis forest in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China. Biodiversity Science, 26(9): 919-930. (In Chinese with English abstract)
40. Wen, H.D., Lin, L.X., Yang, J., Hu, Y.H., Cao, M.*, Liu, Y.H., Lu, Z.Y., Xie, Y.N. (2018) Species composition and community structure of a 20 hm2 plot of mid-mountain moist evergreen broad-leaved forest on the Mts. Ailaoshan, Yunnan Province, China. Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 42: 419-429. (In Chinese with English abstract)
2017
41. Zhang, C.C., Yang, J., Sha, L.Q., Ci, X.Q., Li, J., Cao, M., Brown, C., Swenson, N.G., Lin, L.X.* (2017) Lack of phylogenetic signals within environmental niches of tropical tree species across life stages. Scientific Reports, 7: 42007.
42. Song, X.Y., Hogan, J.A., Brown, C., Cao, M.*, Yang, J.* (2017) Snow damage to the canopy facilitates alien weed invasion in a subtropical montane primary forest in southwestern China. Forest Ecology and Management, 391: 275-281.
43. Asefa, M., Cao, M., Zhang, G.C., Ci, X.Q., Li, J., Yang, J*. (2017) Environmental filtering structures tree functional traits combination and lineages across space in tropical tree assemblages. Scientific Reports, 7: 132.
44. Liu, S., Zhu, H.*, Yang, J.* (2017) A phylogenetic perspective on biogeographical divergence of the flora in Yunnan, Southwestern China. Scientific Reports, Srep4302.
45. Nakamura, A., Kitching, R. L., Cao, M., Creedy, T. J., Fayle, T. M., Freiberg, M., Hewitt, C. N., Itioka, T., Koh, L. P., Ma, K.P., Malhi Y., Mitchell, A., Novotny, V., Ozanne, C. M. P., Song, L., Wang, H., and Ashton, L. A.* (2017) Forests and their canopies: achievements and horizons in canopy science. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 32: 438-451.
46. Luo, X.Q., Cao M.*, Zhang, M., Song, X.Y., Li, J.Q., Nakamura, A., Kitching, R. (2017) Soil seed banks along elevational gradients in tropical, subtropical and subalpine forests in Yunnan Province, southwest China. Plant Diversity, 39: 273-286. (In English)
47. Xu G.R., Lin Y.H., Zhang S., Zhang Y.X., Li G.X., Ma K.M.* (2017) Shifting mechanisms of elevational diversity and biomass patterns in soil invertebrates at treeline. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 113:80-88.
2016
48. Ashton, L., Nakamura, A.*, Basset, Y., Burwell, C. J., Cao, M., Eastwood, R., Odell, E., Gama de Oliveria, E., Hurley, K., Katabuchi, M., Maunsell, S. C., McBroom, J., Schmidl, J., Sun, Z. H., Tang, Y., Whitaker, T., Laidlaw, M. J., McDonald, W. J. F. and Kitching, R. L. (2016) Vertical stratification of moths across elevation and latitude. Journal of Biogeography, 43: 59-69.
49. Wu, J.J., Swenson, N.G., Brown, C., Zhang, C.C., Yang, J., Ci, X.Q., Li, J., Sha, L.Q., Cao, M., Lin, L.X. (2016) How does habitat filtering affect the detection of conspecific and phylogenetic density dependence? Ecology, 97: 1182-1193.
50. Nakamura, A.*, Burwell, C. J., Ashton, L. A., Laidlaw, M. J., Katabuchi, M., Cao, M., Kitching, R. L. (2016) Identifying indicator species of elevational gradients: comparing utilities of woody plants, ants and moths for long-term monitoring. Austral Ecology, 41: 179-188.
51. Burwell, C. J., Nakamura, A.* (2016) Can changes in ant diversity along elevational gradients in tropical and subtropical Australian rainforests be used to detect a signal of past lowland biotic attrition? Austral Ecology, 41: 209-218.
52. Staunton, K. M., Nakamura, A.*, Burwell, C. J., Robson, S. K. A. and Williams, S. E. (2016) The role of historical and current climate on the elevational distributions of flightless ground beetles in the tropical rainforests of north-eastern Australia. PLoS ONE, 11: e0155826
53. Ashton, L., Nakamura, A.*, Burwell, C. J., Huang, H., Tang, Y., Cao, M., Whitaker, T., Sun, Z. H. and Kitching, R. L. (2016) Elevational sensitivity in an Asian ‘hotspot’: moth diversity across elevational gradients in tropical, sub-tropical and sub-alpine China. Scientific Reports, 6: 26513.
54. Mani, S., Cao, M.* (2016) Lagging effect of nutrient release in tropical seasonal forest soils in Xishuangbanna, south-west China. Journal of Tropical Forest Science, 28(3): 217-226.
55. Lan, G.Y.*, Zhang, Y.B., He, F.L., Hu, Y.H., Zhu, H., Cao, M.* (2016) Species associations of congeneric species in a tropical seasonal rainforest of China. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 32: 201-212.
56. Song, X.Y., Nakamura, A., Sun, Z.H., Tang, Y., Cao, M*. (2016) Elevational distribution of adult trees and seedlings in a tropical montane transect, Southwest China. Mountain Research and Development, 36: 342-354.
57. Song, X.Y., Li, J.Q., Zhang, W.F., Tang, Y., Sun, Z.H, Cao, M*. (2016) Variant responses of tree seedling to seasonal drought stress along an elevational transect in tropical montane forests. Scientific Reports, 6: 36438.
58. Li, J.Q., Song, X.Y., Cao, M. (2016) Response of tree seedlings to altitudinal gradient and its seasonal variation in Ailao Mountain and Yulong Mountain, Yunnan Province, China. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 27: 3403-3412. (In Chinese with English abstract)
59. Cao, M., Li, J.S., Zhou, J., Fang, Z. (2016) Nature reserves: the footstone of national eco-security. Man and the Biosphere, 102: 22-23. (In Chinese)
2015
60. Nakamura, A.*, Burwell, C. J., Lambkin, C. L., Katabuchi, M., McDougall, A., Raven, R. J. and Neldner, V. J. (2015) The role of human disturbance in island biogeography of arthropods and plants: an information theoretic approach. Journal of Biogeography, 42: 1406-1417.
61.Xu G.R., Zhang S., Lin Y.H., and Ma K.M.*, (2015) Context dependency of the density–body mass relationship in litter invertebrates along an elevational gradient.Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 88:323-332.
62. Yang, J., Swenson, N.G., Zhang, G.C., Ci, X.Q., Cao, M., Sha, L.Q., Li, J., Slik, J.W.F., Lin, L.X. (2015) Local-scale partitioning of functional and phylogenetic beta diversity in a tropical tree assemblage. Scientific Reports, 5: 12731.
63. Zhang, M., Song, X.Y. (2015) Responses of soil seed banks in tropical forests to an elevational gradient. Chinese Journal of Ecology, 34:2390-2400. (In Chinese with English abstract)
2014
64. Hu, Y.H, Kitching, R.L., Lan, G.Y., Zhang, J.L., Sha, L.Q., Cao, M.* (2014) Size-class effect contributes to tree species assembly through influencing dispersal in tropical forests. PLoS ONE, 9(9): e108450.
65. Yang, J., Lu, M. M., Cao, M., Li, J., Lin, L.X.* (2014) Phylogenetic and functional alpha and beta diversity in mid-mountain humid evergreen broad-leaved forest. Chinese Science Bulletin, (Chin Ver), 59: 2349-2358. (In Chinese with English abstract)
