During my MSc in Conservation I became interested in how different restoration practices impact forest ecosystems. While reforestation is widely implemented, a critical comparison of active and passive forest regeneration is necessary to fully understand the consequences of their application. Furthermore, assessing the effects of novel urban environments on adjacent forests stands may nuance our understanding of effective conservation in an urbanizing world. My PhD research will compare the successional trajectories of urban-adjacent secondary forests regenerating passively following land abandonment to forests that have been actively restored around Hong Kong. Through this work, I aim to investigate the ecological consequences of these different restoration approaches at multiple levels, ranging from intraspecific tree population genetic structure, to plant and invertebrate species and functional diversity, and ecosystem function.

Contact: coskun.guclu@gmail.com

You never know how vibrant it is beneath our feet! My research interests include (1) estimating soil invertebrate contributions to global litter decomposition by performing meta-analytic method; (2) quantifying invertebrate effects on nitrogen cycling and plant growth using stable isotope technique and field mesocosm approach; and (3) assessing the response of invertebrate-mediated decomposition to anthropogenic changes. During my master’s degree at Nanjing University, I studied the roles of microbes and earthworms in driving subtropical litter decomposition. Since 2020, my PhD study involves collaboration with research teams in China, the UK, Germany, and Malaysia. Our collaborative study spans tropical, subtropical, and temperate sites and aims to uncover invertebrate-mediated nitrogen cycling and its response to global change.

Email: xyzeng@connect.hku.hk

Google Scholar

Growing up amidst the rapid urban sprawl of the American South, I watched bulldozers clear meadows for McMansions and felt the first pangs of environmental grief. This led me to question the ways in which we interact with urban spaces, and, searching for a more mutually habitable system that could support both humans and wildlife, I found my way towards a career in Ecology. This has led me further from home than I ever expected- Hong Kong, the brightest city in the world! My research will focus on the impact of artificial light at night on moth communities. As cities expand and the earth continues to urbanize, it’s important to ask: what will result from diminishing darkness?

Contact: veamaral@connect.hku.hk

Nature has always been my calling, so one field season was all it took to progress from biochemistry to this field. Wasps are underappreciated by the public, and have so much more to offer than the big, angry, black and yellow stereotype. That is why my MPhil project will focus on species distribution modelling and the potential impact of climate change.

Contact: clarapark.jh@gmail.com

DescriptionI’m interested in understanding how climate change and land-use change affect biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. Previously, termites have been found important in buffering the effects of drought in primary tropical rainforests by increasing soil moisture, decomposition, soil nutrient heterogeneity and seedling survival, however, whether termites could also confer resilience to drought in disturbed habitats is still not understood. Therefore, in my research, I will conduct experiments in Sabah, Malaysia to quantify the effects of land-use change and drought on the ecosystem services provided by termites.

Contact: nlyuen@connect.hku.hk

Description goes heI am a PhD candidate in Biodiversity and Environmental Change Lab at The University of Hong Kong. In my research I focus on understanding thermoregulation and drivers of temperature vulnerability and preferences of ectotherms and their implications for ecosystem functioning. I combine fine scale thermal physiology measurements of arthropods and plants with a variety of field methods involving canopy access, habitat microclimate measurements, and forest structure modelling using LIDAR. I aim at better understanding the realised impacts of global warming, identifying temperature vulnerability, and exploring the importance and conservation potential of microclimate-buffered habitats. In my free time I like walking and listening to folk music.

Contact: - bmajcher@connect.hku.hk

Twitter: @bartreesre