Associate professor, Grassland Management and Microbial Ecology, Biological Stoichiometry

College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Gansu, China

No.768 Jiayuguan West Road, Lanzhou, Gansu, P.R.China,730020

Tel: 0931-8910979; Email: xiaocao0373@163.com/ niudc@lzu.edu.cn

Education:

Visiting Student, 9/2008-3/2010, Biological stoichiometry, School of life sciences, Arizona State University, USA. Supervisor: James J. Elser.

Ph.D., 9/2005-7/2011, Grassland ecology, College of pastoral agriculture science and technology, Lanzhou University, China. Supervisor: Jizhou Ren and Hua Fu.

B.S., 9/2001-7/2005, Science of grassland, College of ecology and environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, China. Supervisor: Defu Liu and Shihuang Chen.

Academic appointments:

2/2016-1/2017, Visiting Scholar, School of life sciences, Arizona State University, USA.

5/2013-Present, Associate Professor, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University.

7/2011-4/2013, Assistant Professor, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University.

7/2008-7/2011, Research Assistant, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University.

Lab:

Element Management in Grassland Ecosystem Lab. 

State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems.

Main Publications:

2018

23. Chunping Zhang, Decao Niu, Meiling Song, James J. Elser, Jordan G. Okie, Hua Fu. Effects of rainfall manipulations on carbon exchange of cyanobacteria and moss-dominated biological soil crusts. Soil Biology & Biochemistry. 2018, 124(2018):24-31.

22. Xudong Li, Ding Guo, Chunping Zhang, Decao Niu, Hua Fua, Changgui Wan. Contribution of root respiration to total soil respiration in a semi-arid grassland on the Loess Plateau, China. Science of the Total Environment. 2018, 627(2018):1209-1217. 

21. Decao Niu, Xiaobo Yuan, Arianne J. Cease, Haiyan Wen, Chunping Zhang, Hua Fu, James J. Elser. The impact of nitrogen enrichment on grassland ecosystem stability depends on nitrogen addition level. Science of the Total Environment. 2018, 618(2018):1529-1538.

2016

20. Mingming Shi, Hua Fu, Shujuan Wu, Caixia Wu, Decao Niu. Effects of grazing on plant C, N, P Stoichiometry in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. In: The Future Management of Grazing and Wild Lands in a High-Tech World. Proceedings of the 10th International Rangeland Congress. Cataloguing. Canada. 2016:822-823.

2015

19. Yan Qin, Decao Niu, Jian Kang, Yanfei Zhou, Xianglin Li. Effects of Livestock Exclusion on Soil Physical and Biochemical Properties of a Desert Rangeland. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies. 2015, 24(6):2587-2595.

18. Han Huige, Li Xudong, Niu Decao, Sharon J Hall, Guo Ding, Wan Changgui, Jennifer K Learned, Fu Hua. Conventional tillage improves the storage of soil organic carbon in heavy fractions in the Loess Plateau, China. Journal of Arid Land. 2015,7(5): 636–643.

17. Yali Zou, Decao Niu, Hua Fu, Yongchao Zhang, Changgui Wan. Moderate grazing promotes ecosystem carbon sequestration in an Alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. The Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences. 2015, 25(3):165-171.

2014

16. Chunping Zhang, Decao Niu, Sharon J. Hall, Haiyan Wen, Xudong Li, Hua Fu, Changgui Wan, James J. Elser. Effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on soil respiration components and their temperature sensitivities in a semiarid grassland. Soil Biology & Biochemistry. 2014, 75(2014)：113-123.

 2013

15. Haiyan Wen, Decao Niu, Hua Fu, Jian Kang. Experimental investigation on soil carbon, nitrogen, and their components under grazing and livestock exclusion in steppe and desert steppe grasslands, Northwestern China. Environmental Earth Sciences. 2013, 70（7）：3131-3141.

14. Chunping Zhang, Xudong Li, Decao Niu, Hongrong Zhang, Hua Fu. Effects of rain events on carbon fluxes from biological soil crusts. In: Revitalising grasslands to sustain our communities. Proceedings of the 22nd International Grassland Conference. CSIRO. Australia. 2013:1249-1250.

13. Huige Han, Xudong Li, Decao Niu, Hua Fu. Distribution of soil organic carbon fraction as related to land use and management in the Loess Plateau, northern China. In: Revitalising grasslands to sustain our communities. Proceedings of the 22nd International Grassland Conference. CSIRO. Australia. 2013:1241-1242.

12. Yongchao Zhang, Decao Niu, Tong Han, Dianye Zhang , Hua Fu. Litter decomposition rate indicates species status in the plant community of alpine meadow. In: Revitalising grasslands to sustain our communities. Proceedings of the 22nd International Grassland Conference. CSIRO. Australia. 2013:1435-1436.

11. Shulan Su, Xudong Li, Decao Niu, Haiyan Wen, Huige Han, Caixia Wu, Hua Fu. Plant C, N, P stoichiometry was effected with nitrogen deposition on the Loess Plateau, China. In: Revitalising grasslands to sustain our communities. Proceedings of the 22nd International Grassland Conference. CSIRO. Australia. 2013:1548-1549.

10. Shujuan Wu, Lijing Zhang, Xiaolong Chen, Xiumei Miao, Decao Niu, Hua Fu. Fatty acid analysis of the transgenic tobacco expressing a delta 6-desaturase gene from Microula sikkimensis. In: Revitalising grasslands to sustain our communities. Proceedings of the 22nd International Grassland Conference. CSIRO. Australia. 2013:389-390.

19. Decao Niu, Hongyang Chen, Shigao Jiang, Li Liu, Hongrong Zhang, Hua Fu. Carbon sequestration in relation to shrub size in the desert ecosystem. In: Revitalising grasslands to sustain our communities. Proceedings of the 22nd International Grassland Conference. CSIRO. Australia. 2013:1243-1244.

8. Hongyang Chen, Decao Niu, Shigao Jiang, Li Liu, Caixia Wu, Hua Fu. The characters of soil microbial biomass and metabolic quotient associated with shrub development in the arid region. In: Revitalising grasslands to sustain our communities. Proceedings of the 22nd International Grassland Conference. CSIRO. Australia. 2013:1433-1434.

2012

7. Hongyang Chen, Decao Niu, Li Liu, Xiaokun Shen, Shigao Jiang and Hua Fu. Aboveground biomass estimation for two shrubs in the desert ecosystem on Alxa Plateau. In: Evolution and future challenges of grasslands and grassland agriculture in the East Asia. Proceedings of the 4th Japan-China-Korea Grassland Conference. TAISEI Print Co. Ltd. Japan. 2012:80-81.

6. Shigao Jiang, Decao Niu, Li Liu, Xiaokun Shen, Hongyang Chen and Hua Fu. The relationship of productivity–species richness in the desert ecosystem on Alxa Plateau. In: Evolution and future challenges of grasslands and grassland agriculture in the East Asia. Proceedings of the 4th Japan-China-Korea Grassland Conference. TAISEI Print Co. Ltd. Japan. 2012:82-83.

5. Zhuxin Mao, Decao Niu, Bingquan Chu, Hua Fu. Effects of temperature and water stress on dry matter and water soluble carbohydrates in Vicia sativa L.. In: Evolution and future challenges of grasslands and grassland agriculture in the East Asia. Proceedings of the 4th Japan-China-Korea Grassland Conference. TAISEI Print Co. Ltd. Japan. 2012:176-177.

2011

4. Decao Niu, Sharon J. hall , Hua Fu, Jian kang, Yan Qin, James J. Elser. Grazing exclusion alters ecosystem carbon pools in Alxa desert steppe. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research. 2011,54:127-142.

3. Kaifa Wang, Na Zhang, Decao Niu, Yang Kuang. Periodic oscillations in a spatially explicit model with delay effect for vegetation dynamics in freshwater marshes. Journal of Biological Systems. 2011,19:131-147. 

2008

2. Niu DC, Fu H, Zhang HR. Hydraulic redistribution through the root systems in Zygophyllum xanthoxylum. International IGC-IRC Congress, Huhehaote, China. 2008.

2006

1. Li XD, Li XD, Niu DC, Fu H. Soil organic carbon content under different land use in Longzhong part of Loess Plateau. Act prataculturae sinica, 2006, 15: 62-65.

Main Funding:

4. NSF program, Collaborative Research: “The response of aquatic-terrestrial microbial systems to the degradation of alpine grassland in Qinghai Lake watershed (No. 41671106; 1/2017- 12/2020)”.

3. National Key R&D Program of China, Collaborative Research: “Demonstration of ecological restoration technology for degraded desert ecosystem (No. 2016YFC0500506-2; 7/2016- 6/2020)”.

2. NSF program, Project director: “Effects of nitrogen deposition on soil microbial community structure and function (No. 31572458; 1/2016-12/2019)”.

1. NSF program, Project director: “Carbon sequestration by biological soil crust in grassland system on the Loess Plateau (No. 31201837; 1/2013-12/2015)”.