In this blog post, we hear from Associate Editor Ji Liu, Associate Professor at the Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Spanish National Research Council (CISC)-Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications. Ji’s primary research interests are in ecological stoichiometry and the coupled biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. He aims to uncover the underlying principles governing stoichiometric balance and explore how these dynamics influence ecosystem resilience, nutrient-use efficiency, and long-term sustainability in the face of global environmental change.
Why did you choose to study your particular research area?
Ecological stoichiometry offers a unifying framework to understand how nutrient imbalances drive ecological processes from microbes to the biosphere. I am fascinated by its potential to link terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and to solve global environmental challenges through a biogeochemical lens. One key challenge in ecology is identifying how nutrient limitations shift under global change across scales. I aim to disentangle the disconnect between plant and microbial nutrient limitations and to trace legacy nutrient sources that continue to pollute ecosystems decades after input.
What challenges have you faced in your career?
Balancing interdisciplinary work across hydrology, ecology, and biogeochemistry has been both enriching and difficult, especially when publishing research that does not fall neatly into traditional disciplinary boundaries.
What is next for your research?
Future work will focus on integrating ecological stoichiometry with remote sensing and AI to predict ecosystem status at landscape scales. I am also exploring policy-relevant applications of this framework for nutrient management in agricultural systems.
Why Functional Ecology and how do you find being an Associate Editor?
The journal plays a key role in advancing mechanistic ecology and bridging disciplines. Personally, publishing and serving with Functional Ecology has connected me with a global network of inspiring researchers. Being an Associate Editor is rewarding due to being at the forefront of ecological research and supporting authors in publishing their best work. A challenge is maintaining rigorous standards while offering constructive feedback, especially for interdisciplinary submissions. Being an Associate Editor benefits my own research as it sharpens my critical thinking and improves my own writing. It also helps me identify emerging trends and gaps in the field, which can inspire new research directions.
Any common mistakes in submitted papers? How might these be addressed?
Overreliance on correlative analyses without clear mechanistic hypotheses is common. Authors should focus more on ecological theory and ensure experimental designs directly address their research questions.
What do you think are some of the biggest challenges in the field of ecology and what one thing would you change?
A major challenge is translating ecological knowledge into policy and practice, particularly under limited funding and increasing political resistance to environmental regulation. I would increase representation and collaboration across geographic regions and disciplines. Ecology needs diverse perspectives to tackle global-scale problems.
Any advice for early career researchers and submissions you would like to see more of?
Focus on building a clear scientific question, supported by robust methods and theory. Engage with peer feedback and be persistent – it is all part of the process. I would like to see more integrative work connecting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, particularly using stoichiometric frameworks. Underrepresented areas include research from the Global South and studies on plant-soil-water-microbial nutrient interactions.
