Xianhui Zhu

visiting PhD student

Office Nr.	117, main building, 1st floor
E-Mail	xianhui.zhu@unibe.ch

I am a visiting PhD student interested in plant–insect herbivore interactions and the ecological mechanisms underlying biodiversity maintenance. My current research focuses on how insect herbivory influences plant species coexistence under different nitrogen conditions.

Insect herbivores are important drivers of plant community dynamics, yet the mechanisms through which they affect species coexistence remain poorly understood. Using modern coexistence theory, I investigate how herbivory alters species interactions and coexistence outcomes, and how these effects vary across environmental conditions. In particular, I am interested in how nitrogen availability modifies plant–herbivore interactions and subsequently influences plant competition and coexistence.

My research seeks to understand the links between plant diversity, insect herbivory, and ecosystem functioning. I am particularly interested in the role of plant functional traits in mediating species interactions and determining plant responses to herbivores and environmental change. By integrating morphological traits and plant secondary metabolite compounds with demographic and coexistence approaches, I aim to identify the trait-based mechanisms that promote species coexistence and biodiversity maintenance.

In addition, I investigate how plant diversity influences insect herbivory and explore the underlying mechanisms involving plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which play important roles in mediating interactions between plants and insect herbivores.