Lee Ming Yang

How useless are ecological papers? I got curious and did some digging to find out! Check it out on my personal blog on my thoughts on ecology (and other stuff in life)! forestandfaith.org/2025/06/16/is-…

@JMBecologist As much as I would want to agree, editors and reviewers don't like such stuff and would claim your study as "not interesting/novel"

Ecology would be richer if researchers were able to say “I wasn’t expecting that!” when a study has unexpected outcomes Rather than the post hoc hypothesis setting which is obvious - yet not admitted - in some papers So much of ecology remains exploratory - let’s embrace that

Thanks @jaaronhogan for the shoutout! Today at #ESA2024 I presented results from a novel simple and complex P depletion experiment that showed root traits poorly predicted in-situ net P uptake rates! Hmu if anyone wants to know more :) @ntu_ase

@DrRChadwick I don't understand why is tackling research gaps bad? I would expect any good introduction to a research problem to highlight what is that gap and why is that gap important to fill

Happy to share that our commentary on integrating belowground processes to improve restoration success is finally out! 🥳 @Biotropica This is a consolidation of ideas from @theATBC 2022 involving belowground researchers working across all of the tropics! doi.org/10.1111/btp.13…

#TeamUnderground just published our first group paper! We show that 2ndary forests, with higher fine root biomass & soil temps, emit more soil CO2 than old-growth forests. @nanetteraczka @LeeMingYang11 @chungwingko @leafscientist @ntu_ase @ScienceNTU

Thanks to my adviser @kmanders7 for being swoon over colourful figures that escalated into a full blown lit survey in the midst of covid to bring together this final piece of work! I'll be closing this knowledge gap in root traits in my own way in the months to come!

With so many traits and so little time, what we should focus on? Depending on where you are in the tropics, you are bound to face regional variations in global change factors. Hence, focus on sets of root traits that enable plant communities to adapt to those changes accordingly.

doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2… First first author publication! Here, we highlighted knowledge gaps in root traits in the Paleotropics. Hence, future studies should focus on specific root traits depending on geography to understand plant responses to regional impacts of global change.

@FrontSustain First first author publication 3 years into my PhD! Here, we showed significant knowledge gaps in root traits in the Paleotropics. Hence, we proposed future studies focus on specific traits depending on geography to understand plant responses to regional effects of global change!

New Research: Global root trait underrepresentation in Paleotropical communities: a qualitative analysis frontiersin.org/articles/10.33… #forests #globalchange

@GCP10614042 It worked!

@LeeMingYang11 still not working?

The tropics don't give up their (mycorrhizal) secrets easily...check out how dark the roots remain even after autoclaving in 10% NaOH for 1/2 hr!

@GCP10614042 I use diluted bleach instead!

@LeeMingYang11 try bleaching with peroxide

Starting to compile a list of #postdoc fellowships due this Fall, mostly related to #ecology and #conservation. Feel free to suggest others I could add here #postdoctoral-fellows" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">quantmarineecolab.github.io/join/#postdoct…

@TropiKel_Ecolab @NTU_ASE @ScienceNTU @kmanders7 Shookth to be able to present about the roots of Southeast Asia to many brilliant young minds!! 🤩

#Root traits presentation by @LeeMingYang11 adding to a morning of excellent #ecology talks at #npnextgen @NTU_ASE @ScienceNTU @kmanders7

Brilliant demonstration of how soil organisms decompose, fertilize & recycle. No soil #biodiversity and …the system stops (and so soil health by the way!) via @WWF_SpecEnvoy