Hongxiang Zhang
Research Assistant (Seedbank)
Hongxiang Zhang is a Research Assistant in the Victorian Conservation Seedbank, where she focuses on seed processing, viability testing, and advanced germination trials. She is also involved in seed collection fieldwork and actively researched the dormancy and germination mechanisms of threatened species, as well as optimisation of their storage conditions to ensure long term viability and germinability. Hong is a seed ecologist by background, with expertise in characterising the responses of seeds to environmental stressors and climate change, and long term interests that include the various aspects of seed dormancy and germination, seed predation and defences, soil seed banks, and seed functional traits.
Publications
Zhao, M., Loreau, M., Ochoa-Hueso, R., Zhang, H., Yang, J., Zhang, Y., Liu, H., Jiang, Y., Han, X. 2024. Decoupled responses of above- and below-ground beta-diversity to nitrogen enrichment in a typical steppe. Ecology Letters, 27(1): e14339.
Zhang, H., Chen, S-C., Bonser, S.P., Hitchcock, T., Moles, A.T. 2023. Factors that shape large-scale gradients in clonality. Journal of Biogeography, 50: 827-837.
Liu, Z., Zhao, M., Zhang, H., Ren, T., Liu, C., He, N. 2023. Divergent response and adaptation of specific leaf area to environmental change at different spatio-temporal scales jointly improve plant survival. Global Change Biology, 29(4): 1144-1159.
Luo, W., Shi, Y., Wilkins, K., Song, L., Te, N., Chen, J., Zhang, H., Yu, q., Wang, Z., Han, X., Collins, S.L. 2023. Plant traits modulate grassland stability during drought and post-drought periods. Functional Ecology, 37(10): 2611-2620.
Tian, Y., Li, Y., Zhang, H., Tennakoon, K., Sun, Z. 2023. Germination strategy of Chenopodium acuminatum Willd. under fluctuating salinity habitats. Agronomy, 13, 2769.
Wu, Y., Zhang, H., Tian, Y., Song, Y., Li, Q. 2023. A thermal time basis for comparing the germination requirements of alfalfa cultivars with different fall dormancy ratings. Agronomy, 13, 2969.
Zhao, M., Zhang, H., Baskin, C.C., Wei, C., Yang, J., Zhang, Y., Jiang, Y., Jiang, L., Han, X. 2022. Intra-annual species gain overrides species loss in determining species richness in a typical steppe ecosystem after a decade of nitrogen enrichment. Journal of Ecology, 110(8): 1942-1956.
Luo, W., Griffin-Nolan, R., Felton, A., Yu, Q., Wang, H., Zhang, H., Wang, Z., Han, X., Collins, S., Knapp, A. 2022. Drought has inconsistent effects on seed trait composition despite their strong association with ecosystem drought sensitivity. Functional Ecology,36(11): 2690-2700.
Zhang, H., Singarayer, F., Kushan, T. 2022. The angiosperm stem hemiparasitic genus Cassytha (Lauraceae) and its host interactions: A review. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13: 864110.
Liu, Z., Zhao, M., Lu, Z., Zhang, H. 2022. Seed traits research is on the rise: A bibliometric analysis from 1991-2020. Plants, 11: 2006.
Lu, Z., Zhang, X., Zhang, H., Liu, Y. 2022. Native woody legumes respond more negatively to extreme drought than invasive ones. Journal of Plant Ecology, 15: 485-493.
Liu, Z., Dong, N., Zhang, H., Zhao, M., Liu, C., Westerband, A., He, N. 2021. Divergent responses to long- and short-term environmental gradients in specific leaf area of grassland species. Ecological Indicators, 130: 108058.
Zhao, M., Liu, Z., Zhang, H., Wang, Y., Yan, H. 2021. Germination characteristics is more associated with phylogeny-related traits of species in a salinized grassland of northeastern China. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9: 748038.
Irving, L.J., Zhang, H. 2021. Modelling the effect of salt and PEG on water uptake in wheat seeds. Agronomy, 11(8): 1660.
Guan, B., Zhang, L., Li, M., Zhang, H., Zhang, X., Han, G., Yu, J. 2021. The sediment burial depth and salinity control the early developments of Suaeda salsa in the Yellow River Delta. Nordic Journal of Botany, 9(1): 1-9.
Li, Qiang., Zhang, H., Huang, Y., Zhou, D. 2020. Forage nitrogen yield and soil nitrogen in artificial grasslands with varied Medicago seedling proportion. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science, 66(1): 110-125.
Zheng, W., Luan, Z., Zhang, H., Huang, Y., Zhou, D. 2020. Seed size, cotyledonal compensation, and response to defoliation and seeding depth in herbaceous dicotyledonous species. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 52(4): 1267-1275.
Zhang, H., Xiang, Y., Irving, L.J., Li, Q., Zhou, D. 2019. Nitrogen addition can improve seedling establishment of N-sensitive species in degraded saline soils. Land Degradation & Development, 30: 119-127.
Zhang, H., Gao, Y., Tasisa, B.Y., Baskin, J.M., Baskin, C.C., Lü, X., Zhou, D. 2019. Divergent responses to water and nitrogen addition of three perennial bunchgrass species from variously degraded typical steppe in Inner Mongolia. Science of the Total Environment, 647: 1344-1350.
Zhang, H., Tian, Y., Guan, B., Zhou, D, Sun, Z., Baskin, C.C. 2018. The best salt solution parameter to describe seed/seedling responses to saline and sodic salts. Plant and Soil, 426: 313-325.
Zhao, M., Zhang, H., Yan, H., Qiu, L., Baskin, C.C. 2018. Mobilization and role of starch, protein and fat reserves during seed germination of six wild grassland species. Frontiers in Plant Science, 9: 234.
Zhang, H., Bonser, S.P., Chen, S-C., Hitchcock, T., Moles, A.T. 2018. Is the proportion of clonal species higher at higher latitudes in Australia? Austral Ecology, 43: 69-75.
Chen, S-C., Cornwell, W.K., Zhang, H., Moles, A.T. 2017. Plants show more flesh in the tropics: variation in fruit type along latitudinal and climatic gradients. Ecography, 40: 531-538.
Zhang, H., Zhang, G., Lü, X., Zhou, D., Han, X. 2015. Salt tolerance during seed germination and early seedling stages of 12 halophytes. Plant and Soil, 388: 229-241.
Zhang, H., Tian, Y., Zhou, D. 2015. A modified thermal time model quantifying germination response to temperature for C3 and C4 species in temperate grassland. Agriculture, 5 (3): 412-426.
Zhang, H., Yu, Q., Huang, Y., Zheng, W., Tian, Y., Song, Y., Li, G., Zhou, D. 2014. Germination shifts of C3 and C4 species under simulated global warming scenario. PLoS ONE, 9: e105139.
Moles, A.T., Perkins, S.E. Laffan, S.W., Flores-Moreno, H., Awasthy, M., Tindall, M.L., Sack, L., Pitman, A., Kattge, J., Aarssen, L.W., Anand, M., Bahn, M., Blonder, B., Cavender-Bares, J., Cornelissen, JHC., Cornwell W.K., Díaz, S., Dickie J.B., Freschet F.T., Griffiths J.G., Gutierrez, A.G., Hemmings, F.A., Hickler, T., Hitchcock, T.D., Matthew, K., Kleyer, M., Kurokawa, H., Leishman, M.R., Liu, K., Niinemets, Ü., Onipchenko, V., Onoda, Y., Penuelas, J., Pillar, V.D., Reich, P.B., Shiodera, S., Siefert, A., Sosinski Jr, E.E., Soudzilovskaia, N.A., Swaine, E.K., Swenson, N.G., van Bodegom, P.M., Warman, L., Weiher, E., Wright, I.J., Zhang, H., Zobel, M., Bonser, S. 2014. Which is a better predictor of plant traits: temperature or precipitation? Journal of Vegetation Science, 5: 1167-1180.
Zhang, H., Zhou, D., Tian, Y., Huang, Y., Sun, Z. 2013. Comparison of seed germination and early seedling growth responses to salinity and temperature of the halophyte Chloris virgata and the glycophyte Digitaria sanguinalis. Grass and Forage Science, 68: 596-604.
Zhang, H., McGill, C.R., Irving, J.L., Kemp, P.D., Zhou, D. 2013. A modified thermal time model to predict germination rate of ryegrass and tall fescue at constant temperatures. Crop Science, 53: 240-249.
Song, Y., Zhou, D., Zhang, H., Jin, Y., Li, Q. 2013. Effects of vegetation height and density on soil temperature variations. Chinese Science Bulletin, 58: 907-912.
Zhang, H., Irving, J.L., Tian, Y., Zhou, D. 2012. Influence of salinity and temperature on seed germination rate and the hydrotime model parameters for the halophyte, Chloris virgata, and the glycophyte, Digitaria sanguinalis. South African Journal of Botany, 78: 203-210.
Tian, Y., Zhang, H., Wang, P., Zhou, D. 2012. Predicting germination response of primed and non-primed seeds of five crops under field-variable temperature. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B-Plant Soil Science, 62(2): 172-178.
Huang, Y., Zhao, X., Zhou, D., Zhang, H., Zheng, W. 2012. Phenotypic plasticity of early and late successional forbs in response to shifts in resources. PLoS ONE, 7(11): e50304.
Zheng, W., Li, G.D., Huang, Y.X., Zhang, H.X., Luan, Z.H., Wang, P., Shao, D.K., Zhou, D.W. 2012. Compensatory growth responses of seedlings of Pharbitis purpurea (Convulvulaceae) to tissue removal at different seeding depths of seeds. Ecological Research, 27(3): 569-576.
Zheng, W., Wang, P., Zhang, H., Zhou, D. 2011. Photosynthetic characteristics of the cotyledon and first true leaf of castor (Ricinus communis L.) Australian Journal of Crop Science, 5: 702-708.
Zheng, W., Yang, J., Luan, Z., Wang, P., Zhang, H., Zhou, D. 2011. Compensatory growth and photosynthetic responses of Pharbitis purpurea seedlings to clipped cotyledon and second leaf. Photosynthetica, 49(1): 21-28.
Zhang, H., Irving, J.L., McGill, C.R., Matthew, C., Zhou, D., Kemp, P.D. 2010. The effects of salinity and osmotic stress on barley germination rate: sodium as an osmotic regulator. Annals of Botany, 106 (6): 1027-1035.
Guan, B., Zhou, D., Zhang, H., Tian, Y., Japhet, W., Wang, P. 2009. Germination responses of Medicago ruthenica seeds to salinity, alkalinity, and temperature. Journal of Arid Environments, 73: 135-138.
Huang, Y., Zhao, X., Zhou, D., Zhao, H., Zhang, H., Zuo, X., Mao, W. 2009. Allometry of Salsola collina in response to soil nutrients, water supply and population density. Nordic Journal of Botany, 27: 539-547.
Japhet, W., Zhou, D., Zhang, H., Zhang, H., Tian, Y. 2009. Evidence of phenotypic plasticity in the response of Fagopyrum esculentum to population density and sowing date. Journal of Plant Biology, 52: 303-311.
Zhang, H., Zhou, D., Matthew, C., Wang, P., Zheng, W. 2008. Photosynthetic contribution of cotyledons in Cynoglossum divaricatum and Amaranthus retroflexus to early seedling development. New Zealand Journal of Botany, 46(1): 39-48.
Zhang, H., Wu, Y., Matthew, C., Zhou, D., Wang, P. 2008. Contribution of cotyledons to seedling dry weight and development in Medicago falcata L. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 51(2): 107-114.
Zhang, H., Zhou, D., Wang, P., Wang, T., Jin, Y. 2007. Germination responses of four wild species to diurnal increase or decrease in temperature. Seed Science and Technology, 35(2): 291-302.
Wang, T., Zhou, D., Wang, P., Zhang, H. 2006. Size-dependent reproductive effort in Amaranthus retroflexus: the influence of planting density and sowing date. Canadian Journal of Botany, 84(3): 1-8.
Zhang, H. 2021. An Illustrated Atlas of Seeds and Seedlings of Grassland Plants in Northern China. Jilin University Press, Changchun, China.
Tian, Y., Zhang, H., Zhou, D. 2020. Forage Farm Production Agronomy, In: Zhou, D., Tian, Y., Hu, J., (eds.): Fundamentals of Grassland Agriculture. Science Press, Beijing, China, pp, 254-285.
Zhang, Y., Zhang, H. 2019. Grassland Medicinal Plant Resources in Northeast China. In: Wang, Z., Zhang, W. (eds.): Grassland Plant Resources and their Utilization and Protection in Northeast China. Science Press, Beijing, China, pp, 104-146.