Education and Appointments：

Dr. Cao is a Professor in the State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Professor Cao focus on wetland and biodiversity ecology and conservation, and movement ecology. Recent technology innovations in IT and micro-electronics have led to the rapid development of satellite tracking devices and techniques. By deploying cutting-edge transmitting devices, Professor Cao’s group has initiated tracking programs in many sites in and outside China. Professor Cao is also coordinating a national monitoring and research network of bird-tracking in China.

Professor Cao is currently presiding over 20 research projects sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and other international cooperative projects. As of June 2017, Professor Cao has published over 100 international journal articles of the fields of Ecology, Ornithology or Multidisciplinary Sciences, including Nature, Nature Communications, Current Biology. Based on the above work, she was invited to give plenary report at the 26th International Ornithological Congress (Tokyo, 2014), and give Alfred Newton Lecture at the British Ornithologists’ Union 2019 Annual Conference (Coventry, 2019).

 

Education

Sep 2002- Dec 2005, Ph.D., Biology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China

Sep 1987-Jun 1991, B.S., Biology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China

 

Professional experience

Dec 2013- present Professor, State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Jul 2011- Sep 2011 Visiting Professor, Charles Sturt University, Albury, Australia

Dec 2010- Nov 2013 Professor, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China

Dec 2005- Nov 2010 Associate professor, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China

 

Research Interest：

Wetland and biodiversity ecology and conservation, movement ecology

 

Public Services：

Associate Editor of Wetlands since 2016

Associate Editor of Avian Research since 2014

Associate Editor of Bird Conservation International since 2011

Member of the British Ornithologists' Union since 2016

Member of the International Ornithologists' Union since 2014

Member of the 10th Council of China Ornithological Society since 2009

Member of IUCN-Wetlands International Goose Specialist Group since 2005

Member of Pacific Seabirds Group since 2004

 

Honors：

Awarded “Prize for Godman-Salvin Prize” in 2023

Awarded “Prize for 2019 Alfred Newton Lecture of BOU annual conference” in 2019

Awarded “Prize for China Zoological Society Youth Science and Technology” in 2013

Awarded “Prize for The national five one labor medal” in 2012

Awarded “Excellent Woman Prize in Anhui Province” and “Excellent Work Medal in Anhui Province” in 2011

Awarded “Teaching Achievement Award in Anhui Province” in 2011

Awarded University of Science and Technology of China Chancellor Excellent Research Prize in 2009

Awarded “Prize for Threatened Birds and Animals Research”, Gansu Province Natural Science Prize in 2008

Awarded The 7th “Cheng Tso-Hsin Ornithological Science Youth Prize” in 2006

曹垒*, 孟凡娟, 赵青山. 2021. 基于前沿监测技术探讨“大开发”对鸟类迁徙及其栖息地的影响. 中国科学院院刊, 专题：生物多样性保护与生态文明36(4): 436-447.

Cao L*, Deng X, Meng F, and Fox AD. 2020a. Defining flyways, discerning population trends and assessing conservation challenges of key East Asian Anatidae species: an introduction. Wildfowl Special Issue 6: 1:12.

Cao L*, Meng F, Zhang J, Deng X, and Fox AD. 2020b. Moving forward: how best to use the results of waterbird monitoring and telemetry studies to safeguard the future of Far East Asian Anatidae species. Wildfowl Special Issue 6: 293-319.

Wang X, Cao L*, Fox AD, Fuller R, Griffin L, Mitchell C, Zhao Y, Moon OK, Cabot D, Xu Z, Batbayar N, K?lzsch A, van der Jeugd H, Madsen J, Chen L, and Nathan R*. 2019. Stochastic simulations reveal few green wave surfing populations among spring migrating herbivorous waterfowl. Nature Communications 10: 2187. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09971-8

Deng X, Zhao Q, Fang L, Wang X, He H, Cao L*, and Fox AD. 2019. Spring migration duration exceeds that of autumn migration in Far East Asian Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons). Accepted by Avian Research.

An A, Cao L*, Jia Q, Wang X, Zhu Q, Zhang J, Ye X, and Gao D. 2019. Changing Abundance and Distribution of the Wintering Swan Goose Anser cygnoides in the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Floodplain: An investigation combining a field survey with satellite telemetry. Sustainability 11(5):1398. 

Chen Y, Zhang Y*, Cao L*, de Boer WF, and Fox AD. 2019. Wintering Swan Geese maximize energy intake through substrate foraging depth when feeding on buried Vallisneria natans tubers. Avian Research 10:6.

Wang X, Cao L*, Batbayar N, and Fox AD. 2018. Variability among autumn migration patterns of Mongolian Common Shelducks (Tadorna tadorna). Avian Research 9:46.

Cao L, Wang X, and Fox AD*. 2018. Letter to the editor regarding: Sponge Wetlands: restoring functional flood relief to China’s great rivers. Wetlands Ecology and Management 26(5):729-731.

Zhao Q, Wang X, Cao L*, and Fox AD. 2018. Why Chinese wintering geese hesitate to exploit farmland. Ibis 160:703-705.

Wang X, Cao L*, Bysykatova I, Xu Z, Rozenfeld S, Jeong W, Vangeluwe D, Zhao Y, Xie T, Yi K, and Fox AD. 2018. The Far East taiga forest: unrecognized inhospitable terrain for migrating Arctic-nesting waterbirds? Peer J 6:e4353.

Jia Q, Wang X, Zhang Y, Cao L*, and Fox AD. 2018. Drivers of waterbird communities and their declines on Yangtze River floodplain lakes. Biological Conservation 218:240–246.

Aharon-Rotman Y*, McEvoy J, Zheng Z, Yu H, Wang X, Si Y, Xu Z, Zeng Y, Jeong W, Cao L*, and Fox, AD. 2017. Water level affects availability of optimal feeding habitats for threatened migratory waterbirds. Ecology and Evolution 7(23):10440–10450.

Yu H, Wang X, Cao L*, Zhang L, Jia Q, Lee H, Xu Z, Liu G, Xu W, Hu B, and Fox AD. 2017. Are declining populations of wild geese in China “prisoners” of their natural habitats? Current Biology 27(10):376-377.

Zhang L, Wang X, Zhang J, Ouyang Z, Chan S., Crosby M, Watkins D, Martinez J, Su L, Yu Y, Szabo J, Cao L*, and Fox AD. 2017. Formulating a list of sites of waterbird conservation significance to contribute to China’s Ecological Protection Red Line. Bird Conservation International 27:153–166.

Jia Q, Cao L*, Ye′sou H, Huber C, Fox AD. 2017. Combating aggressive macrophyte encroachment on a typical Yangtze River lake: lessons from a long-term remote sensing study of vegetation. Aquatic Ecology 51(1):177–189.

Zhang Y*, Prins HH., Versluijs M, Wessels R, Cao L*, and de Boer WF. 2016. Experimental Evidence Shows the Importance of Behavioural Plasticity and Body Size under Competition in Waterfowl. PloS ONE 11(10):e0164606.

Yang Y, Zhan A, Cao L*, Meng F, and Xu W. 2016. Selection of a marker gene to construct a reference library for wetland plants, and the application of metabarcoding to analyze the diet of wintering herbivorous waterbirds. Peer J 4:e2345.

Jan 2022-Dec 2025 Changes and sustainable management of arid ecosystems in Eurasia - Using tracking animals as ecological environment sensors to study ecosystems in arid regions in Eurasia, supported byJoint CAS-MPG Research Project. Grant (No. Hzxm20225001mi), PI.

Jun 2016-Dec 2020 Research and development of key habitat restoration and functional upgrading of migratory waterbirds in degraded freshwater marsh, sub project six of project Studies on the restoration and protection of typical fragile ecosystems, supported by The National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2016YFC0500406), PI.

Jan 2017-Dec 2019 Long-distance avian flyers facing hardship in all cardinal directions: comparing north-south migration of waterbirds along the western and the eastern Palearctic flyways, supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.31661143027), PI

Jan 2017-Dec 2020 Physiological effects on migratory strategies and individual fitness of large Anatidae species in East Asian flyway, supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31670424), PI

Apr 2015-Dec 2019 Research and demonstration of aquaculture and environmental management, Research and demonstration of lake fishery and water environment regulation technology, sub project two of project demonstration of lake fishery carrying capacity and research of environmental protection fishery technology, supported by The National Key Technology Research and Development Program of China (No. 2015BAD13B01)

Jan 2016-Dec 2020 Bird Diversity Observation Network of China Biodiversity Observation Networks (Sino BON), supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences

Jul 2015-Jul 2020 Movement Ecology Study, supported by The high-end foreign expert project of State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs P.R. China, PI