Research Interests:

My research focuses on the taxonomy and evolution of mammals in China and nearby regions. The taxonomic aspect aims to explore the species composition and distribution of mammals in China with particular interests in epidemic species, and the origination and succession of species diversity in synchronous with geoclimatic events. In terms of evolutionary aspect, my research is based on multi-omics data, 3D reconstruction, occurrences of both fossils and extant species, and environmental big data to reveal mechanisms that drive species differentiation and extinction, the adaptive evolution and convergent evolution of innovative traits, and evolutionary dynamics of taxa in response to global environmental changes.

Awards and Honors:

Professional Activities:

Deputy director of the Lagomorpha specialist group, IUCN (2021/09-) Associate editor of the Journal of the Mammalogy (2020/07-) Associate editor of the Journal of Zoology (2019/01-). On the editorial board of the Zoological Sytematics (2020/01-) On the editorial board of the Acta Theriologica Sinica (2019/01-). On the editorial board of the Journal of Zoology (2015-2018/12) Lagomorph specialist group, IUCN (2018-2021/05 )

Research Grants:

Research and development plan of Guangdong Province in key fields: Sub-project of "Biosafety Technology" : Distribution and ecology of important epidemic source animals in Guangdong,2022-2025, 2022B1111040001. (Principal Investigator) National Natural Science Foundation of China (3217030227,2023-2026). Accelerated speciation and adaptive evolution in the Muridae (Mammalia: Rodentia). (Principal Investigator) The Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (2019QZKK0402, 2019-2024). Biodiversity and Conservation of mammals in the Nature reserves of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (Principal Investigator). National Natural Science Foundation of China (31872958, 2019/01-2022/12), Adaptive radiation and population genetics of different ecotypes in the Rattini tribe (Rodentia: Murinae). (Principal Investigator). Newton Advanced Fellowship of the Royal Society, UK (NA150142, 2016/02-2020/01), Interpreting the evolution of forage selection in small mammals. (Principal Investigator).

Selected Publications:

(#Joint first author, *Corresponding author)   Ge, D.Y.#, Wen, Z.X.#, Feijó, A.#, Lissovsky, A.#, Zhang, W.#, Cheng, J.L., Yan, C.C., She, H.S., Zhang, D.Z, Cheng, Y.L., Lu, L, Wu, X.L., Mu, D.P., Zhang. Y.B., Xia, L., Qu, Y.H.*, Vogler, A.P.*, Yang, Q.S*. 2023. Genomic consequences of and demographic response to pervasive hybridization over time in climate-sensitive Pikas. Molecular Biology and Evolution, doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msac274. Cheng, J.L#., Peng, X.W.#, Li H.#, Feijó, A, Xia, L, Shenbrot, G.I., Ge, D.Y., Wen, Z.X., Wang, D.H., Yang, Q.S*. 2023. Similar adaptative mechanism but divergent demographic history of four sympatric desert rodents in Eurasian inland. Communications Biology, 6:33. Feijó, A.#, Ge, D.Y.#, Wen, Z.X.#, Cheng, J.L., Xia, L., Patterson, B.D., Yang, Q.S*. 2022. Mammalian diversification bursts and biotic turnovers are synchronous with Cenozoic geoclimatic events in Asia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(49):e2207845119. Ge, D.Y.*, Qu, Y.H.*, Deng T., Thuiller, W., Fiser, C., Ericson, P.G.P., Guo, B.C., de la Sancha N.U., von der Heyden S., Hou, Z.E., Li, J.T., Abramov, A., Vogler, A.P., Jonsson, K.A. Mittermeier, R. 2022. New progress in exploring the mechanisms underlying extraordinarily high biodiversity in global hotspots and their implications for conservation. Diversity and Distributions, 28:2448-2458. Mu, D.P., Wu, X.L., Zhang, Y., Feijó, A., Wu, W., Wen, Z.X., Cheng, J.L., Xia, L., Yang, S.S., Shan, W.J*., Ge, D.Y*. 2022. Transcriptome analysis of the pika heart tissue reveals mechanisms underlying the adaptation of the most dominant mammals on the roof of the world. Frontiers in Genetics. doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2022. 1020789. Lissovsky, A.A.*, Svetlana, P. Y., Ekaterina, V. O., Narayan, P. K., Ge, D.Y*. 2022. Diversification in highlands: phylogeny and taxonomy of pikas of the subgenus Conothoa (Lagomorpha, Ochotonidae). Zoologica Scripta, 51(3):267-287. Ge, D.Y.#, Feijó, A.#, Wen, Z.X.#, Lissovsky A., Zhang, D. Z., Cheng, J.L., Yan, C.C., Mu, D.P., Wu, X.L., Xia, L., Yang, Q.S*. 2022. Ancient introgression underlying the unusual mito--nuclear discordance and coat phenotypic variation in the Moupin pika. Diversity and Distributions, 28(12): 2593-2609. Wen Z,X., Feijó A., Ke J.Z., He X. C., Cheng, J. L., Ge, D.Y., Tian T., Xia L., Wu Y.J., Ran J.H., Yang, Q.S*. 2022. Altitudinal dispersal process drives community assembly of montane small mammals. Ecography. 2022: e06318. Feijó, A.,Ge, D.Y.,Wen, Z.X., Xia, L., Yang, Q.S. 2022. Identifying hotspots and priority areas for xenarthran research and conservation. Diversity and Distributions, 28:2778–279. Wen, Z.X#., Cai, T. L.#, Wu, Y. J., Feijo A., Xia, L., Cheng, J.L., Peng, X. W., Zhang, Q., Zhang, Z.J., Ran, J.H., Ge, D.Y*., Yang, Q.S *. 2022. Environmental drivers of sympatric mammalian species compositional turnover in giant panda nature reserves: Implications for conservation. Science of The Total Environment., 806(Pt 4):150944. Ge, D.Y.#, Feijó, A.#, Wen, Z.X., Abramov, A.V., Lu. L., Cheng, J.L., Pan, S., Ye, S.C., Xia, L., Jiang, X.L., Vogler A.P.*, Yang, Q.S*. 2021. Demographic history and genomic response to environmental changes in a rapid radiation of wild rats. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 38(5):1905-1923. Lucja Fostowicz-Frelik*, Ge, D.Y*, Irina Ruf*. 2021. Editorial: Recent Advances in the Evolution of Euarchontoglires. Frontiers in Genetics, 12:773789. Wen, Z.X.#, Ge, D.Y.#, Feijó, A., Du, Y.B., Sun, J., Wang, Y.Q., Xia, L., Yang, Q.S*. 2021. Varying support for abundance-centre and congeneric-competition hypotheses along elevational transects of mammals. Journal of Biogeography, 48:616-627. Ge, D.Y.#, Feijó, A.#, Abramov, A.V., Wen Z. X., Cheng, J., Liu, Z. J., Xia, L., Lu, L.*, Yang, Q.S*. 2021. Molecular phylogeny and morphological diversity of the Niviventer fulvescens species complex with emphasize on species in China. Zoological Journal of the Linnaean Society, 191(2): 528-547. Kraatz, B., Belabbas, R., Fostowicz-Frelik, Ge, D.Y., Kuznetsov, A.N., Lang, M.M., Lopez-Torres, S., Mohammadi, Z., Racicot, R.A., Ravosa, M.J., Sharp, A.C., Sherratt, E., Silcox, M.T., Slowiak, J., Winkler, AJ., Ruf, I. 2021. Lagomorpha as a model morphological system. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.636402. Cheng, J.L., Xia, L., Feijo, A., Shenbrot. G., Wen, Z.X., Ge, D.Y., Lu, L., Yang, Q.S.*. 2021. Phylogeny, taxonomic reassessment and ‘ecomorph’ relationship of the Orientallactaga sibirica complex (Rodentia: Dipodidae: Allactaginae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 192(1):185-205 Ma, L., Rong, M. C., Qu, J. P., Ge, D.Y., Yang, Q. S., Wilcove D. S. 2021. Predicting range shifts of pikas (Mammalia, Ochotonidae) in China under scenarios incorporating land-use change, climate change, and dispersal limitations. Diversity and Distributions, 27(12): 2384-2396. Wang, Y.Q., Feijó, A, Cheng, J.L., Xia, L., Wen, Z.X., Ge, D.Y., Sun, J., Lu. L., Li, S., Yang, Q.S.*. 2021. Ring distribution patterns-diversification or speciation? Comparative phylogeography of two small mammals in the mountains surrounding the Sichuan Basin. Molecular Ecology, 30:2641-2658. Feijó, A.#, Ge, D.Y.#, Wen, Z. X.,Xia, L., Yang, Q.S*. 2020. Divergent adaptations in resource‐use traits explain how pikas thrive on the roof of the world. Functional Ecology, 34:1826-1838. Wen, Z.X., Feijó, A., Cheng, J.L., Du, Y.B, Ge, D.Y., Xia, L., Yang, Q.S.*. 2021. Explaining mammalian abundance and elevational range size with body mass and niche characteristics. Journal of Mammalogy, 102(1):13-27. Sun. J., Wen, Z.X., Feijó, A., Wang, Y. Q., Li S., Ge, D.Y. , Xia, L., Yang, Q.S. 2020. Elevation patterns and critical environmental drivers of the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of small mammals in a karst mountain area. Ecology and Evolution, ece3.6750 Feijó, A., Wang, Y., Sun, J., Li, F., Wen, Z., Ge, D.Y., Xia, L., Yang, Q. S*. 2019. Research trends on bats in China: a twenty-first century review. Mammalian Biology, 98:163-172. He, Y., Hu, S.Z., Ge, D.Y*, Yang, Q. S., Connor, T., Zhou, C. Q*. 2019. Evolutionary history of Spalacidae inferred from fossil occurrences and molecular phylogeny. Mammal Review, 50(2020):11-24. Wen, Z.X., Cai, T.L., Feijó, A., Xia. L., Cheng, J. L., Ge, D.Y., Yang, Q. S*. 2020. Using completeness and defaunation indices to understand nature reserve’s key attributes in preserving medium- and large-bodied mammals. Biological Conservation, 241:108273. Kumar, B. K., Cheng, J. L., Ge, D.Y., Xia, L, Yang, Q, S*. 2019. Phylogeography and ecological niche modeling unravel the evolutionary history of the Yarkand hare, Lepus yarkandensis (Mammalia: Leporidae), through the Quaternary. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 19(1):113. Ge, D.Y., Feijó, A., Cheng, J., Lu, L., Liu, R., Abramov, A.V., Xia, L., Wen, Z., Zhang, W., Shi, L., Yang, Q. S*. 2019. Evolutionary history of field mice (Murinae: Apodemus), with emphasis on morphological variation among species in China and description of a new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society,187: 518–534. Ge, D.Y., Lu, L., Abramov, A. V., Wen, Z. X., Cheng, J. L., Xia, L., Vogler, A. P., Yang, Q. S*. 2019. Coalescence Models reveal the rise of the white-bellied rat (Niviventer confucianus) following the loss of Asian megafauna. Journal of Mammalian Evolution, 26:423–434. Feijó, A., Wen, Z., Cheng, J., Ge, D.Y., Xia, L., Yang, Q. S*. 2019. Divergent selection along elevational gradients promotes genetic and phenotypic disparities among small mammals populations. Ecology and Evolution, 9(12):7080-7095. Ge, D.Y., Lu, L., Xia, L., Du, Y. B., Wen, Z. X., Cheng, J. L., Abramov, A. V., Yang, Q. S*. 2018. Molecular phylogeny, morphological diversity, and systematic revision of a species complex of common wild rat species in China (Rodentia, Murinae). Journal of Mammalogy, 99(6): 1350–1374. Zhu, K.L., Ge, D.Y., Wen, Z.X., Xia, L, Yang, Q. S*. 2018. Evolutionary Genetics of Hypoxia and Cold Tolerance in Mammals. Journal of Molecular Evolution, 86(9):618-634. Cheng, J. L., Ge, D.Y., Xia, L., Lu, L., Yang, Q. S*.2018. Phylogeny and taxonomic reassessment of jerboa, Dipus (Rodentia, Dipodinae), in inland Asia. Zoologica Scripta,47, 630-644. Wen, Z. X., Cheng, J. L., Ge, D.Y., Xia, L., Lv, X., Yang, Q.S*. 2018. Abundance–occupancy and abundance–body mass relationships of small mammals in a mountainous landscape. Landscape Ecology, 33:1711-1724. Lv, X., Cheng, J. L., Meng, Y., Chang, Y. B., Xia, X., Wen, Z.X., Ge, D.Y., Liu, S.Y., Yang Q, S*. 2018. Disjunct distribution and distinct intraspecific diversification of Eothenomys melanogaster in South China. BMC Evolutionary Biology,18:50. Wen, Z. X., Wu, Y. J., Cheng, J. L. Cai, T. L., Du, Y. B., Ge, D.Y. Xia, L., Yang, Q. S*. 2018. Abundance of small mammals correlates with their elevational range sizes and elevational distributions in the subtropics. Ecography, 41: 1888–1898. Ge, D.Y., Lu, L., Cheng, J. L., Xia, L., Chang, Y. B., Wen, Z. X., Lv, X., Du, Y. B., Liu, Q. Y., Yang, Q. S*. 2017. An endemic rat species complex is evidence of moderate environmental changes in the terrestrial biodiversity centre of China through the late quaternary. Scientific Reports, 7, 46127. Du, Y., Wen, Z., Zhang, J., Lv, X., Cheng, J., Ge, D.Y., Xia, L., Yang, Q. S*. 2017. The roles of environment, space, and phylogeny in determining functional dispersion of rodents (Rodentia) in the Hengduan Mountains, China. Ecology and Evolution, 7, 10941-10951. Lissovsky, A.A*., Obolenskaya, E. V., Ge, D.Y., Yang, Q. S. 2017. Phylogeny and distribution of Palaearctic chipmunks Eutamias (Rodentia: Sciuridae). Hystrix, Italian Journal of Mammalogy, 28: 12172. Ma, H. D., Ge, D.Y., Shenbrot, G., Pisano, J., Yang, Q. S., Zhang, Z. Q*. 2016. Hypsodonty of Dipodidae (Rodentia) in correlation with diet preferences and habitats. Journal of Mammalian Evolution, 24:485-494. Lv, X., Xia, L., Ge, D.Y., Wu, Y.J., Yang, Q. S*. 2016. Climatic niche conservatism and ecological opportunity in the explosive radiation of arvicoline rodents (Arvicolinae, Cricetidae). Evolution, 70, 1094-1104. Fontanesi, L., Di Palma, F., Flicek, P., Smith, A.T., Thulin, C.G., Alves, P.C., Lagomorph Genomics Consortium. 2016. LaGomiCs—Lagomorph Genomics Consortium: An international collaborative effort for sequencing the genomes of an entire mammalian order. Journal of Heredity,107, 295-308. Lv, X., Xia, L., Ge, D.Y., Wen, Z.X., Qu, Y.H., Lu, L., Yang, Q.S*. 2016. Continental refugium in the Mongolian Plateau during Quaternary glacial oscillations: phylogeography and niche modelling of the endemic desert hamster, Phodopus roborovskii. PLoS ONE, 11, e0148182. Wen, Z.X., Yang, Q.S*, Quan, Q., Xia, L., Ge, D.Y., Lv, X. 2016. Multiscale partitioning of small mammal b-diversity provides novel insights into the Quaternary faunal history of Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and Hengduan Mountains. Journal of Biogeography, 43, 1412-1424. Wen, Z.X., Quan, Q., Du, Y.B , Xia, L., Ge, D.Y., Yang, Q.S*. 2016. Dispersal, niche, and isolation processes jointly explain species turnover patterns of nonvolant small mammals in a large mountainous region of China. Ecology and Evolution, doi: 10.1002/ece3.1962. Ge, D.Y., Yao, L., Xia, L., Zhang, Z.Q., Yang, Q.S*. 2015. Geometric morphometric analysis of skull morphology reveals loss of phylogenetic signal at the generic level in extant lagomorphs (Mammalia: Lagomorpha). Contributions to Zoology, 84 (4): 267-284. Lu, L.#, Ge, D.Y.#, Chesters, D., Simon, Y.W. Ho, Ma, Y., Li, G.C., Wen, Z.X., Wu, Y.J., Wang, J., Xia, L., Liu, J.L., Guo, T.Y., Zhang, X.L., Zhu, C.D., Yang, Q.S*., Liu, Q.Y*. 2015. Molecular phylogeny and the underestimated species diversity of the endemic white-bellied rat (Rodentia: Muridae: Niviventer) in Southeast Asia and China. Zoologica Scripta, 44(5): 475-494. Wen, Z.X., Wu, Y.J., Du, Y.B. Xia, L., Ge, D.Y., Yang, Q.S*, Shen L.M. 2014. Seasonal change of species diversity patterns of Non-volant small mammals along three subtropical elevational gradients. Biotropica, 46(4): 479-488. Ge, D.Y., Liu, X., Lv, X.F, Xia, L., Zhang, Z. Q., Yang, Q.S*. 2014. Historical biogeography and body form evolution of ground squirrels (Sciuridae: Xerinae). Evolutionary Biology, 41:99-114. Ge, D.Y., Wen, Z.X., Xia, L., Zhang, Z.Q., Erbajeva M., Huang, C.M., Yang, Q.S*. 2013. Evolutionary history of lagomorphs in response to global environmental change. PLoS ONE. 8(4):e59668. Lv, X.F., Ge, D. Y., Xia, L., Huang, C.M., Yang, Q.S*. 2013.A geometric morphometric study of the skull shape diversification in squirrels (Mammalia, Rodentia). Integrative Zoology,. 9(3):231-45. Lv, X.F., Ge, D.Y., Xia, L., Zhang, Z.Q. Li S., Yang Q.S*. 2013. The evolution and paleobiogeography of flying squirrels (Sciuridae, Pteromyini) in response to global environmental change. Evolutionary Biology, 40:117–132. Zhang, Q., Xia, L., Kimura, Y., Shenbrot, G., Zhang, Z.Q., Ge, D.Y., Yang Q.S*. 2012. Trace the Origin and Diversification of Dipodoidea (Order: Rodentia): Evidence from both Fossil Records and Molecular Phylogeny. Evolutionary Biology, 40:32–44. Ge, D.Y., Zhang, Z.Q., Xia, L., Zhang, Q., Ma, Y., Yang, Q.S*. 2012. Did the expansion of C4 plants drive extinction and massive range contraction of micromammals? A case inferred from food preference and historical biogeography of pikas. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 320-328: 160-171. Ge, D.Y., Lissovsky, A.A., Xia, L., Cheng, C., Smith, A., Yang, Q.S*. 2012. Reevaluation of several taxa of Chinese lagomorphs (Mammalia: Lagomorpha) described on the basis of pelage phenotype variation. Mammalian Biology, 77(2): 113-123. Ge, D.Y., Gómez-Zurita, J., Chesters, D., Yang, X.K*., Vogler, A.P*. 2012. Suprageneric systematics of flea beetles (Chrysomelidae, Alticinae) inferred from multilocus sequence data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 62(3):793-805. Ge, D.Y., Chesters. D., Gómez-Zurita, J., Zhang, L.J., Yang, X.K*., Vogler, A.P*. 2011. Anti-predator defense drives parallel morphological evolution in flea beetles. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Science, 278(1715):2133-41. Ge, D.Y., Wang, S.Y., Yang, X.K*. 2010. A new species of the genus Phygasia Chevrolat from Taiwan (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Alticinae). Biologia, 65(2): 325-329. Ge, D.Y., Wang, S.Y., Yang, X.K*. 2009. Study on the Genus Philopona Weise (Coleoptera , Chrysomelidae, Alticinae) and a New Species from China. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 111(1): 27-32. Ge, D.Y., Wang, S.Y., Yang, X.K*. 2008. Study on Phygasia Chevrolat (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Alticinae）from China, with description of eight new species. Biologia, 63(4), 553-565. Ge, D.Y., Chen, X.S*. 2008. Review of the genus Palaeothespis Tinkham (Mantodea: Thespidae) with description of one new species. Zootaxa, 1716, 53-58.