Cang Hui

Areas of interest

Nature never fails to amaze us. My continuous interest is to apply mathematics in the field of ecology for a deeper and more fundamental understanding of emerging ecological patterns. This will not only enhance our understanding in the natural sciences but also challenge the development of mathematics. Scientific research, from my perspective, endeavours to measure natural objects, to quantify patterns and structures from these measurements, and ultimately to identify the mechanisms governing these patterns and structures. This is equal to unveiling (i) what patterns exist in nature, (ii) how such patterns emerge, and (iii) why nature organizes itself in such a way. My research, thus, focuses in three specific areas. First, spatial and dynamic complexity caused by organism-environment feedback and biotic interactions (e.g., estimating rates of spread from different dispersal kernels, the consequence of niche construction, the origin of altruism via assortative interactions, and the adaptive dynamics of a co-evolving system). Second, the scaling patterns of biodiversity, with the emphasis on the profound effect of spatial scales on macroecological and community assemblage patterns (e.g., the occupancy frequency distribution and the non-randomness of species distribution and association). Finally, using biological invasions, as a natural experiment, to study how species sharpen their weaponries (invasiveness), how the native ecosystem responds to the intrusion (invasibility, resilience and stability), and how the novel ecosystem rebuilds its structure (e.g., functioning modules and nested architecture). These three areas of research all serve to clarify the interactions among patterns, scales and dynamics in the ever-evolving ecological system.

Selected Publications