I am an associate professor and is working in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). My research focuses on using Cenozoic fossil floras in China to understand biodiversity, biogeography, palaeoclimate and palaeoecology. I have published more than 40 peer-reviewed papers on aspects of fossil plants, palaeoecology, palaeoclimate and climate modelling.
My research involve three aspects:
- Palaeoclimate reconstructions. Through collection of over 50 samples from living forests over China we can set up leaf physiognomy-climate models for palaeoclimate reconstructions. Palaeoclimates of several Cenozoic floras have also been reconstructed with these new models.
- Biogeography of plants. Palaeofloras in Yunnan and Tibet were uncovered during his field work. More than 15000 fossil specimens were collected. More than 25 fossil taxa were reported recently. This has also lead to the biogeography of fossil taxa and the influence of climatic change on their distribution in the southwestern China.
- Plant-insect interactions in deep time. He use the morphology of insect damage on fossil leaves as a basis for investigating the pattern of herbivory in response to environmental change.
Currently, I am the principal investigator of the Paleoecology Research Group in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden.
Contact details: sutao@xtbg.org.cn
Website:
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden
Publications: