Photo of Qinfeng Guo

Qinfeng Guo

Research Ecologist
P.O. Box 12254
 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2254
Phone: 919-549-4043
qinfeng.guo@usda.gov

Current Research

Biological invasions (Patterns, processes, and mechanisms of biotic invasions at the population and community levels);
Community Ecology/Biogeography;
Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

Research Interests

Invasive species, community ecology

Past Research

Experimental research on plant-animal interactions; succession in California chaparral; simulation of linear forest dynamics in the Great Plains, floristic biogeography of China/Asia; biodiversity-ecosystem functioning; restoration ecology

Why This Research is Important

Researchers and managers need to understand the patterns, processes, and underlying mechanisms of species invasions

Education

Ph.D. in Biology (Ecology), 1994
University of New Mexico
M.S. in Botany (Systematics), 1986
Chinese Academy of Sciences

Featured Publications and Products

Publications

Research Highlights

A Practical Guide for Ecological Restoration to Curb Biotic Invasion (2019)
SRS-2019-34 Current restoration programs include both conservation and economic goals. To achieve both, restoration must curb biotic invasions, even under ongoing climate change, and mitigate contined human disturbance. Management actions need to include realistic goal-setting and more inclusive communication with broad, diverse audiences.
Invasive Plants’ Success Depends on Native Species Richness and Biomass (2015)
SRS-2015-212 For better control and management of invasive plant species, research must uncover the factors that contribute to habitat invasibility, degree of invasion, and species invasiveness as well as how these factors can be measured. Forest Service scientists are collecting and comparing extensive data on habitat characteristics and invasibility from diverse ecosystems in U.S. forests and other ecosystems around the world to identify these factors.
New Database Will Help Identify Potentially Invasive Plants in the United States (2014)
SRS-2014-163 In order to examine parameters of plant invasion success in the United States, scientists with the Forest Service's Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center are developing a database that compiles several key life history and genetic traits for more than 4,000 currently known introduced plant species. These data will allow for continental scale analyses of biological traits that influence species invasiveness and distribution in order to identify potentially invasive species, enable the prediction and prevention of future invasions, and support the development of management plans.
Tree Diversity Regulates Nonnative Pest Invasions in Forest Ecosystems (2019)
SRS-2019-30 The relationship between tree diversity and forest pest invasions is crucial to invasion ecology and for devising management approaches that can mitigate the enormous damages caused by nonnative pests. Using data from across the conterminous United States, USDA Forest Service scientists showed that tree species diversity may help or hinder pest invasions, and that the strength of the relationship varies with overall tree diversity. Until now, how these relationships play out in natural forest landscapes has been poorly understood. 
U.S. Invasive Plants Identified in Comprehensive Database (2010)
SRS-2010-018 Scientists in SRS' Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center are developing a database of the more than 4,000 plants introduced into the United States. The database compiles a variety of biological traits that affect species invasiveness and distribution.
R&D Affiliations
Research Topics
Priority Areas
SRS Science Area
External Resources