Yiqi Luo

My current research projects focused on:

• Developing and using knowledge-guided AI tools to discover new mechanisms underlying terrestrial ecosystem dynamics from big data.
• Identifying carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies that effectively bend the warming curve.
• Developing measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV) methods to evaluate CDR practices.
• Integrating data from various global change experiments coherently with models according to biogeochemical and ecological principles.

More information

• Luo EcoLab: Research
• Full publication list on Google scholar

Selected Publications:

• Quan Q, J Zhou, PJ Hanson, D Ricciuto, SD Sebestyen, DJ Weston, JP Chanton, RM Wilson, JE Kostka, Y Zhou, N Wei, LF Jiang, MA Mayes, JM Stelling, AD Richardson, ME Dusenge, D Way, JM Warren, YQ Luo. 2025. Drought-induced peatland carbon loss exacerbated by elevated CO2 and warming. Science, 390, 367-370, DOI: 10.1126/science.adv7104
• Ohlert T, MD Smith, SL Collins, AK Knapp, JS Dukes, O Sala, KD Wilkins, SM Munson, MI Anderson, ML Avolio, AP Chen, MT Hayden, MC Holdrege, IJ Slette, P Wilfahrt, C Beier, LH Fraser, A Jentsch, ME Loik, Y Luo, FT Maestre, RP Phillips, SA Power, L Yahdjian, Q Yu and other >100 authors. 2025. Drought intensity and duration interact to magnify losses in primary productivity. Science, 390, 284-289, DOI: 10.1126/science.ads8144.
• Luo YQ, N Wei, XJ Lu, Y Zhou, F Tao, Q Quan, CJ Liao, LF Jiang, JY Xia, YY Huang, SL Niu, XT Xu, Y Sun, N Zeng, C Koven, LQ Peng, S Davis, P Smith, FQ You, Y Jiang, LL Cheng, and BJ Houlton. 2025 Large CO2 removal potential of woody debris preservation in managed forests. Nature Geoscience. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01731-2
• Huang WJ, LF Jiang, J Zhou, HS Kim, JF Xiao, and YQ Luo. 2025. Reduced erosion augments soil carbon storage under cover crops. Global Change Biology, DOI: 10.1111/gcb.70133
• Yu Q, C Xu, HH Wu, YG Ke, XA Zuo, WT Luo, HY Ren, Q Gu, HQ Wang, W Ma, AK Knapp, SL Collins, JA Rudgers, YQ Luo, Y Hautier, CJ Wang, ZW Wang, Y Jiang, GD Han, YZ Gao, NP He, JT Zhu, SK Dong, XP Xin, GR Yu, MD Smith, LH Li, XG Han. 2025. Contrasting responses of Eurasian and North American grasslands to multi-year drought. Nature. 639, pages114–118. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08478-7
• Lai JM, LMJ Kooijmans, W Sun, D Lombardozzi, JE Campbell, LH Gu, YQ Luo, L Kuai, Y Sun. 2024. Terrestrial Gross Primary Production Inferred from Plant Carbonyl Sulfide Uptake. Nature. 634, 855–861. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08050-3
• Huang YY, XD Song, YP Wang, JG Canadell, YQ Luo, P Ciais, AP Chen, SB Hong, YG Wang, F Tao, W Li, YM Xu, R Mirzaeitalarposhti, H Elbasiouny, I Savin, D Shchepashchenko, RAV Rossel, DS Goll, JF Chang, BZ Houlton, HY Wu, F Yang, XM Feng, YZ Chen, Y Liu, SL Niu, GL Zhang. 2024. Size, distribution and vulnerability of the global soil inorganic carbon. Science 384, 233–239. DOI: 10.1126/science.adi7918
• Tao F, Huang Y, Hungate BA, Manzoni S, Frey SD, Schmidt MWI, Reichstein M, Carvalhais, N, Ciais P, Jiang L, Lehmann J, Wang YP, Houlton BZ, Ahrens B, Mishra U, Hugelius G, Hocking TD, Lu X, Shi Z, Viatkin K, Vargas R, Yigini Y, Omuto C, Malik AA, Peralta G, Cuevas-Corona R, Di Paolo LE, Luotto I, Liao C, Liang YS, Saynes VS, Huang X, Luo Y. 2023. Microbial carbon use efficiency promotes global soil carbon storage. Nature, 618: 981-985.
• Luo Y, Huang Y, Sierra CA, Xia J, Ahlström A, Chen Y, Hararuk O, Hou EQ, Jiang LF, Liao CJ, Lu XJ, Shi Z, Smith B, Tao F, Wang YP. 2022. Matrix approach to land carbon cycle modeling. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 14: e2022MS003008.
• Hou EQ, Litvak ME, Rudgers JA, Jiang LF, Collins SL, Pockman WT, Hui DF, Niu SL, Luo YQ. 2021. Divergent responses of primary production to increasing precipitation variability in global drylands. Global Change Biology, 27: 5225-5237.
• Xia J, Niu S, Ciais P, Janssens I, Chen J, Ammann C, Arain A, Blanken PD, Cescatti A, Bonal D, Buchmann N, Curtis PS, Chen S, Dong J, Flanagan LB, Frankenberg C, Georgiadis T, Gough CM, Hui D, Kiely G, Li J, Lund M, Magliulo V, Marcolla B, Merbold L, Montagnani L, Moors E, Olesen JE, Piao S, Raschi A, Roupsard O, Suyker AE, Urbaniak M, Vaccari FP, Varlagin A, Vesala T, Wilkinson M, Weng E, Wohlfahrt G, Yan L, Luo Y. 2015. Joint control of terrestrial gross primary productivity by plant phenology and physiology. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112: 2788-2793.
• Niu SL, Luo YQ, Fei SF, Yuan WP, Schimel D, Ammann C, Arain MA, Arneth A, Aubinet M, Barr A, Beringer J, Bernhofer C, Black AT, Buchmann N, Cescatti A, Chen JQ, Davis KJ, Dellwik E, Desai AR, Etzold S, Francois L, Gianelle D, Gielen B, Goldstein A, Groenendijk M, Gu LH, Hanan N, Helfter C, Hirano T, Hollinger DY, Jones MB, Kiely G, Kolb TE, Kutsch WL, Lafleur P, Law BE, Lawrence DM, Li LH, Lindroth A, Litvak M, Loustau D, Lund M, Ma SY, Marek M, Martin TA, Matteucci G, Migliavacca M, Montagnani L, Moors E, Munger JW, Noormets A, Oechel W, Olejnik J, Paw U KT, Pilegaard K, Rambal S, Raschi A, Scott RL, Seufert G, Spano D, Stoy P, Sutton MA, Varlagin A, Vesala T, Weng ES, Wohlfahrt G, Yang B, Zhang ZD, Zhou XH. 2012. Thermal optimality of net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide and underlying mechanisms. New Phytologist, 194:  775-783.
• Luo Y, Weng E. 2011. Dynamic disequilibrium of the terrestrial carbon cycle under global change. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 26: 96-104.
•  Sherry RA, Zhou X, Hui D, Gu S, Arnone III JA, Schimel DS, Verburg PS, Wallace LL, Luo Y. 2007. Divergence of reproductive phenology under climate warming. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 104: 198-202.
• Luo Y, Su B, Currie WS, Dukes JS, Finzi A, Hartwig U, Hungate B, McMurtrie RE, Oren R, Parton WJ, Pataki DE, Shaw RM, Zak DR, Field CB. 2004. Progressive nitrogen limitation of ecosystem responses to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. BioScience, 54: 731-739.
• Wan S, Hui D, Luo Y. 2001. Fire effects on ecosystem nitrogen pools and dynamics: A meta-analysis. Ecological Application, 11: 1349-1365.
• Luo Y, Wan S, Hui D, Wallace LL. 2001. Acclimatization of soil respiration to warming in a tall grass prairie. Nature, 413: 622-625.