Miao Sun is a professor in College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, China. His current research interest is manily focusing on the ornamental plants resources and genetic breeding, exploring their key innovation characters/traits along their evolution history by taxonomic, phylogenetics, phylogenomics and other comparative bioinformatics approaches, and by so, his team endeavor to protect the genetic resources and diversity of ornamental plants.
Several positions in his lab are opening for research assistant, postdoc, and graduate students. Please contact me via miaosun@mail"dot"hzau"dot"edu"dot"cn or 🐦 “@Miao_the_Sun”.
Former Soltis Lab member. 🐊 Once gator, always gator! 🐊
Miao has keen passion for applying phylogenetic tree as a pivotal framework attempting to solve some fundamental issues in biology. Phylogenetic tree is a crucial reference system for biological research. It captures evolutionary relationships among species, linking all the biological data together with an evolutionary context.
His research interests are:
Phylogenomics, biogeography, and taxonomy of ornamental plant groups ( e.g., Elaeagnus, Rosa )
Building and using large-scale phylogenetic trees to explore the evolutionary and/or ecological patterns with spatial and/or paleoclimate data. E.g., some works have done for rosids and PhyloSynth.
Investigating the phylogenetic incongruence among data partitions, and deciphering its potential evolutionary cause
When NOT struggling for existence, I occasionally do some coding!!
PhD in Botany, 2014
Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
MS in Botany, 2009
Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
BS in Environmental Science, 2006
Beijing Forestry University
Responsibilities include:
I am Certified Instructor of The Carpentries (a non-profit organization, aiming to teach foundational coding and data science skills to researchers worldwide). I’m aslo an ex-board member of UF Carpentries Club. Here are some workshop stats that summerize the numbers of workshops we organized and the numbers of people that we trained.
Dec. 2: Giving a research talk in Wuhan Botanical Garden, CAS: Explore the Angiosperm diversity using the Tree of Life and biological big data
Sept. 6: Séminaire AMAP: Explore Biodiversity Using Big Data and Tree of Life
Conflicting relationships have been found between diversification rate and temperature across disparate clades of life. Here, we use a supermatrix comprising nearly 20,000 species of rosids—a clade of ~25% of all angiosperm species—to understand global patterns of diversification and its climatic association. Our approach incorporates historical global temperature, assessment of species’ temperature niche, and two broad-scale characterizations of tropical versus non-tropical niche occupancy. We find the diversification rates of most subclades dramatically increased over the last 15 million years (Myr) during cooling associated with global expansion of temperate habitats. Climatic niche is negatively associated with diversification rates, with tropical rosids forming older communities and experiencing speciation rates ~2-fold below rosids in cooler climates. Our results suggest long-term cooling had a disproportionate effect on non-tropical diversification rates, leading to dynamic young communities outside of the tropics, while relative stability in tropical climes led to older, slower-evolving but still species-rich communities.
High species diversity may result from recent rapid speciation in a ‘cradle’ and/or the gradual accumulation and preservation of species over time in a ‘museum’. China harbours nearly 10% of angiosperm species worldwide and has long been considered as both a museum, owing to the presence of many species with hypothesized ancient origins, and a cradle, as many lineages have originated as recent topographic changes and climatic shifts—such as the formation of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and the development of the monsoon—provided new habitats that promoted remarkable radiation. However, no detailed phylogenetic study has addressed when and how the major components of the Chinese angiosperm flora assembled to form the present-day vegetation. Here we investigate the spatio-temporal divergence patterns of the Chinese flora using a dated phylogeny of 92% of the angiosperm genera for the region, a nearly complete species-level tree comprising 26,978 species and detailed spatial distribution data. We found that 66% of the angiosperm genera in China did not originate until early in the Miocene epoch (23 million years ago (Mya)). The flora of eastern China bears a signature of older divergence (mean divergence times of 22.04–25.39 Mya), phylogenetic overdispersion (spatial co-occurrence of distant relatives) and higher phylogenetic diversity. In western China, the flora shows more recent divergence (mean divergence times of 15.29–18.86 Mya), pronounced phylogenetic clustering (co-occurrence of close relatives) and lower phylogenetic diversity. Analyses of species-level phylogenetic diversity using simulated branch lengths yielded results similar to genus-level patterns. Our analyses indicate that eastern China represents a floristic museum, and western China an evolutionary cradle, for herbaceous genera; eastern China has served as both a museum and a cradle for woody genera. These results identify areas of high species richness and phylogenetic diversity, and provide a foundation on which to build conservation efforts in China.
College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences
Huazhong Agricultural University
No.1 Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
Email: miaosun@mail.hzau.edu.cn
Homepage: https://www.sunmiao.name
Twitter: @Miao_the_Sun
2009 ~ 2014, PhD in Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2006 ~ 2009, Master of Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2002 ~ 2006, Bachelor of Environmental Science, College of Resources and Environment, Beijing Forestry University
2020.2 ~ 2020.8, Visiting scholar in Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan
2012.10 ~ 2013.1, Visiting scholar in Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
Professor (2022.01 ~ present)
College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2019.10 ~ 2021.09)
Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University
Advisor: Dr. Wolf L. Eiserhardt
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2016 ~ 2019.8)
Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
Advisor: Dr. Pamela S. Soltis
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2015 ~ 2016)
Department of Biology, University of Florida
Advisor: Dr. Douglas E. Soltis
Research Assistant (2014.07 ~ 2015.01)
State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany
Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Zhiduan Chen
A phylogenetic tree is a pivotal framework for solving fundamental issues in biology. For a long term, I have endeavored to build large scale of robust phylogeny to understand the evolution of Angiosperms and its diversification under the interactions of biotic and/or abiotic factors using the big data and phylogenetic comparative methods.
Taxonomic skills:
Molecular biology skills:
Bioinformatical skills:
Language skills:
Fluent spoken and written Chinese and English
*equally contributing author; 33 publications, contributed to 5 different flora works), h-index 14; 949 total citations according to Google Scholar
Zhao L-N, Liu Y, Ye J-F, Bing Liu B, Hua H-H, Lu LM, Chang J, Sun M, Chen ZD. (In prep.) Flowering plants on the Third Pole facing non-random extinction risk.
Lin H-Y*, Sun M*, et al. (2021) Phylogenetic diversity patterns in eastern Asia–eastern North America disjunct plants: The roles of diversification rate, climatic environments, and community assembly processes. Journal of Biogeography (submitted).
The Darwinian shortfall in plants: phylogenetic knowledge is driven by range size. Ecography (Revision).
Sun M, Folk FA, Gitzendanner MA, Smith SA, Germain-Aubrey C, Guralnick RP, Soltis PS, Chen ZD, Soltis DE. Exploring the phylogeny and diversification of rosids with a five-locus supermatrix. bioRxiv 694950. doi: 10.1101/694950.
Yu H, Sui X, Sun M, Yin X, Deane DC. (2022) Relative importance of ecological, evolutionary and anthropogenic pressures on extinction risk in Chinese angiosperm genera. Frontiers in Ecology Evolution 10:844509. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2022.844509.
Carruthers T, Sun M, Baker WJ, Smith SA, de Vos JM, Wolf L. Eiserhardt WL. (2022) The implications of topological incongruence between gene trees and the species tree for divergence time estimation. Systematic Biology, syac012. doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syac012.
Liu BB, Ma ZY, Ren C, Hodel R, Sun M et al. (2021) Capturing single-copy nuclear genes, organellar genomes, and nuclear ribosomal DNA from deep genome skimming data for plant phylogenetics: A case study in Vitaceae. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 59(5): 1124-1138. doi: 10.1111/jse.12806.
Shimai H, Setoguchi P, Roberts D, Sun M. (2021) Biogeographical patterns and speciation of the genus Pinguicula (Lentibulariaceae) inferred by phylogenetic analyses. PLOS ONE 16(6): e0252581. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252581.
Lu LM, Hu HH, Peng DX, Liu B, Ye JF, Yang T, Li HL, Sun M, Smith SA, Soltis PS, Soltis DE, Chen ZD. (2020). Noise does not equal bias in assessing the evolutionary history of the angiosperm flora of China: A response to Qian. Journal of Biogeography 47: 2286–2291. doi: 10.1111/jbi.13947.
Sun M*, Folk FA*, Gitzendanner MA, Soltis PS, Chen ZD, Soltis DE, Guralnick RP. (2020). Recent, accelerated diversification in rosids occurred outside the tropics. Nature Communications 11: 3333. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-17116-5.
Sun M*, Folk FA*, Gitzendanner MA, Soltis PS, Chen ZD, Soltis DE, Guralnick RP. (2020). Estimating rates and patterns of diversification with incomplete sampling: A case study in the rosids. American Journal of Botany 107(6): 1–15. doi: 10.1002/ajb2.1479 (also see bioRxiv 749325).
Lichman BR, Godden GT, Hamilton JP, Lira PL, Kamileen MO, Zhao D, Vaillancourt B, Wood J, Sun M, Henry LK, Lopez CR, Dudareva N, Soltis DE, Soltis PS, Buell CR, O’Connor SE. (2020). The evolutionary origins of the cat attractant nepetalactone in catnip. Science Advances 6: eaba0721. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aba0721.
Mu XY, Tong L, Sun M, Zhu YX, Wen J, Lin QW, Liu B. (2020). Phylogeny and divergence time estimation of the walnut family (Juglandaceae) based on nuclear RAD-Seq and chloroplast genome data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 147: 106802. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106802.
Xue B, Guo X, Landis JB, Sun M, Tang CC, Soltis PS, Soltis DE, R.M.K. Saunders RMK. (2019). Accelerated diversification correlated with functional traits shapes extant diversity of the early divergent angiosperm family Annonaceae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 142: 106659. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106659.
Li DJ, Lauren Trotta L, Marx HE, Allen JM, Sun M, Soltis DE, Soltis PS, Guralnick RP, Baiser BH. (2019). For comparing phylogenetic diversity among communities, go ahead and use synthesis phylogenies. Ecology 100( 9): e02788. doi: 10.1002/ecy.2788.
Yang T, Tedersoo L, Soltis PS, Soltis DE, Gilbert JA, Sun M, Shi Y, Wang HF, Li YT, Zhang J, Chen ZD, Lin HY, Zhao YP, Fu CX, Chu HY. (2018). Phylogenetic imprint of woody plants on the soil mycobiome in natural mountain forests of eastern China. The ISME Journal 13: 686–697.
Marodiev EV, Sun M, Schroder L, Steadman DW, Ebach MC. (2018). Moving from modern toward post-modern science: comment on “An integrated assessment of the vascular plants of the Americas.” Phytotaxa 351: 96–98.
Folk RA, Sun M, Soltis PS, Smith SA, Soltis DE, and Guralnick RP. (2018). Challenges of comprehensive taxon sampling in comparative biology: Wrestling with Rosids. American Journal of Botany 105(3): 433–445.
Lu LM*, Mao L*, Yang T*, Ye JF*, Liu B*, Li HL*, Sun M*, Miller JT, Mathews S, Hu HH, Niu YT, Peng DX, Chen YH, Smith SA, Chen M, Xiang KL, Le CT, Dang VC, Lu AM, Soltis PS, Soltis DE, Li JH, Chen ZD. (2018). Evolutionary history of the angiosperm flora of China. Nature 554: 234–238. doi: 10.1038/nature25485.
Mu XY, Sun M, Yang PF, Lin QW. (2017). Unveiling the identity of Wenwan walnuts and phylogenetic relationships of Asian Juglans species using restriction site-associated DNA-sequencing. Frontiers in Plant Science (8): 1708. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.01708
Hodel RG, Gitzendanner MA, Germain-Aubrey CC, Liu X, Crowl AA, Sun M, Landis JB, Segovia-Salcedo MC, Douglas NA, Chen SC, Soltis DE, Soltis PS. (2016). A new resource for the development of SSR markers: Millions of loci from a thousand plant transcriptomes. Applications in Plant Sciences 4(6): 1600024.
Hodel RG, Segovia-Salcedo MC, Landis JB, Crowl AA, Sun M, Liu XX, Gitzendanner MA, Douglas NA, Germain-Aubrey CC, Chen SC, Soltis DE, Soltis PS. (2016). The report of my death was an exaggeration: A review for researchers using microsatellites in the 21st century. Applications in Plant Sciences 4(6): 1600025.
Chen ZD, Yang T, Li Lin, Lu LM, Li HL, Sun M, Liu B, Chen M, Niu YT, Ye JF, Cao ZY, Liu HM, Wang XM, Wang W, Zhang JB, Meng Z, Cao W, Li JH, Wu SD, Zhao HL, Liu ZJ, Du ZY, Wang QF, Guo J, Tan XX, Su JX, Zhang LJ, Yang LL, Liao YY, Li MH, Zhang GQ, Chung SW, Zhang J, Xiang KL, Li RQ, Soltis DE, Soltis PS, Zhou SL, Ran JH, Wang XQ, Jin XH, Chen YS, Gao TG, Li JH, Zhang SZ, Lu AM. (2016). Tree of life for the genera of Chinese vascular plants. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54(4): 227-306.
Li HL, Wang W, Li RQ, Zhang JB, Sun M, Naeem R, Su JX, Xiang XG, Mortimer PE, Li DZ, Hyde KD, Xu JC, Soltis DE, Soltis PS, Li JH, Zhang SZ, Wu H, Chen ZD, Lu AM. (2016). Global versus Chinese perspectives on the phylogeny of the N-fixing clade. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54(4): 392-399.
Sun M, Naeem R, Su JX, Burleigh GJ, Solits DE, Soltis PS, Chen ZD. (2016). Phylogeny of the Rosidae: A dense taxon sampling analysis. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54(4): 363-391.
Sun M, Solits DE, Soltis PS, Zhu XY, Burleigh GJ, Chen ZD. (2015). Deep phylogenetic incongruence in the angiosperm clade Rosidae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 83: 156-166.
Wang B, Zhang Y, Wei P, Sun M, Ma X, Zhu X. (2015). Identification of nuclear low-copy genes and their phylogenetic utility in rosids. Genome 57(10): 150203143525007.
Lu LM, Sun M, Zhang JB, Li HL, Lin L, Yang T, Chen M, Chen ZD. (2014). Tree of life and its applications. Biodiversity Science 22: 3-20.
Sun M, Lin Q. (2010). A revision of Elaeagnus L. (Elaeagnaceae) in mainland China. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 48(5): 356-390.
Sun M, Lin Q, Sun Q, Bei SQ, Li HL, Yang ZR. (2008). Validation of eight names of Chinese taxa in Ranunculaceae, Rosaceae and Scrophulariaceae. Kew Bulletin 64: 573-575.
Sun M, Lin Q. (2008). Lectotypification of five scientific names in Rosaceae. Guihaia 28: 295-297. (In Chinese)
Lin Q, Bei SQ, Li HL, Cao ZY, Sun Q, Sun M, Yang ZR. (2008). Lectotypification of twenty names of Chinese taxa in Angiospermae. Bulletin of Botanical Research 5: 534-539.
Lin Q, Sun Q, Sun M, Bei SQ, Li HL. (2007). Lectotypification of twenty-eight names of Chinese taxa in Angiospermae. Acta Botanica Boreali-occidentalia Sinica, 27: 1247-1255.
Chen SC, Sun M et al. (2021). The Great Tree of Life (proofreading) [Translated into Chinese]
Sun M et al. (2020). Malvaceae, Malpighiaceae, Celastraceae. In: Chen ZD, Lu AM, Liu B et al. eds. Tree of Life for Chinese Vascular Plants, Science Press, Beijing
Sun M et al. (2018). Malvaceae, Malpighiaceae, Celastraceae. In: Li DZ, Chen ZD, Wnag H, Lu AM eds. Flora of Genera and Families of China Vascular Plants, Science Press, Beijing
Sun M et al. (2018). Malvaceae, Malpighiaceae, Celastraceae. In: Li DZ, Chen ZD, Wnag H, Lu AM eds. Dictionary of Genera and Families of China Vascular Plants, Science Press, Beijing
Sun M, Peng H. (2016). Elaeagnaceae. In: Liu B, Lin QW eds. Higher Plants of China in Color, Volume 5, Angiosperms: Euphorbiaceae — Cornaceae, Science Press, Beijing, China
Sun M et al. (2015). In: Lin Q, Yang ZR eds. Types Specimens in China National Herbarium (PE), Volume 6, Angiospermae, Henan Science and Technology Press, Henan, China
Sun M et al. (2015). In: Lin Q, Yang Y, Yang ZR eds. Types Specimens in China National Herbarium (PE), Volume 7, Angiospermae, Henan Science and Technology Press, Henan, China
Sun M et al. (2015). In: Lin Q, Yang ZR, Lin Y eds. Types Specimens in China National Herbarium (PE), Volume 10, Angiospermae, Henan Science and Technology Press, Henan, China
Sun M. (2014). Exploring deep phylogenetic incongruence of the COM clade in Rosidae: Phylogenomics approach. [PhD dissertation], Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Simpson M. (2012). Plant Systematics (2nd Edition) (Chen ZD, Lu AM, Sun M Trans.), Science Press, Beijing, China (Original publisher Academic Press)
Sun M. (2009). Primary Taxonomic Study of Elaeagnus (Elaeagnaceae) in Mainland China. [Master thesis], Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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2015 ~ 2010
Pamela S. Soltis (Postdoc advisor)
Florida Museum of Natural History
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Email: psoltis@flmnh.ufl.edu
Phone: +1 (352) 273-1964
Douglas E. Soltis (Postdoc advisor)
Department of Biology
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Email: dsoltis@ufl.edu
Phone: +1 (352) 273-1963
Wolf Eiserhardt (Postdoc advisor)
Department of Biology
Ny Munkegade 116
building 1535, 225
8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
Email: wolf.eiserhardt@bio.au.dk
Phone: +45 87156136
Zhiduan Chen (PhD advisor)
State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany
Institute of Botany
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Email: zhiduan@ibcas.ac.cn
Phone: +86 010-62836434
Stephen A. Smith (Collaborator)
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Email: eebsmith@umich.edu
Phone: +1 (734) 764-7923
Last update: 2022-03-15