Topic: Game theoretic vegetation modeling: from theoretical analysis to application in Earth system models

Speaker: Ensheng Weng, Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University, USA

Venue: S825, Mong Man Wai Technology Building, Tsinghua University

Time: 10:00-11:00 p.m., April 21, 2023 (Friday)

Live Streaming at Official Weibo of the Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University             

Tencent Conference (ID: 518-568-533 Code:23421)

Introduction to the Lecture:

Vegetation structural and compositional dynamics emerge from plant physiological and demographic processes, individual-based competition, vegetation-soil feedbacks, and environmental variations and disturbance events. In this lecture, I will summarize my studies in the modeling of vegetation demographic processes, competitively dominant plant traits, and stochastic disturbance effects on ecosystems, to illustrate the roles of the underlying ecological processes and eco-evolutionary optimization in vegetation modeling. With the case studies of evolutionarily stable strategy of allocation and leaf traits, I will discuss how the ecosystem processes and vegetation dynamics are determined by the individual-based plant competition and variations of soil and climate conditions. I will also discuss how the tradeoffs of plant traits and evolutionarily optimal strategies can be applied in Earth system models.

Profile of the Speaker:

Ensheng Weng is an associate research scientist at the Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University, USA. He obtained his PhD degrees from the Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the University of Oklahoma, and received postdoctoral training at Fudan University and Princeton University. With a research focus on terrestrial ecosystem modeling in Earth system models, Weng uses mathematical modeling and game theory to understand ecosystem eco-evolutionary processes and their effects on ecosystem structure and composition across various scales.

Email: ew2560@columbia.edu