At present, the Department of Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics consists of a total of 24 people including both staff and students. There are 11 employees (9 with PhD), including 3 professors, 2 associate professors, 3 assistant researchers, 1 postdoctoral fellow, 2 research assistants, and 13 master/PhD students. 2012 to now, the department has undertaken a total of 72 scientific research projects, of which 3 are national key research and development projects, and 10 are National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) projects (including 1 outstanding youth fund and 1 excellent youth fund).

Team members

Director of the Department

Songhai Li, PhD/Prof.

Office: Main Building, Room A311 (West)

Email: lish@idsse.ac.cn

Address: No.28 Luhuitou Road, Sanya City, Hainan Province

Research Interests: His primary research fields include but are not limited to bioacoustics, ecology, biology, and evolution of marine mammals. He works on sound and biosonar production, hearing and noise effect, visual and passive acoustic survey, evolution and conservation of aquatic mammals. The research team focuses on noise and high-frequency bio-sound recording and analysis, ecological surveys, bio-logging, auditory evoked potential recording by using ABR technology, underwater bio-sound detection, photo-ID, omics sequencing and analysis, and more.

Research Funding and Awards: He has undertaken or is undertaking more than 70 scientific research projects, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China (4 projects, of which 1 is the National Outstanding Youth Foundation and 1 is the National Outstanding Youth Foundation), international cooperation projects (3 projects), the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the “talent attraction” program and pilot projects of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Education and Employment History: He received Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University in 2002. He then received his PhD degree from the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2007. Since then, he has worked in the United States and Singapore for many years.

Publications

1. Songhai Li*, Mingming Liu, Wenzhi Lin, Lijun Dong, Mingli Lin, Hui Kang, and Inge Seim.  (2024). Identification of the enigmatic Deraniyagala’s beaked whale. iScience. 27:111465.  

2. Agathe Serres, Jean-Hugh Thomas, Lijun Dong, Shenglan Chen, Binshuai Liu, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Potential signature whistle production by Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, Sousa chinensis, in the northern South China Sea. Animal Behaviour. 218:149-161. 

3. Mingming Liu, Wenzhi Lin, Mingli Lin, Lijun Dong, Binshuai Liu, Shenglan Chen, Mingyue Ouyang, Peijun Zhang, Zixin Yang, Hui Kang, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Species diversity and critical habitats of offshore and deep-diving cetaceans in the South China Sea. Biological Conservation. 299:110808.

4. Ran Tian#, Yaolei Zhang#, Hui Kang#, Fan Zhang, Zhihong Jin, Jiahao Wang, Peijun Zhang, Xuming Zhou, Janet M. Lanyon, Helen L. Sneath, Lucy Woolford, Guangyi Fan*, Songhai Li*, and Inge Seim*. (2024). Sirenian genomes illuminate the evolution of fully aquatic species within the mammalian superorder Afrotheria. Nature Communications. 15:5568.

5. A. Rus Hoelzel*, Georgios A. Gkafas#, Hui Kang#, Fatih Sarigol#, Burney Le Boeuf, Daniel P. Costa, Roxanne S. Beltran, Joanne Reiter, Patrick W. Robinson, Nancy McInerney, Inge Seim, Shuai Sun*, Guangyi Fan*, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Genomics of post-bottleneck recovery in the northern elephant seal. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 8:686-694. 

6. Marty Kardos#*, Yaolei Zhang#, Kim M. Parsons#, Yunga A#, Hui Kang, Xun Xu, Xin Liu, Craig O. Matkin, Peijun Zhang, Eric J. Ward, M. Bradley Hanson, Candice Emmons, Michael J. Ford*, Guangyi Fan*, and Songhai Li*. (2023). Inbreeding depression explains killer whale population dynamics. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 7:675-686. (Cover of the issue)

7. Yuan Yuan#, Yaolei Zhang#, Peijun Zhang#, Chang Liu#, Jiahao Wang#, Haiyu Gao#, A. Rus Hoelzel, Inge Seim, Meiqi Lv, Mingli Lin, Lijun Dong, Haoyang Gao, Zixin Yang, Francesco Caruso, Wenzhi Lin, Rute R. da Fonseca, Ding Wang, Xianyan Wang, Marianne H. Rasmussen, Mingming Liu, Jinsong Zheng, Liyuan Zhao, Paula F. Campos, Hui Kang, Maria Iversen, Yue Song, Xinyu Guo, Jiao Guo, Yating Qin, Shanshan Pan, Qiwu Xu, Lingfeng Meng, Yunga A, Shanshan Liu, Simon Ming-Yuen Lee, Xin Liu, Xun Xu, Huanming Yang, Guangyi Fan*, Kun Wang*, and Songhai Li*. (2021). Comparative genomics provides new insights into the aquatic adaptations of mammals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 118(37):e2106080118. 

8. Songhai Li*, and Massimiliano Rosso. (2021). Lack of knowledge threatens beaked whales. Science. 371 (6531):791.

9. Songhai Li*, Mingli Lin, Francesco Caruso, Lijun Dong, Wenzhi Lin, Massimiliano Rosso, and Alessandro Bocconcelli. (2020). Cetaceans under threat in South China Sea. Science. 368 (6495):1074-1075.

10. Songhai Li*. (2020). Humpback dolphins at risk of extinction. Science. 367 (6484):1313-1314.

Other team members

Inge Seim, PhD/Prof.

Office: Main Building, Room A315 (East)

Email: seim@idsse.ac.cn

Address: No.28 Luhuitou Road, Sanya City, Hainan Province

Research Interests: Understanding how animals (including humans) use the same genome to adapt to very different (and sometimes extreme) environments. Genomics will promote animal conservation and welfare. Current genomics projects include marine mammals (especially cetaceans and manatees), deep-sea invertebrates and fish.

Research Funding and Awards: Jiangsu Province “Double Innovation Team”; Institute self-deployment project (IDSSE).

Education and Employment History: Holds a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology and business (with first class honors) and a PhD in molecular biology from Queensland University of Technology (Australia). From 2009 to 2018, he pursued postdoctoral training at Queensland University of Technology, Ewha Womans University (South Korea), and Harvard University (USA). He was a professor of zoology and group leader at Nanjing Normal University from September 2018 to May 2024. In May 2024, he joined the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Department of Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics. He also holds an adjunct (honorary) position at the School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology.

Publications

1. Songhai Li*, Mingming Liu, Wenzhi Lin, Lijun Dong, Mingli Lin, Hui Kang, and Inge Seim. (2024). Identification of the enigmatic Deraniyagala’s beaked whale. iScience. 27:111465.

2. Hoelzel AR*, Gkafas GA, Kang H, Sarigol F, Le Boeuf B, Costa DP, Beltran RS, Reiter J, Robinson PW, McInerney N, Seim I, Sun S*, Fan G*, and Li S*. (2024). Genomics of post-bottleneck recovery in the northern elephant seal. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 8:686-694.

3. Sun Y*, Wang M*, Cao L, Seim I, Zhou L, Chen J, Wang H, Zhong Z, Chen H, Fu L, Li M, Li C*, and Sun S*. (2023). Mosaic environment-driven evolution of the deep-sea mussel Gigantidas platifrons bacterial endosymbiont. Microbiome. 11:253.  

4. Zhang R*, Liu Q*, Pan S*, Zhang Y, Qin Y, Du X, Yuan Z, Lu Y, Song Y, Zhang M, Zhang N, Ma J, Zhang Z, Jia X, Wang K, He S, Liu S, Ni M, Liu X, Xu X, Yang H, Wang J, Seim I*, and Fan G*. (2023). A single-cell atlas of West African lungfish respiratory system reveals evolutionary adaptations to terrestrialization. Nature Communications. 14:5630. 

5. Liu W*, Zhu P*, Li M, Li Z, Yu Y, Liu G, Du J, Wang X, Yang J, Tian R, Seim I, Kaya A, Li Mingzhou, Li Ming, Gladyshev VN, and Zhou X*. (2023). Large-scale across species transcriptomic analysis identifies genetic selection signatures associated with longevity in mammals. The EMBO Journal. 42:e112740. 

6. Shao C* , Sun S*, Liu K*, Wang J*, Li S*, Liu Q*, Deagle BE, Seim I, Biscontin A, Wang Q, Kawaguchi S, Wang Y, Jarman S, Wang H, Huang G, Hu J, Feng B, De Pittà C, Liu S, Wang R, Ma K, Ying Y, Sales G, Sun T, Wang X, Zhang Y, Zhao Y, Pan S, Hao X, Wang Y, Xu J, Zhang H, Zhu J, Liu S, Liu X, Ruan J, Zhang G, Yang H, Xu X, Zhao X, Meyer B, and Fan G. (2023). The enormous repetitive Antarctic krill genome reveals environmental adaptations and population insights. Cell. 186(6):1279-1294. 

7. Gou Y*, Meng L*, Zhong Z*, Li D, Zhang Y, Li H, Zhang H, Seim I, Li Y, Jiang A, Ji Q, Su X, Chen J, Fan G, Li C, and Liu S. (2023). Hologenome analysis reveals independent evolution to chemosymbiosis by deep-sea bivalves. BMC Biology. 21:51. 

8. Kang H*, Liu Q*, Seim I*, Zhang W*, Li H, Gao H, Lin W, Lin M, Zhang P, Zhang Y, Gao H, Wang Y, Qin Y, Liu M, Dong L, Yang Z, Zhang Y, Han L, Fan G, and Li S*. (2023). A genome and single-nucleus cerebral cortex transcriptome atlas of the short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus. Molecular Ecology Resources. 23(5):1108-1123. 

9. Tian R, Yang C, Chai S, Guo H, Seim I*, and Yang G*. (2022).  Evolutionary impacts of purine metabolism genes on mammalian oxidative stress adaptation. Zoological Research. 43(2):241-254.

10. Jiang D, Liu Q, Sun J, Liu S, Fan G, Wang L, Zhang Y, Seim I, An S, Liu X, Li Q, and Zheng X*. (2022). The gold-ringed octopus (Amphioctopus fangsiao) genome and cerebral single-nucleus transcriptomes provide insights into the evolution of karyotype and neural novelties. BMC Biology. 20:289.

Peijun Zhang, Researcher, Doctoral supervisor

Office: Main Building, Room A313

Email: pjzhang@idsse.ac.cn

Address: No.28 Luhuitou Road, Sanya City, Hainan Province

Research Interests: Engaged in research related to marine mammal reproductive biology, conservation genetics and histology: 1) To conduct a series of conservation studies aimed at population management and artificial breeding of rare species, mainly marine mammals, kept in captivity. The research involves population management, animal health monitoring, paternity testing, reproductive endocrinology, lactation nutrition and other aspects of research. 2) To conduct research on the genetic diversity and geographic phylogeny of marine mammal populations, as well as paleoclimate-driven evolution of marine mammal communities.3) To conduct research on the mechanisms of marine mammal adaptation to the aquatic environment by means of comparative genomics and gut microbiomics.

Research Funding and Awards: He has presided over and participated in more than 20 projects, including 4 projects of Ocean Park Conservation Foundation of Hong Kong (OPCF), 1 project of National Natural Science Foundation of China Youth Fund, 1 major science and technology project of Hainan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, 1 top-level project of Hainan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, and 1 project of High-level Talent Project of Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation.

Education and Employment History: Undergraduate study at Ocean University of China; Postgraduate study at Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Visiting Scholar at Ecology and Evolution Group, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Publications

1. Mingming Liu, Wenzhi Lin, Mingli Lin, Lijun Dong, Binshuai Liu, Shenglan Chen, Mingyue Ouyang, Peijun Zhang, Zixin Yang, Hui Kang, and Songhai Li. (2024). Species diversity and critical habitats of offshore and deep-diving cetaceans in the South China Sea. Biological Conservation. 299(110808):14.

2. Jie Fan#, Hui Kang#, Meiqi Lv#, Yuhuan Zhai, Yangyang Jia, Zixin Yang, Chengcheng Shi, Changhao Zhou, Lin Diao, Jingsuo Li, Xiaowei Jin, Shanshan Liu, Karsten Kristiansen, Peijun Zhang*, Jianwei Chen*, and Songhai Li. (2024). Taxonomic composition and functional potentials of gastrointestinal microbiota in 12 wild-stranded cetaceans. Frontiers in Microbiology. 15:1394745.

3. Ran Tian, Yaolei Zhang, Hui Kang, Fan Zhang, Zhihong Jin, Jiahao Wang, Peijun Zhang, Xuming Zhou, Janet M. Lanyon, Helen L. Sneath, Lucy Woolford, Guangyi Fan*, Songhai L*i, and Inge Seim*. (2024). Sirenian genomes illuminate the evolution of fully aquatic species within the mammalian superorder afrotheria. Nature Communications. 15:5568.

4. Dongjiao Liu, Peijun Zhang*, Yamian Wang, Zhichuang Lu, Wanxin Deng, and Songhai Li. (2024). Hybrids Between Gray Seals (Halichoerus grypus) and Spotted Seals (Phoca largha): A Case of Xeno-Breeding Preference in Pinnipeds. Aquatic Mammals. 49(6):550-560.

5. Peijun Zhang, Xianfeng Zhang, Shili Wang, Philippe Vallette, Christophe Sirugue, Nadia Ounais, Kim McIntire, and Vladimir Ryabinin. (2023). The International Aquarium Network - A powerful supporter for the UN Decade of Ocean Science. The Innovation Life. 2(1): 100021.

6. Youyou Li#, Meifang Xiao#, Yun Zhang#, Zihan Li#, Shijie Bai, Haoxiang Su, Ruoyan Peng, Gaoyu Wang, Xiaoyuan Hu, Xinran Song, Xin Li, Chuanning Tang, Gang Lu, Feifei Yin*, Peijun Zhang*, and Jiang Du*. (2023). ldentification of two novel papillomaviruses in belugas. Frontiers in Microbiology. 14:1165839.

7. Marty Kardos, Yaolei Zhang, Kim M. Parsons, Yunga A, Hui Kang, Xun Xu, Xin Liu, Craig O. Matkin, Peijun Zhang, Eric J. Ward, M. Bradley Hanson, Candice Emmons, Michael J. Ford, Guangyi Fan , and Songhai Li. (2023). Inbreeding depression explains killer whale population dynamics. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 7:675–686. 

8. Gao, Haiyu, Hui Kang, Yaolei Zhang, Jiahao Wang, Wenzhi Lin, Peijun Zhang, Mingli Lin, Mingming Liu, Guangyi Fan, and Songhai Li. (2023). Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly of the Rough-Toothed Dolphin (Steno bredanensis). Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 11(2):418.

9. Peijun Zhang*#, Liangliang Yang#, Jiabo Han, Yong Yang, Zhichuang Lu*, and Songhai Li. (2022). Age and sex differences in in-air vocalization characteristics of spotted seal pups from newborn to one-year old in captivity. Frontiers in Marine Science. 9. 

10. Bin Tang, Ya Zhang, Peijun Zhang, Songhai Li, Jinsong Zheng, Wenqiao Tang, Kexiong Wang, Ding Wang, Yujiang Hao. (2022). Blubber fatty acid compositions in different geographic populations of finless porpoise in Chinese waters: implications for thermal adaptation. Integrative Zoology. 17(4): 638-655. 

Mingli Lin, Associate Researcher, Doctoral supervisor

Office: Main Building, Room A301

Email: mingli@idsse.ac.cn

Address: No.28 Luhuitou Road, Sanya City, Hainan Province

Research Interests: Dedicated to marine mammal ecological research and conservation, we are working to understand the level of biodiversity, spatial and temporal distribution characteristics, endangerment levels and mechanisms of marine mammals in the South China Sea by integrating local ecological information-field surveys-ecological modeling approaches. In recent years, we have focused on citizen science research methods, especially exploring the application of emerging big data science in solving traditional ecological and conservation biology problems.

Research Funding and Awards: He has presided over and participated in three projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (one youth fund project, one surface project and one key project).

Education and Employment History: Graduated from the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2013, and has been engaged in one-year postdoctoral and visiting scholar research at Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, France, and University College London, UK, in 2016 and 2023, respectively.

Publications

1. Dasgupta, Shamik#, Mingli Lin#, Shuangquan Liu, Shun Chen, Hengchao Xu, Jiwei Li, Songhai Li*, and Xiaotong Peng*. (2024). Depth and predation regulate consumption of dolphin carcasses in the hadal zone. Deep-sea Research Part I-Oceanographic Research Papers. 207:104282.

2. Wenzhi Lin, Shenglan Chen, Binshuai Liu,Ruiqiang Zheng, Agathe Serres, Mingli Lin, Mingming Liu, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Survival and population size of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins off the eastern Leizhou Peninsula. Marine Mammal Science. e13156.

3. Lijun Dong, Wenzhi Lin, Mingming Liu, Binshuai Liu, Shenglan Chen, Mingli Lin, Songhai Li*. (2024). First visual sightings and echolocation signal recordings of Blainville's beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) in the northern South China Sea. Marine Mammal Science. e13152.

4. Lijun Dong, Yuhang Song. WenzhiLin, Mingming Liu, Mingli Lin, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Echolocation signals recorded in the presence of Deraniyagala's beaked whales (Mesoplodon hotaula) in the western Pacific (South China Sea) indicate species-specificity and intraspecific variation. Marine Mammal Science. e13179. 

5. Mingming Liu, WenzhiLin, Shenglan Chen, Mingli Lin, Hui Kang, Mingyue Ouyang, Binshuai Liu, Lijun Dong, Zixin Yang, Xiaoyu Huang, Massimiliano Rosso, John Y. Wang, Robert L. Pitman,L. Todd Pusser, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Observations on Deraniyagala's beaked whale (Mesoplodon hotaula) in the South China Sea based on the first confirmed live sightings. Marine Mammal Science. e13178.

6. Mingli Lin, Mingming Liu, Heidi Ma, Samuel T. Turvey*, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Using local ecological knowledge to inform regional conservation prioritization for threatened marine megafauna. Ocean and Coastal Management. 255:107268. 

7. Mingli Lin, Samuel T. Turvey, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Response to “Overestimated bycatch owing to underestimated sampling bias”. Biological Conservation. 296:110715.

8. Mingli Lin, Mingming Liu, Samuel T. Turvey*, and Songhai Li*. (2023). An interview-based investigation of marine megafauna bycatch in the northern South China Sea. Biological Conservation. 286(203):110297.

9. Mingli Lin, Samuel Turvey, Mingming Liu, Heidi Ma, and Songhai Li*. (2022). Lessons from extinctions of dugong populations. Science. 378(6616):148.  

10. Mingli Lin, Mingming Liu, Lijun Dong, Francesco Caruso, and Songhai Li*. (2022). Modeling intraspecific variation in habitat utilization of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin using self-organizing map. Ecological Indicators. 144(109466). 

Wenzhi Lin, Associate Researcher, Master's supervisor

Office: Main Building, Room A301

Email: linwz@idsse.ac.cn

Address: No.28 Luhuitou Road, Sanya City, Hainan Province

Research Interests: The main research direction is the response mechanism of cetacean evolution to environmental changes, including the evolution of cetacean populations caused by human activities, and the influence of paleoclimate and geographic time on the distribution of existing cetaceans and the formation of spatial structure of genetic diversity. Over the past decade, we have constructed data on more than 3,500 individual Chinese white dolphins from the Pan-Pearl River Estuary, the eastern side of the Leizhou Peninsula, the mouth of the Dafeng River in Guangxi, and the western side of Hainan Island. In the near future, we will construct a population model for Chinese white dolphins in these areas and grasp the decline mechanism of different populations through the population model.

Education and Employment History: Graduated from Sun Yat-sen University with a Doctor of Science degree in 2014. From 2007 to 2019, worked as a research assistant at the Administration of the Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve in Guangdong Province, a senior research assistant at the University of Hong Kong, and an associate researcher at Sun Yat-sen University. In April 2019, he joined the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IDSSE) as an associate researcher.

Publications

1. Wenzhi Lin*, Leszek Karczmarski*, Stephen C. Y. Chan, Ruiqiang Zheng, Yuen-Wa Ho, and Yaqian Mo. (2024). Population parameters and heterogeneity in survival rates of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in a heavily urbanized coastal region of southeast China implications for conservation. Frontiers in Marine Science. 11:18. 

2. Wenzhi Lin, Shenglan Chen, Binshuai Liu,Ruiqiang Zheng, Agathe Serres, Mingli Lin, Mingming Liu, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Survival and population size of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins off the eastern Leizhou Peninsula. Marine Mammal Science. e13156.

3. Wenzhi Lin, Ruiqiang Zheng, Shiyao Xu, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins face extirpation in Shantou waters. Regional Studies in Marine Science. 77:103641.

4. Wenzhi Lin#, Hui Kang#, Inge Seim, Binshuai Liu, Shenglan Chen, Mingming Liu, Lijun Dong, Mingli Lin, Yuhang Song, Mingyue Ouyang, Xiaoyu Huang, Yingxue Gao, Zixin Yang, Yaolei Zhang, Jiahao Wang, Guangyi Fan, and Songhai Li*. (2024). The first genetically confirmed live sighting of the Deraniyagala's beaked whale (Mesoplodon hotaula), with insights into the diversity, phylogeny, and past demographic history. Marine Mammal Science. e13180.

5. Wenzhi Lin#, Ruiqiang Zheng#, Binshuai Liu, Shenglan Chen, Mingli Lin, Agathe Serres, Mingming Liu, Wenhua Liu*, and Songhai Li*. (2023). Ranging pattern development of a declining delphinid population: a potential cascade effect of vessel activities.  Journal of Environmental Management. 330:117120.

6. Wenzhi Lin*, Leszek Karczmarski*, Shenglan Chen, Chen Zeng, Dingyu Luo, and Songhai Li. (2023). Different microsatellite mutation models may lead to contrasting demographic inferences through genealogy-based approaches. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 11(524):1-21.

7. Wenzhi Lin, Shenglan Chen, Ruiqiang Zheng*, Agathe Serres, Binshuai Liu, Mingli Lin, Mingming Liu, and Songhai Li*. (2023). Anomalous Coloration of Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins off Southern China. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 11:348.

8. Wenzhi Lin#, Liyuan Zhao#, Shenglan Chen#, Watchara Sakornwimon#, Reyilamu Aierken, Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong*, Xianyan Wang*, and Songhai Li*. (2023). Novel insights into the spatial genetic patterns of the finless porpoise from East to Southeast Asia. Water Biology and Security. 2(1):100094.

9. Shenglan Chen, Wenzhi Lin*, Chen Zeng, Binshuai Liu, Agathe Serres, and Songhai Li*. (2022). Mapping the fishing intensity in the coastal waters off Guangdong province, China through AIS data. Water Biology and Security. 2(1):100090. 

10. Wenzhi Lin, Lan Wu, Qianhui Zeng, Xiaoyu Leng, Yaqian Mo, Agathe Serres, and Songhai Li*. (2022). First live sighting of an Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) in the Yellow Sea, the northern-most record of the species range. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 102(5):1-5. 

Lijun Dong, Assistant Researcher, Master's supervisor

Office: Main Building, Room A301

Email: donglj@idsse.ac.cn

Address: No.28 Luhuitou Road, Sanya City, Hainan Province

Research Interests: During his doctoral studies, he was mainly engaged in the passive acoustic research of Yangtze finless porpoise, including the survey of the current status of the animal population, activity patterns, habitat selection and other research work. During his tenure at the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, he took marine mammal bio-signals as the research object, and his main research direction was in the field of marine mammal bio-acoustics, conservation biology and ecology, and his research included the characteristics and laws of marine mammal bio-signals, passive acoustic monitoring of marine mammals and the environment in the South China Sea as well as the effects of noise on marine mammals, etc.. In particular, he has carried out long-term acoustic behavioral and ecological research on the Chinese white dolphin in the southwestern waters of Hainan Island.

Research Funding and Awards: He has presided over 4 projects of National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), and Ocean Park Hong Kong, etc.; he has participated in 1 project of CAS Pilot Category B, 1 project of Belt and Road Special Project of International Cooperation Bureau of the CAS, 1 project of Key Deployment of Marine Science Research Center of the CAS, 1 project of Major Science and Technology Program of Hainan Province, as well as 7 other various scientific research projects.

Education and Employment History: He graduated from Wuhan University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2006, and then he graduated from the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IABAS) with a Ph.D. degree in 2014. He joined the Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IDSSE) as an assistant researcher in January 2016, and as a special research associate from 2019 to present.

Publications

1. Lijun Dong, Wenzhi Lin, Mingming Liu, Binshuai Liu, Shenglan Chen, Mingli Lin, and Songhai Li*. (2024). First visual sightings and echolocation signal recordings of Blainville's beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) in the northern South China Sea. Marine Mammal Science. e13152.

2. Lijun Dong, Yuhang Song. WenzhiLin, Mingming Liu, Mingli Lin, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Echolocation signals recorded in the presence of Deraniyagala's beaked whales (Mesoplodon hotaula) in the western Pacific (South China Sea) indicate species-specificity and intraspecific variation. Marine Mammal Science. e13179. 

3. Rui He*, A. Tsouvalas, Xiaomei Xu, and Lijun Dong. (2023). Editorial: Noise and vibrations in offshore wind farms and their impact on aquatic species. Frontiers in Marine Science. 10:2.

4. Likun Zhao, Giacomo Giorli, Francesco Caruso, Lijun Dong, Zining Gong, Mingli Lin, and Songhai Li*. (2023). Echolocation clicks of free-ranging Indo-Pacific finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) in Hainan waters. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 153(3):1934–1942.

5. Lijun Dong, Mingming Liu, Wenzhi Lin, Mingli Lin, Zixin Yang, and Songhai Li*. (2023). Acoustic evidence of Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) in the northern South China Sea. Marine Mammal Science. 1–11.

6. Francesco Caruso, Giacomo Giorli, Lijun Dong, Likun Zhao, Mingming Liu, Mingli Lin, and Songhai Li*. (2022). Large-scale monitoring of Indo-Pacific finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) using multiple static acoustic sensors. Frontiers in Remote Sensing. 3(2002).

7. Lijun Dong, Mingming Liu, Wenzhi Lin, and Songhai Li*. (2022). First Suction Cup Tagging on a Small and Coastal Form Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) in China to Investigate Its Dive Profiles and Foraging Behaviours. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 10(10):16.

8. Mingli Lin, Mingming Liu, Lijun Dong, Francesco Caruso, and Songhai Li*. (2022). Modeling intraspecific variation in habitat utilization of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin using self-organizing map. Ecological Indicators. 144(109466). 

9. Mingming Liu, Mingli Lin, Lijun Dong, Francesco Caruso, and Songhai Li*. (2022). An integrated strategy for monitoring cetaceans in data-poor regions. Biological Conservation. 272:109648.

10. Mingming Liu, Wenzhi Lin, Mingli Lin, Francesco Caruso, Massimilino Rosso, Peijun Zhang, Lijun Dong, Liang Dai, and Songhai Li*. (2022). Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the northern South China Sea: Evidence of a nursing ground? Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 184:103767. 

Mingming Liu, Assistant Researcher

Office: Main Building, Room A301

Email: liuming@idsse.ac.cn

Address: No.28 Luhuitou Road, Sanya City, Hainan Province

Research Interests: With cetaceans as the main research object, we carry out research in Conservation Biology, Animal Behavior, Behavioral Ecology and Biogeography. Species of focus include Chinese white dolphins, sperm whales, short-limbed pilot whales, German middle-beaked whales, and Bryde's whales. Currently, the research work being carried out mainly includes the survey of cetacean resources in the deep and distant waters of the South China Sea, cetacean tracking and monitoring based on bio-beacon technology, cetacean stranding rescue response mechanism and network construction, and assessment of the potential impacts of marine environmental pollution on cetaceans.

Research Funding and Awards: He has presided over and participated in more than ten scientific research projects, of which he is responsible for six projects as a project leader (one of the National Natural Youth Fund and two of the Hainan Provincial Natural Fund).

Education and Employment History: He graduated from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) in 2020 with the degree of Doctor of Science. In 2019, he was awarded the opportunity of CSC's public study abroad to carry out joint training study at the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom. He has been engaged in cetacean research and conservation for more than ten years since graduate school.

Publications

1. Mingming Liu, WenzhiLin, Shenglan Chen, Mingli Lin, Hui Kang, Mingyue Ouyang, Binshuai Liu, Lijun Dong, Zixin Yang, Xiaoyu Huang, Massimiliano Rosso, John Y. Wang, Robert L. Pitman,L. Todd Pusser, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Observations on Deraniyagala's beaked whale (Mesoplodon hotaula) in the South China Sea based on the first confirmed live sightings. Marine Mammal Science. e13178.

2. Mingming Liu, Wenzhi Lin, Mingyue Ouyang, Mingli Lin, Peijun Zhang, Lijun Dong, Zixin Yang, Binshuai Liu, Hui Kang, Shenglan Chen, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Species diversity and critical habitats of offshore and deep-diving cetaceans in the South China Sea. Biological Conservation. 299:110808.

3. Xiaoyu Huang, Mingming Liu, Samuel T. Turvey, Mingli Lin*, and Songhai Li. (2023). Life history parameters to inform pattern of prenatal investment in marine mammals. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 11(2086):1-12.

4. Mingli Lin, Mingming Liu, Samuel T. Turvey*, and Songhai Li*. (2023). An interview-based investigation of marine megafauna bycatch in the northern South China Sea. Biological Conservation. 286(203):110297.

5. Mingming Liu, Wenzhi Lin, Mingli Lin, Lijun Dong, and Songhai Li*. (2023). Short-finned pilot whales in the South China Sea: Insights into regional distribution, movement pattern, and habitat characteristics. Marine Mammal Science. 40:89-107. 

6. Mingming Liu, Mingli Lin, and Songhai Li*. (2023). Population distribution, connectivity and differentiation of Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins in Chinese waters: Key baselines for improving conservation management. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 2023:1.

7. Mingming Liu, Mingli Lin, Xiaoyu Huang, Zixin Yang, Francesco Caruso, Matteo Baini, Alessandro Bocconcelli, Massimiliano Rosso, and Songhai Li*. (2023). Floating macro-litter pollution in the northern South China Sea. Environmental Pollution. 316(2):120527.

8. Mingming Liu, Mingli Lin ,and Songhai Li*. (2023). Sperm whales in the waters off China: A glimpse of the past and present. Water Biology and Security. 2(2023):100133. 

9. Mingming Liu, Mingli Lin, and Songhai Li*. (2022). Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the waters off China: A glimpse of the past and present. Water Biology and Security. 2(12):100133.

10. Mingming Liu, Mingli Lin, Lijun Dong, Francesco Caruso, and Songhai Li*. (2022). An integrated strategy for monitoring cetaceans in data-poor regions. Biological Conservation. 272:109648.

Agathe Serres, Assistant Researcher

Office: Main Building, Room A301

Email: agathe@idsse.ac.cn / agathe.serres11@gmail.com

Address: No.28 Luhuitou Road, Sanya City, Hainan Province

Research Interests: Her research is focused on the behavior, acoustics and welfare of the Chinese White Dolphin.

Research Funding and Awards: She has presided over one National Natural Science Foundation of China, one PIFI International Talent Program, one National Foreign Experts Program, one Young Talent (Pei You) Fund for the President of Guangzhou Branch of the CAS, and one Ocean Park Conservation Foundation of Hong Kong.

Education and Employment History: She graduated from Paris 13 University in 2016 with a Master's degree; In August 2020, she graduated from the Institute of Hydrobiology, CAS with a PhD in aquatic biology. She started working at IDSSE in 2021 as a postdoctoral fellow and assistant researcher.

Publications

1. Agathe Serres, Wenzhi Lin, Binshuai Liu, Shenglan Chen, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Skinny dolphins: Can poor body condition explain population decline in Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis)? Science of the Total Environment. 917:14.

2. Agathe Serres, Sara Platto, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Selection of parameters to assess the welfare of free-ranging Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins using expert opinion survey. Aquatic Conservation-Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 34(2):12. 

3. Agathe Serres, Jean-Hugh Thomas, Lijun Dong, Shenglan Chen, Binshuai Liu, and Songhai Li*. (2024). Potential signature whistle production by Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, Sousa chinensis, in the northern South China sea. Animal Behaviour. 218:149-161.

4. Agathe Serres, Wenzhi Lin, Binshuai Liu, Mingli Lin, Mingming Liu, and Songhai Li*. (2023). Injuries and skin condition of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in the northern South China Sea. Marine Mammal Science. 39:1215–1239. 

5. Agathe Serres, Wenzhi Lin, Binshuai Liu, Shenglan Chen, and Songhai Li*. (2023). Context of breaching and tail slapping in Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in the northern South China Sea. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 77(6):16. 

6. Sara Platto*, and Agathe Serres. (2023). A quantitative assessment of trainers-dolphins’ interactions in the absence of food reward. Animals. 13(10):1651. 

7. Agathe Serres, Wenzhi Lin, Binshuai Liu, Mingli Lin, Mingming Liu, Shenglan Chen, and Songhai Li*. (2022). Season, age, sex, and location impact the density of tooth rake mark and dorsal fin notch of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in the northern South China Sea. Marine Mammal Science. 39(2):553-575. 

8. Sara Platto, Agathe Serres, Simona Normando, Yanqing Wang, and Dennis Turner. (2022). Changes in the Dog’s and Cat’s Behaviors, as Reported by the Owners, before and during the Lockdown in China. Animals. 12(19):28.

9. Sara Platto, Agathe Serres, Simona Normando, Yanqing Wang, and Dennis Turner. (2022). Attachment and Perceived Stress among Pet Owners before and during the Lockdown in China. People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice. 5:1-28.

10. Sara Platto, Agathe Serres, and Jingyi Ai. (2022). Chinese College Students’Attitudes towards Animal Welfare. Animals. 12(2):1-21.

Yixi Shi, Postdoctoral

Office: Main Building, Room A301

Email: shiyq@idsse.ac.cn

Address: No.28 Luhuitou Road, Sanya City, Hainan Province

Research Interests: Her research interests include cetacean bycatch, with a focus on risk assessment and conservation of cetaceans from fisheries.

Education and Employment History: Graduated from Shanghai Ocean University with a Ph.D in 2023.

Publications

1. Yixi Shi, Agathe Serres, Mingming Liu, and Songhai Li. (2024). Interactions between cetaceans and aquatic debris in Chinese waters: A study based on social media data. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 209:117173.

2. Lijun Dong, Wenzhi Lin, Mingming Liu, Binshuai Liu, Shenglan Chen, Mingli Lin, Yixi Shi, Songhai Li*. (2024). First visual sightings and echolocation signal recordings of Blainville's beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) in the northern South China Sea. Marine Mammal Science. e13152.