XIEG Holds 59th Salon for Scientific Exchange

The Department of International Cooperation of Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (XIEG), successfully held the 59th Salon for Scientific Exchange on July 17. This event featured Dr. Sergio Velasco Ayuso, Assistant Researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council Argentina (CONICET), as the keynote speaker. The event attracted over 30 researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students from the institute.

Under the theme “From Wetlands to Drylands: A Journey Through the Microbial Communities”, Dr. Sergio Velasco Ayuso systematically presented his team’s findings on microbial community structure and function across ecosystems spanning a gradient of water availability. He detailed how microbial communities responded to environmental stressors such as water limitation and nutrient restriction—from humid wetland ecosystems to hyper-arid desert environments—and highlighted the critical role of microorganisms in maintaining ecosystem stability and adapting to global change.

During the discussion session, participants engaged in in-depth discussions on hot topics including adaptive mechanisms of soil microbes in drylands, drivers of microbial community assembly, and the evolutionary trajectory of microbial ecological functions under global change.

The salon effectively facilitated international academic exchange at the forefront of dryland microbial ecology, providing valuable research insights and collaboration opportunities for XIEG’s relevant research teams.

Dr. Sergio Velasco Ayuso is a visiting scientist supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI). He serves as an assistant researcher at CONICET, working within the Center for Atmospheric and a Lecturer at the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina). He has published more than 20 scientific publications, 

Dr. Sergio Velasco Ayuso delivers his presentation. (Image by XIEG)

Contact

HUANG

Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

E-mail: zlhuang@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Web: http://english.egi.cas.cn