Introduction

Shandong University is one of the earliest universities to carry out ecological research and teaching in China. It started to enroll undergraduates of Ecology in 1986 and was among the first group to be qualified of granting Master's degree in Ecology in China. Based on the platform of the “Qingdao National Forest Ecosystem Observation Station”, the “Key Laboratory of Judicial Identification of Ecological Environmental Damage of the Ministry of Justice”, and the “Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology”, the Department of Ecology undertakes national and regional ecological research. Since 2013, the ecological discipline has been ranked in the top 1% of ESI for seven consecutive years.

In the past 30 years, the Department of Ecology has trained more than 600 undergraduates and nearly 200 graduate students. It provides important scientific and technological supports for the decision-making of ecological protection of forests and wetlands, assessment of nature reserves, ecological compensation and delineation of ecological red lines, and have made outstanding contributions to the construction of regional ecological civilization. Additionally, the Department of Ecology has active cooperation and exchange programs with international institutions. It joined the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization" ecological direction in 2009 and is one of the three universities in the country to receive special supports from the National Council for Study Abroad and has implemented it until now. Since the 1950s, students from Vietnam, Laos, Mongolia, South Korea, North Korea, Congo and other countries have been recruited and trained. Among them, Asek, who graduated in 2006, is currently a professor and member of Parliament of the University of Congo.

Research directions

1. Plant Ecology

Focusing on major ecological issues such as global change and the invasion of alien species, research in Plant Ecology combines with national strategies such as South-to-North Water Transfer and the Yellow River Delta Ecological Zone to study the species composition, structure, succession, and function of warm temperate vegetation, and the response mechanism of dominant species to environmental factors.

2. Restoration Ecology

Research in Restoration Ecology focuses on the research of biodiversity conservation, vegetation restoration, soil remediation, ecological planning and assessment, and ecological application and management, providing advice and decision support for regional sustainable development.

3. Ecosystem Ecology

Research in Ecosystem Ecology focuses on the protection and utilization of ecosystems, especially to the ecology and conservation of rare and endangered animals, the classification and determination of rodents such as rodents, ecosystem health and management.