Sisi Liu

Sisi Liu is a Researcher at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) within the Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems department. Her work focuses on reconstructing past ecosystems and biodiversity changes in high-latitude and high-altitude regions using sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) and paleoenvironmental proxies. She investigates plant community dynamics, climate impacts on vegetation, and human-environment interactions across regions like the Tibetan Plateau, Siberia, and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Key projects include analyzing sediment cores to trace post-glacial vegetation trajectories, glacial retreat effects, and the sensitivity of alpine ecosystems to warming. Her research combines molecular biology techniques with traditional paleoecological methods, contributing to understanding long-term ecological responses to climate change.

Liu's studies highlight the application of sedaDNA to reveal shifts in plant diversity, including woody encroachment in Arctic regions and biodiversity collapses linked to cryosphere loss. She explores links between lake water chemistry and DNA preservation, optimizing proxy reliability. Her work also addresses human impacts, such as pastoralism effects on vegetation in the Qinghai Lake Basin. Methodologically, she contributes to developing metabarcoding and shotgun sequencing approaches for ecological reconstructions.

Publications emphasize Tibetan Plateau ecosystems, Siberian treeline dynamics, and the integration of pollen and DNA data for vegetation reconstructions. Her research informs conservation strategies amid global warming, revealing vulnerabilities of alpine habitats and cold-adapted species. Collaborations span international projects, enhancing interdisciplinary approaches to paleoenvironmental science.