Education:

2014-2015, visit Ph. D., Ecology, Columbus State University, USA；

2013-2014, Ph. D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Kunming Institute Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences；

2010-2012, M.Sc., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Kunming Institute Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences；

2006-2010, B.Sc., Biology, Yunnan University.

Appointments

2023.07-now, Associate Professor, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences；

2020.11-2023.06, Associate Professor, Yunnan Normal University；

2016.01-2020.10, Assistant Professor, Yunnan Normal University.

Research Interests

My research interests mainly focus on plant evolution, speciation and biodiversity conservation, which includes：

1) Applications of population genomic approaches, computational methods, and field and greenhouse studies to study plant hybridization, adaptive evolution and speciation.

2) Theories and technologies of sustainable resource utilization and germplasm preservation, which mainly included typical, endemic, seriously threatened (endangered and critical endangered) species and the plants with economic importance, with emphasis on the systematic studies on conservation and acclimatization of the extremely small population plants.

3) Applications of DNA barcoding approach in species identification, the discovery of new species, phylogeny, and conservation.

4) Identification of natural hybrids, exploration of hybrid resources and breeding of new varieties of cultivated ornamental tropical flowers.

Current Projects

1. Hybridization and Evolutionary Dynamics of a Natural Hybrid Zone of Rhododendron.

2. Effective Conservation Strategies for Rare and Endangered Dipterocarps Conservation in China.

3. Taxonomy and Phylogenomics of Rhododendron subsection Scabrifolia.

4. Taxonomic Delineation of Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations in Firmiana.

5. DNA barcoding of Dipterocarps.

(* author for correspondence)

1. Qin, H.-T., Twyford, A.D., Zheng, W., Milne, R.I., Yan, L.-J., Mo, Z.-Q., Zhu, M.-S., Nützmann, H.-W., Li, D.-Z.*, Li, H.-T. * and Gao, L.-M*. 2026. The genomic architecture of introgression during Rhododendron speciation. New Phytologist, 249(4): 2085-2102.

2. Yan L-J, Li R-Z, Xiao Y-X, Corlett RT, Liu Y, Yu Z-X, Luo R-S, Yang J, Yu W-B*. 2025. DNA Barcoding Reveals Cryptic Diversity and Informs Conservation Priorities in Chinese Firmiana Species (Malvaceae) Using Genome Skimming Data. Integrative Conservation, 4: 569–583.

3. Zheng W#, Yan L-J#, Burgess KS, Milne RI, Qin H-T, Tan S-L, Luo Y-H, Zou J-Y, Mo Z-Q, Mӧller M, Fu C-N, Gao L-M*. 2025. Comparative analysis of multiple hybrid zones of Rhododendron ×duclouxii uncovered different potential evolutionary outcomes. Plant Diversity, 47(6): 944-955.

4. Fan P-Z, Zhu G-F, Wambulwa MC, Milne RI, Wu Z-Y, Luo Y-H, Shahi Shavvon R, Jump AS, Maity D, Gao L-M, Qi H-L, Wu H-Y, Kong X, Khan R, Yan L-J, Turuspekov Y, Li D-Z, Liu J. 2025. Genetic origins and climate-induced erosion in economically important Asian walnuts. Conservation Biology, 39(5): e70125.

5. Yan L-J#, Fan P-Z#, Wambulwa MC#, Qi H-L, Chen Y, Wu Z-Y, Milne RI, Khan R, Luo Y-H, Gao L-M, Shen S-K, Rashid I, Khan S-M, Maity D, Li D-Z, Liu J*. 2024. Human-associated genetic landscape of walnuts in the Himalaya: implications for conservation and utilization. Diversity and Distributions, 30: e13809.

6. Yan L-J*, Wang P, Shi Q-L, Liu J, Shi Y-E, Chi L-K. 2023. Applications of animal diet analysis based on DNA metabarcoding in ecological research. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 43(8): 3007-3019.

7. Yan L-J#, Zhu Z-G#, Wang P#, Fu C-N, Guan X-J, Kear P, Zhang C-Z, Zhu G-T*. 2023. Comparative analysis of 343 plastid genomes of Solanum section Petota: insights into potato diversity, phylogeny and species discrimination. Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 61(4): 599-612.

8. Zheng W#, Yan L-J#, Burgess KS, Luo Y-H, Zou J-Y, Qin H-T, Wang J-H, Gao L-M*. 2021. Natural hybridization among three Rhododendron species (Ericaceae) revealed by morphological and genomic evidence. BMC Plant Biology, 21(1): 529.

9. Yan L-J#, Burgess KS#, Zheng W, Tao Z-B, Li D-Z*, Gao L-M*. 2019. Incomplete reproductive isolation between Rhododendron taxa enables hybrid formation and persistence. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 61(4): 433-448.

10. Yan L-J, Burgess KS, Milne R, Fu C-N, Li D-Z*, Gao L-M*. 2017. Asymmetrical natural hybridization varies among hybrid swarms between two diploid Rhododendron species. Annals of Botany, 120: 51-61.

11. Gao L-M*, Li Y, Phan LK, Yan L-J, Thomas P, Phan KL, Möller M, Li D-Z. 2017. DNA barcoding of East Asian Amentotaxus (Taxaceae): potential new species and implications for conservation. Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 55(1): 16-24.

12. Yan L-J, Liu J, Möller M, Zhang L, Zhang X-M, Li D-Z*, Gao L-M*. 2015. DNA barcoding of Rhododendron (Ericaceae), the largest Chinese plant genus in biodiversity hotspots of the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains. Molecular Ecology Resources, 15(4): 932-944.

13. Li M-M, Meegahakumbura MK, Yan L-J, Liu J, Gao L-M. 2015. Genetic involvement of Camellia taliensis in the Domestication of C. sinensis var. assamica (Assimica Tea) Revealed by Nuclear Microsatellite Markers. Plant Diversity, 37(1): 29-37.

14. Yan L-J, Zhang Z-R, Li D-Z, Gao L-M*. 2014. Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers for the Chinese endemic species Rhododendron spinuliferum. Plant Diversity and Resources, 36(1): 41-46.

15. Yan L-J, Gao L-M*, Li D-Z*. 2013. Molecular evidence for natural hybridization between Rhododendron spiciferum and R. spinuliferum (Ericaceae). Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 51(4): 426-434.