Chung-Wing Ko

Chung-Wing Ko's poster, ‘Root traits and belowground characteristics reveal nutrient uptake strategies across old-growth and secondary forests in Singapore's Central Catchment Nature Reserve’, won first prize in the poster competition at the Next Generations Scientists meeting 2023 (National University of Singapore). See https://www.newphytologist.org/news/view/333.

I grew up in upstate New York and spent most of my childhood outside exploring the forests next to my neighbourhood and camping in various national parks of the eastern United States. My appreciation for nature was rooted in the unique feeling of being surrounded by forest and the knowledge that life teemed all around us. As I entered my teenage years, I became more politically active and increased my understanding of a range of sociopolitical issues, including climate justice and environmental degradation. I was fuelled by both my love for nature and my grief of our planet's destruction and decided to pursue a degree in biology and environmental sustainability. During my undergraduate career, I was fortunate enough to meet professors and mentors who specialised in plant biology and taught me how to appreciate the life all around us not only from a naturalist perspective but also from a scientific one. As someone interested in biodiversity and ecosystem ecology, plants are foundational in terrestrial ecosystems and their complexity allows me to continue learning and growing.

My introduction to research occurred largely by chance. My undergraduate honours programme required us to enter a ‘Freshman Research Initiative’. I chose a stream focusing on biodiversity because I wanted to learn more about the life around us and enjoyed being outdoors. The 2 years I spent as a part of this programme cultivated a love for research, as I found myself extremely lucky to have the chance to satisfy my curiosity and explore the world around us. At the same time, I began taking environmental policy and anthropology courses and learned about how climate change and land-use change exacerbated every socio-economic inequality I cared about. I questioned how I could bridge my background in plant biology with a more tangible impact on society and leapt at the chance to study land-use change and ecotourism in Costa Rica. The month-long programme was transformative, showing me how research can be applied on the ground and positively influence both the environment and livelihoods of local communities. It also began a love for tropical ecology, leading me to my current pursuit of a PhD in tropical forest ecology. I'm still figuring out where research will take me, but I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to constantly learn new things surrounded by colleagues who inspire me to work towards the things I am passionate about.

I'm driven largely by the community around me and the shared values of passion and curiosity. Some of my favourite parts of research are the collaboration and mentoring aspects, and I consider myself extremely privileged to be in an environment that is constantly learning and growing. On top of this, I've been motivated by people working to create the change we hope to see in the world. Whether this is supporting activists championing a wide range of causes ranging from queer rights to Black Lives Matter or working in a department focused on environmental and global change, I am constantly reminded that my work is simply a small part of the effort to address global challenges. The problems we face cannot be tackled alone, and I'm constantly inspired by those who choose hope over fear and continue to educate, advocate, and work towards a liveable and equitable planet for all.

I have been fortunate to be shaped by many mentors in my life thus far. One of my earliest role models was my undergraduate research stream mentor, Susan Cameron Devitt, who taught me how to channel my curiosity and love of nature into research. Two professors I was fortunate to take classes from, Michael Mosser and Jason Cons, were instrumental in teaching me to reflect on how global patterns of power, extraction, and identity are inextricably tied to scientific and environmental issues. One of the most influential people during my undergraduate career was Ruth Buskirk, who not only gave me the opportunity to learn how conservation, economics, and politics intersect but also challenged me to critically think about my own privilege and our collective responsibility to give back to the communities most affected by the climate crisis. Patricia Jiménez, who I met during my Costa Rica study abroad programme, is an incredible example of building the world we hope to see and showed me the importance of community and resilience to work for a better future for all. My PhD supervisor, Kelly Andersen, is a patient and passionate mentor who gives me the opportunity to take chances and follow my interests to develop into a better scientist and person. Another mentor I am fortunate to have met is Shawn Lum, who is an endless trove of knowledge, and his generosity and enthusiasm in sharing scientific and life lessons is a gift to those privileged to learn from him. I am also grateful to Janice Lee, whose openness and genuinity in advice and guidance have helped me tremendously. Finally, the countless friends and activists that I have met and learned from have taught me more about how to be a better advocate, friend, and human.

I've come across many interesting papers while trying to understand more about root nutrient uptake strategies in nutrient-limited soils. Han et al. (2022) incorporate root phosphatase activity into the multidimensional root economics space and find it to correlate to the ‘do-it-yourself’ strategy of soil phosphorous (P) acquisition along the collaboration trait gradient, thus inversely correlated to mycorrhizal colonisation. These results indicate a trade-off in plant nutrient acquisition strategies and are very relevant in the nutrient-limited soils found in the tropics. Lugli et al. (2021) use the first large-scale nutrient manipulation experiment in Central Amazonia (the Amazon Fertilisation Experiment, otherwise known as AFEX) to quantify how roots respond to the addition of nitrogen, P, and cations (Ca, Mg, and K) in low-fertility tropical lowland soils. They demonstrate the importance of P and cation limitations in root functioning and the high plasticity in nutrient acquisition strategies in response to short-term changes in nutrient levels, suggesting which strategies may be more costly but necessary in nutrient-limited environments. Lastly, Luo et al. (2021) contrast the concepts of environmental filtering and limiting similarity in shaping root function and phylogenetic structure and measure root traits and phylogeny along environmental gradients. Their findings show limiting similarity may be the larger driving force and demonstrate the importance of alternative root strategies for species coexistence and niche differentiation in similar environments.

I like herbs in general and view them as a group of plants that demonstrate how nature is not so distant and can be more accessible to everyone. I worked in the vegetable and herb section of a plant nursery for a while during my undergraduate career and learned as much about plants from co-workers as I did in the classroom. These lessons from people often not trained in plant science showed me an important aspect of knowledge transfer and the role of storytelling in plant conservation. I also like Chamaecyparis formosensis, otherwise known as the Formosan red cypress or 紅檜 (Fig. 1). Beyond its sentimental value of being a landmark of Taiwanese forests and what I associate with family, they are massive and ancient trees that appeared in Taiwan c. 3 million years ago and continue to survive today as living relics of the ice age. They also demonstrate the dramatic community shifts that come with elevational gradients and, despite their endangered status, continue to persist through conservation efforts in part due to their spiritual and cultural significance.