E-mail: judylion@mail.ubc.ca
My research explores the intersection of ecology and evolution, emerging infectious diseases, and microbiomes, particularly in the context of a changing climate. I combine meta-analysis, experimental evolution, field samples and genomics to investigate the impact of warming on host-pathogen dynamics, pathogen spillover, and microbial indicators of host plasticity and adaptation.
Publications
Hector, T.E., Kreiner, J., Forward, J., Hoang, K., Stevens, E., Johnson, S., Li, J., King, K.C. 2025. Warming favours parasite virulence and parallel molecular evolution following a host jump. bioRxiv; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.14.632940.
Stevens, E.J., Li, J., Hector, T.E., Drew, G.C., Hoang, K., Greenrod, S.T.E., Paterson S., King K.C. 2025. Within-host competition sparks pathogen molecular evolution and perpetual microbiota dysbiosis. bioRxiv; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.03.610829.
Li, J., King, K.C. 2025. Microbial Primer: Microbiome and thermal tolerance – a new frontier in climate resilience? Microbiology 171, 001523. https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001523. Featured on Microbial Talk podcast: https://soundcloud.com/microbiosoc/microbiome-and-thermal-tolerance-a-new-frontier-in-climate-resilience.
Li, J., Smith, C. A., Chen, J., Bates, K.A., King, K.C. 2025. Warming during different life stages has distinct impacts on host resistance ecology and evolution. Ecology Letters. 10.1111/ele.70087.
Li, J., N. Guttmann, G. C. Drew, Wolinska, J., King, K.C. 2024. Excess mortality of infected ectotherms induced by climate change depends on pathogen kingdom and evolutionary history. PLoS Biol 22, e3002900. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002900. Featured by UBC News and Fairchild TV: https://news.ubc.ca/2024/12/climate-change-bacterial-infections-corals/.
Gao, Y, Kai P, et al., Li, J., et al. 2024. “The Microbiome Protocols eBook Initiative: Building a Bridge to Microbiome Research.” iMeta 3, e182. https://doi.org/10.1002/imt2.182.
Li, J., Y. Gao, Stevens. E, King. K. C. 2024. Dual stressors of infection and warming can destabilize host microbiomes. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 10.1098/rstb.2023.0069.
Hanski, E, Khanyari, M, Li, J., Bates, K. A., Zuther, S, Maiden, M. C. J., Kock, R., & Knowles, S. C. L. 2023. Gut microbiota of the critically endangered Saiga antelope across two wild populations in a year without mass mortality. Scientific reports 13, 17236.
Li, J., Bates, K.A., Hector, T.E., Hoang, K.L., Knowles, S.C., King, K.C. 2023. Experimental temperatures shape host microbiome diversity and composition. Global Change Biology 29, 41-56.
Hector, T.E.*, Hoang, K.L.*, Li, J., King, K.C. 2022. Symbiosis and host responses to heat. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 37, 611-624.
Lu, H.M., Li, J., Zhang, Y-D., Lu, X-L., Xu, C., Huang, Y., Gribskov, M. 2020. The evolution history of Fe-S cluster A-type assembly protein reveals multiple gene duplication events and essential protein motifs. Genome Biology and Evolution 12,160-173