About

Bailian Li is a Professor Emeritus at the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University. His educational background includes a B.S. from Beijing Forestry University obtained in 1982, and both an M.S. and Ph.D. from North Carolina State University, completed in 1985 and 1989 respectively. His research interests focus on forest genetics and breeding, including quantitative and population genetics, breeding strategy development, genetic data analysis and interpretation, as well as genetic studies of tree physiology and molecular biology. Dr. Li has contributed to understanding the evolutionary origins of pseudogenes and their association with regulatory sequences in plants, and has conducted extensive research on genetic variations, association genetics, and transcriptome analysis in forest trees such as Populus and loblolly pine. His work aims to dissect complex traits, understand genetic and phenotypic variation in forest trees, and develop strategies for genetic improvement of wood properties and tree growth.

Research topics

• Biology
• Geology
• Chemistry
• Environmental chemistry
• Environmental science
• Ecology

Selected publications

• Spatiotemporal characteristics of layered chlorophyll-<i>a</i> concentration and influencing factors in Danjiangkou Reservoir

  Journal of Lake Sciences · 2021 · 8 citations

  • Environmental science
  • Environmental chemistry
  • Ecology

  2017年5月-2019年10月，对南水北调中线水源水库——丹江口水库库区水体7个监测位点、0~20 m间4个水层的垂向叶绿素a（Chl.a）浓度与水质因子进行了季度性调查，以期了解不同位点、不同水层Chl.a分布的主要驱动因子.结果表明，丹江口水库各位点营养状态指数（TSI）均为中营养化状态.水体Chl.a浓度具有逐年增加的趋势，且极高值有逐渐增加的趋势.营养盐和Chl.a浓度均存在较大的空间异质性，入库区具有较高的总磷和氨氮浓度，汉江库区具有最高的Chl.a浓度，源头污染源控制和监测仍然是丹江口水库管理的重中之重.不同位点Chl.a浓度的驱动因子存在较大差异，汉江入库和大坝区Chl.a浓度分别受到硝态氮和pH的影响，而出水口大坝位点主要受到了水深、水温和氨氮的影响.丹江入库区Chl.a浓度受到了水深、氨氮、总磷和水温的影响，但丹江库区表现出了与其他生态区较大的区别，其Chl.a浓度主要受到水深和有机质输入的影响.因此，对丹江口水库各位点的管理，应该分不同生态区采取针对性的管理措施.本研究旨在为南水北调中线工程可持续的生态调度提供基础生态数据支持，为完善水库水源地的有效管理提供理论支撑.;The study was carried out at 4 vertical water layers among the 0-20 m water layer of 7 horizontal monitoring stations seasonally during May 2017-October 2019 in Danjiangkou Reservoir of the Middle Route Project of South to North Water Diversion in China, and explored the key drivers of the changes in chlorophyll-a (Chl.a) along with different water layers of different sampling stations. Based on the trophic state index (TSI), we found that all sites in the Danjiangkou Reservoir were mesotrophic water bodies. We found a trend of increase in Chl.a concentration in the Danjiangkou Reservoir, and the extreme concentrations were likely increasing yearly. The nutrient and Chl.a concentration showed temporal and spatial changes in the Danjiangkou Reservoir. The upstream of the reservoir area has higher total phosphorus and ammonia nitrogen concentrations, the Hanjiang Reservoir has the highest Chl.a concentration. Therefore, source pollution control and monitoring are still the top priority of Danjiangkou Reservoir management. The important drivers of Chl.a concentration varied among different sites. The Chl.a concentration in the upstream of Hanjiang River and the dam area are affected by nitrate nitrogen and pH, respectively, while the dam site of the outlet is mainly affected by water depth, water temperature and ammonia nitrogen. The Chl.a concentration in the upstream of Danjiang Reservoir is affected by water depth, nitrogen nutrients, total phosphorus and water temperature, but the Chl.a concentration in the Danjiangkou Reservoir was mainly affected by water depth and organic matter input. Therefore, the management of each site of the Danjiangkou Reservoir should be divided into different ecological zones and adopt the right management measurements. This study aims to provide basic ecological data for the sustainable ecological scheduling of the South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route Project and provide a theory for improving the management of reservoirs.

  DOI

• Evolutionary Origins of Pseudogenes and Their Association with Regulatory Sequences in Plants

  The Plant Cell · 2019-02-13 · 48 citations

  articleOpen access

  Pseudogenes (Ψs), nonfunctional relatives of functional genes, form by duplication or retrotransposition, and loss of gene function by disabling mutations. Evolutionary analysis provides clues to Ψ origins and effects on gene regulation. However, few systematic studies of plant Ψs have been conducted, hampering comparative analyses. Here, we examined the origin, evolution, and expression patterns of Ψs and their relationships with noncoding sequences in seven angiosperm plants. We identified ∼250,000 Ψs, most of which are more lineage specific than protein-coding genes. The distribution of Ψs on the chromosome indicates that genome recombination may contribute to Ψ elimination. Most Ψs evolve rapidly in terms of sequence and expression levels, showing tissue- or stage-specific expression patterns. We found that a surprisingly large fraction of nontransposable element regulatory noncoding RNAs (microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs) originate from transcription of Ψ proximal upstream regions. We also found that transcription factor binding sites preferentially occur in putative Ψ proximal upstream regions compared with random intergenic regions, suggesting that Ψs have conditioned genome evolution by providing transcription factor binding sites that serve as promoters and enhancers. We therefore propose that rapid rewiring of Ψ transcriptional regulatory regions is a major mechanism driving the origin of novel regulatory modules.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• RE: Ecosystem Services are Nature’s Contributions to People

  Joint Research Centre (European Commission) · 2018-01-01 · 9 citations

  article

  In their article Diaz et al argue the concept of nature's contributions to people (NCP) extends beyond the concept of ecosystem services (ES). However, we believe the introduction of the new term, NCP, will confuse policy makers and practitioners, and plunge the scientific community into semantic paralysis, which risks hampering efforts to include nature and the interests of indigenous peoples into decision making. We argue that by definition ES are the contributions of natural systems to human wellbeing and that the ES agenda has always aimed to be pluralistic and inclusive, recognizing diverse values of nature. (i.e. including the socio-cultural domain). The terms NCP and ES are synonyms and should be used where appropriate for different audiences and purposes.\nProminent pieces of the implementation of the ES concept after Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) are overlooked in Diaz et al, including TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) , MAES (Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem Services) , Natural Capital Coalition , SEEA (System of Environmental Economic Accounts) , and many others. There are thousands of local case studies where ES assessments have helped achieve a more sustainable and inclusive management path. Diaz et al. provide an incomplete picture of the evolution of ES, thereby failing to bridge the gap between theory and practice. \nThe fact that 128 nations, and over 1000 scientists, contribute to IPBES shows the ES concept is already bringing people from diverse disciplines and worldviews together to support nature conservation, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable inclusive development. It’s not ES or NCP, it’s ES and NCP and many other ways of identifying peoples’ dependency on nature. We suggest building on the past, and use what works together, in order to create a common sustainable future.

  Publisher

• Time‐specific and pleiotropic quantitative trait loci coordinately modulate stem growth in <i>Populus</i>

  Plant Biotechnology Journal · 2018-08-22 · 39 citations

  articleOpen access

  Summary In perennial woody plants, the coordinated increase of stem height and diameter during juvenile growth improves competitiveness (i.e. access to light); however, the factors underlying variation in stem growth remain unknown in trees. Here, we used linkage‐linkage disequilibrium (linkage‐LD) mapping to decipher the genetic architecture underlying three growth traits during juvenile stem growth. We used two Populus populations: a linkage mapping population comprising a full‐sib family of 1,200 progeny and an association mapping panel comprising 435 unrelated individuals from nearly the entire natural range of Populus tomentosa . We mapped 311 quantitative trait loci (QTL) for three growth traits at 12 timepoints to 42 regions in 17 linkage groups. Of these, 28 regions encompassing 233 QTL were annotated as 27 segmental homology regions (SHRs). Using SNPs identified by whole‐genome re‐sequencing of the 435‐member association mapping panel, we identified significant SNPs ( P ≤ 9.4 × 10 −7 ) within 27 SHRs that affect stem growth at nine timepoints with diverse additive and dominance patterns, and these SNPs exhibited complex allelic epistasis over the juvenile growth period. Nineteen genes linked to potential causative alleles that have time‐specific or pleiotropic effects, and mostly overlapped with significant signatures of selection within SHRs between climatic regions represented by the association mapping panel. Five genes with potential time‐specific effects showed species‐specific temporal expression profiles during the juvenile stages of stem growth in five representative Populus species. Our observations revealed the importance of considering temporal genetic basis of complex traits, which will facilitate the molecular design of tree ideotypes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Ploidy and hybridity effects on leaf size, cell size and related genes expression in triploids, diploids and their parents in Populus

  Planta · 2018-10-16 · 56 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• In Vitro Tetraploid Induction from Leaf and Petiole Explants of Hybrid Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua × Liquidambar formosana)

  Forests · 2017-07-28 · 25 citations

  articleOpen access

  Liquidambar is an important forestry species used to generate many commercial wood products, such as plywood. Inducing artificial polyploidy is an effective method to encourage genetic enhancements in forestry breeding. This report presents the first in vitro protocol for the induction of genus Liquidambar tetraploids based on the established in vitro regeneration system of hybrid sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua × Liquidambar formosana). The leaves and petioles from three genotypes were pre-cultured in woody plant medium (WPM) supplemented with 0.1 mg/L thidiazuron (TDZ), 0.8 mg/L benzyladenine (BA), and 0.1 mg/L α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) for a variable number of days (4, 6 or 8 days), and exposed to varying concentrations of colchicine (120, 160, 200 mg/L) for 3, 4 or 5 days; the four factors were investigated using an orthogonal experimental design. Adventitious shoots were rooted in 1/2 WPM medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/L indole butyric acid (IBA) and 0.1 mg/L NAA. The ploidy level was assessed using flow cytometry and chromosome counting. Four tetraploids and nine mixoploids were obtained from the leaves. Pre-treatment of the leaves for 8 days and exposure to 200 mg/L colchicine for 3 days led to the most efficient tetraploid induction. Producing 11 tetraploids and five mixoploids from petioles, the best tetraploid induction treatment for petioles was almost the same as that with the leaves, except that pre-culturing was required for only 6 days. In total, 15 tetraploids were obtained with these treatments. This study described a technique for the induction of tetraploid sweetgum from the leaves or petioles of parental material. Based on the success of polyploid breeding in other tree species, the production of hybrid sweetgum allotetraploids constitutes a promising strategy for the promotion of future forestry breeding.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Factors influencing direct shoot regeneration from leaves, petioles, and plantlet roots of triploid hybrid Populus sect. Tacamahaca

  Journal of Forestry Research · 2017-12-16 · 12 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• ハイブリッドスイートガム(Liquidambar styraciflua × Liquidambar formosana)の葉および葉柄外植片からのin vitro四倍体誘導【JST・京大機械翻訳】

  2017-01-01

  article
  Publisher

• Association genetics in Populus reveals the interactions between Pto-miR160a and its target Pto-ARF16

  Molecular Genetics and Genomics · 2016-01-05 · 13 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Association genetics and transcriptome analysis reveal a gibberellin-responsive pathway involved in regulating photosynthesis

  Journal of Experimental Botany · 2016-04-18 · 40 citations

  articleOpen access

  Gibberellins (GAs) regulate a wide range of important processes in plant growth and development, including photosynthesis. However, the mechanism by which GAs regulate photosynthesis remains to be understood. Here, we used multi-gene association to investigate the effect of genes in the GA-responsive pathway, as constructed by RNA sequencing, on photosynthesis, growth, and wood property traits, in a population of 435 Populus tomentosa By analyzing changes in the transcriptome following GA treatment, we identified many key photosynthetic genes, in agreement with the observed increase in measurements of photosynthesis. Regulatory motif enrichment analysis revealed that 37 differentially expressed genes related to photosynthesis shared two essential GA-related cis-regulatory elements, the GA response element and the pyrimidine box. Thus, we constructed a GA-responsive pathway consisting of 47 genes involved in regulating photosynthesis, including GID1, RGA, GID2, MYBGa, and 37 photosynthetic differentially expressed genes. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based association analysis showed that 142 SNPs, representing 40 candidate genes in this pathway, were significantly associated with photosynthesis, growth, and wood property traits. Epistasis analysis uncovered interactions between 310 SNP-SNP pairs from 37 genes in this pathway, revealing possible genetic interactions. Moreover, a structural gene-gene matrix based on a time-course of transcript abundances provided a better understanding of the multi-gene pathway affecting photosynthesis. The results imply a functional role for these genes in mediating photosynthesis, growth, and wood properties, demonstrating the potential of combining transcriptome-based regulatory pathway construction and genetic association approaches to detect the complex genetic networks underlying quantitative traits.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Deqiang Zhang

  Chinese Academy of Sciences

  48 shared

• Qingzhang Du

  Beijing Forestry University

  21 shared

• Steven E. McKeand

  North Carolina State University

  19 shared

• Xiaohui Yang

  14 shared

• Jiaxing Tian

  Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College

  13 shared

• Fikret Işik

  North Carolina State University

  13 shared

• Jinfeng Zhang

  11 shared

• Jianbo Xie

  Beijing Forestry University

  10 shared

Awards & honors

• The Confucius Institute at North Carolina State University (…
• Association Genetics of Complex Traits in Pine (2005-2010)