Xiaodong Yang received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the College of Resources and Environmental Science, Xinjiang University, in 2008 and 2011, respectively. He obtained his Ph.D. from the College of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, in 2014. Dr. Yang subsequently worked as a Lecturer at the Institute of Resources and Environment Science, Xinjiang University, from 2015 to 2019. He has been a Professor at the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Geography Science, Ningbo University, since August 2019. His research is primarily underpinned by the following four aspects: (1) the responses of plant functional traits to drought stress; (2) drought-induced plant mortality; (3) the relationships among flowering phenology, phylogeny, and climate change; and (4) the phytoremediation of environmental pollution in the arid desert region. His academic works involve the fundamental concepts of soil science, ecohydrology, tree physiology, ecology, and microbiology.