Wenjing Xu
Assistant Professor
About Dr. Xu
Dr. Xu is a wildlife ecologist interested in understanding how animals interact with each other,
with people, as well as the landscapes they share. Her research group currently focuses on 1)
terrestrial animal movement in a changing world, 2) dynamics of social-ecological systems, and
3) data-driven conservation and sustainability assessment. Combing diverse data streams ranging
from biologging and remote sensing to household surveys and large-scale data synthesis, her
work seeks to illuminate actionable insights that promote connectivity and resilience for both
people and nature.
Primary Interests
Animal movement, social-ecological systems, translational ecology, conservation, grasslands, pastoralism
Education
Postdoc, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Germany, 2023-2025
Postdoc, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, 2022-2023
PhD, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, 2022
MS, Geography, University of Georgia, 2016
BS, Natural Resources, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), 2014
Selected Publications
- Shawler, A. L., Barker, K. J. † , Xu, W. † , Mills, K. J., Mong, T. W., & Middleton, A. D. (2025). Wolves use diverse tactics to track partially migratory prey. Current Biology, 35(16), 4035-4042.
- Butt, B., & Xu, W. (2025). Reply to Ogutu et al.: Cattle–wild herbivore interaction studies warrant new lenses from community ecology and environmental justice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(23), e2505717122.
- Aikens, E. O., Merkle, J. A., Xu, W., & Sawyer, H. (2025). Pronghorn movements and mortality during extreme weather highlight the critical importance of connectivity. Current Biology, 35(8), 1927-1934.
- Xu, W., & Butt, B. (2024). Rethinking livestock encroachment at a protected area boundary. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(38), e2403655121.
- Wilkinson, C. E., Xu, W., Luneng Solli, A., Brashares, J. S., Chepkisich, C., Osuka, G., & Kelly, M. (2024). Social–ecological predictors of spotted hyena navigation through a shared landscape. Ecology and Evolution, 14(4), e11293.
- Xu, W., Giglioti, L., Royauté, R., Sawyer, H., Middleton, A. Fencing amplifies individual differences in movement with implications on survival for two migratory ungulates. Journal of Animal Ecology, 92(3), 677-689.
- Han, Y., Xu, W., Liu, J., Zhang, X., Wang, K., Wang, D., Mei, Z. (2023). Ecological impact of unsustainable sand mining: urgent lessons learned from a critically endangered freshwater cetacean. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 290 (1990), 20221786.
- Xu, W., Huntsinger, L. (2022). Minding the boundary: social-ecological contexts for fence ecology and management. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 20(7):405-412.
- Gigliotti, L. C., Xu, W., Zuckerman, G. R., Atwood, M. P., Cole, E. K., Courtemanch, A., ... & Middleton, A. D. (2022). Wildlife migrations highlight importance of both private lands and protected areas in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Biological Conservation, 275, 109752.
- Xu, W., Barker, K. †, Shawler, A. †, Van Scoyoc, A. †, Smith, J., Mueller, T., Sawyer, H., Andreozzi, C., Bidder, O., Mumme, S., Karandikar, H., Templin, E., & Middleton, A. Migratory Plasticity of Ungulate in a Changing World. Ecology. 102(4), e03293.
- Kauffman, M. J., Cagnacci, F., Chamaille-Jammes, S., Hebblewhite, M., Hopcraft, G., Merkle, J., Mueller, T., ... (83 other authors) …, Xu, W., Zuther, S. Mapping out a future for ungulate migraitons. Science, 372.6542 (2021): 566-569.
- Xu, W., Nandintsetseg, D., Sawyer, H., Middleton, A. (2021). Barrier Behavior Analysis (BaBA) reveals extensive effects of fencing on wide-ranging animals. Journal of Applied Ecology, 58.4 (2021): 690-698.
- McInturff, A., Xu, W., Wilkinson, C., Nandintsetseg D., Brashares, J.S. (2020). Fence Ecology: Frameworks for Understanding the Ecological Effects of Fences. BioScience, Biaa103.
- Xu, W., Huang, Q., Stabach, J., Hoshino, B., & Leimgruber, P. (2019). Railway Underpass Location Affects Migration Distance in Tibetan Antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii). PLoS ONE, 14.2.