Introducation

1.      2002.4-2004.7: post doctoral-research associate working on chemical signals of house mice and ferrets under Milos Novotny in the Institute for Pheromone Research, Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, and Department of Chemistry of Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.

2.      1997.10-present: Assistant professor and associate professor in the Institute of zoology，Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

3.      1997.6. Ph.D. with study of chemical communication and behavior of ratlike hamsters (Tscheskia(Cricetulus) triton) under Zu-Wang Wang and Zhi-Bin Zhang in Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

4.      1992.6. MS. with study of wintering ecology of geese under Jian-Jian Lu in East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.

5.      1987.6. BS. with study of  wintering ecology of long-eared owls under Yu-Ping Cao in Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei Province, China.

Our researches have involved chemical signals, chemical communication, chemical ecology, behavior and physiology, animal behavior, and chemical senses emphasizing rodents and their predators, collaborating with Dr. Lixing Sun (USA), Professor Chenghua Zhao, Dr. Donald Wiesler (USA), and Dr. Zuoxing Wang (USA) to promote research and graduate education in various aspects of animal behavior and chemical communication.

Dr. Jian-Xu Zhang’s research interests center on chemical communication of rodents and their predators through an interdisciplinary approach of biology (behavior, physiology and ecology) and chemistry to clarify the behavioral and physiological functions, phylogenic relations and chemical characterization of mammal chemosignals.

We defined behavioral patterns and described the flank glands and midventral glands of rat-like hamster and their variation with sexes, seasons, physiological states and social ranks. We investigated the effects of predator odor and social stress on the flank glands. We provided behavioral evidences for solitary lifestyle and mating system of rat-like hamsters. We first chemically analyzed anal sac secretion volatiles of Siberian weasels (Mustela sibirica) and steppe polecats (M. eversmanni) by GC-MS and provided chemical possibilities for their gender, individual and species recognition. We also analyzed the ferret (M. furo) urinary volatiles by comparison with their anal sac secretion and house mouse urinary pheromones related to photoperiod, adrenal and strains. We are working on the identification of pheromones in Brandt’s voles, house mice and brown rats, and some other rat and vole species and ratlike hamsters. We are also exploring the application of chemical signals in rodent management. We hope to collaborate with neuroscientists and chemists in our future studies.

1. Identification and functions of pheromones of Brown rats. ( Homecoming Scholar Fund & China NSF).

2. National Key Project: Rodent Pest Monitoring and Control Technique.

3. CAS oversea partner innovative project: Animal Behavioral Ecology.

1.      Co-winner of National Second-Class Award in Progress of Sciences and Technology of China in 2003. (J-201-2-11: Outbreak and management of agricultural rodent pests)

2.      Co-winner of Second-Class Award in Progress of Sciences and Technology of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2001. (Outbreak and management of agricultural rodent pests）.

3.      Winner of First-Class DIAO Award for Life Sciences to My PhD thesis titled “Chemical Communication of rat-like hamsters (Cricetulus triton)” in 1997.

20. Zhang J.X. and Sun L. Immunodeficiency by knocking out the Foxn1 gene alters urinary pheromones but not sex attractiveness of male mice. (Submitted)

19. Zhang J.X., Liu Y.J., Zhang J.H. and Sun L. Two fatty acids from the flank gland only affect behavior of males in the golden hamster. (Under reviewing).

18 Zhang J.X., Liu Y.J., Zhang J.H., and Sun L. 2008. Dual role of preputial gland secretion and its major components in sex recognition of mice. Physiology & Behavior (in press). (DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.07.002) (SCI)

17 Zhang J.X., Sun L., Zhang J.H. and Feng Z.Y. 2008. Sex- and Gonad-Affecting Scent Compounds and 3 Male Pheromones in the Rat. Chemical Senses (in press) (doi:10.1093/chemse/bjn028).(SCI)

16. Zhang J.X.，Dingzhen Liu，Lixing Sun，Rongping Wei， Guiquan Zhang，Honglin Wu，Hemin Zhang and Chenghua Zhao. 2008. Potential chemosignals in the anogenital gland secretion of giant pandas, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, associated with sex and individual identity. Journal of Chemical Ecology 34: 398-407. (SCI)

15. Zhang J.X., Xiao-Ping Rao, Lixing Sun, Da-Wei Wang, Dingzhen Liu and Chenghua Zhao. 2008. Cohabitation impaired physiology, fitness and sex-related chemosignals in golden hamsters. Physiology & Behavior  93:1071-1077. (SCI)

14. Zhang J.X., Sun L, Bruce KE and Novotny MV. 2008. Chronic exposure of cat odor enhances aggression, urinary attractiveness and sex pheromones of mice. Journal of Ethology 26:279-286. (SCI)

13. Zhang J.X., Rao, X. P., Sun, L., Zhao, C. and Qin, X. 2007. Putative chemical signals about sex, individuality and genetic background in the preputial gland and urine of the house mouse (Mus musculus). Chemical Senses 32:293-303. (SCI)

12. Zhang J.X., Sun, L. and Novotny, M. 2007. Mice respond differently to urine and its major volatile constituents from male and female ferrets. Journal of Chemical Ecology 33, 603-612. (SCI 他引1次)

11. Zhang J.X., Zhao, CH., Rao, XP., Wang, DW., Liu, XH., Qin, X.W and Zhang, ZB 2007. Possible information about gender and individual recognition coded by insect pheromone analogs in the preputial glands in male Brandt‘s voles, Lasiopodomys brandtii. Acta Zool. Sin. 53:616-624. (动物学报, in English）

10. Wang DW, Zhang J.X.*, Wang ZL, Zhang ZB*. 2006. Seasonal changes in chronic social interactions and physiological states in female rat-like hamsters (Tscheskia triton). Physiology & Behavior 89: 420 –427. (SCI)

9. Zhang J.X., Soini H, Bruce K, Wiesler D., Woodley S, Baum M. and Novotny M. 2005. Putative chemosignals of the Ferret (Mustela furo) associated with individual and gender recognition. Chemical Senses 30: 727-737. (SCI 他引5次)

8. Jian-Xu Zhang, Jia Ni, Fu-Yan Wu, Zhi-Bin Zhang and Zu-Wang Wang. 2004. Effects of social condition on subadult and adult female rat-like hamsters (Cricetulus triton). Journal of Ethology 22:161-165 . (SCI)

7. Jian-Xu Zhang, Jia Ni, Xue-Jie Ren, Lixing Sun, Zhi-Bin Zhang and Zu-Wang Wang. 2003. Possible coding for recognition of sexes, individual and species in anal gland volatiles of Mustela eversmanni and M. Sibirica. Chemical Senses 28:382-388. (SCI 他引6次)

6. Jian-Xu Zhang, Cheng Cao, Heng Gao, Zhong-Shun Yang, Lixing Sun, Zhi-Bin Zhang and Zu-Wang Wang. 2003. Effects of weasel odor on behavior and physiology of two hamster species. Physiology & Behavior 79:549-552. (SCI 他引9次)

5. Jian-Xu Zhang, Lixing Sun, Zhi-Bin Zhang, Zu-Wang Wang, Yi Chen and Rui Wang. 2002. Volatile compounds in anal gland of Siberian weasels (Mustela eversmanni) and steppe polecats (M. Sibirica). Journal of Chemical Ecology 28:1287-1297. (SCI 他引7次)

4. Jian-Xu Zhang, Zhi-Bin Zhang and Zu-Wang Wang.2001. Scent, social status, and reproductive condition in rat-like hamsters (Cricetulus triton). Physiology & Behavior 74:415-420.(SCI 他引5次)

3. Jian-Xu Zhang, Zhi-Bin Zhang and Zu-Wang Wang. 2001. Seasonal changes in and effects of familiarity on agonistic behaviors of rat-like hamsters (Cricetulus triton). Ecological Research 16: 309-317. (SCI 他引2次)

2. Jian-Xu Zhang, Zhi-Bin Zhang and Zu-Wang Wang. 2001. Males’ olfactory discrimination of receptive state of females in rat-like hamsters (Cricetulus triton). Pp 385-390 in Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 9 (eds by A. Marchlewska-Koj, J.J. Lepri and D. Müller-Schwarze), Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.（ISTP） .

1 Jian-Xu Zhang and Jian-Jian Lu.2000. Feeding ecology of two wintering geese species at Poyang Lake, China. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 14(4): 439-445. ( SCI，他引2次）.

 

1.      Wang DW, Zhang J.X., Wang ZL, Zhang ZB. 2006. Seasonal changes in chronic social interactions and physiological states in female rat-like hamsters (Tscheskia triton). Physiology & Behavior 89: 420 –427. (SCI).

 

2.      LIU Ying-Juan, ZHANG Jian-Xu, ZHANG Jin-Hua, BAO Wei-Dong. 2008. Social dominance, sexual attractiveness and pheromonal communication in male mice, Mus musculus. Acta Zoologica Sinica (动物学报).(in Chinese) 54:399-406.

 

3.      RAO Xiao-Ping, ZHANG Jian-Xu, LIU Ding-Zhen, CONG Lin. 2009. Kinship alters the effects of forced cohabitation on body weight, mate choice and fitness in the rat-like hamster (Tscheskia triton). Current Zoology.(动物学报).（accepted）.

 

4.      Ying-Juan Liu，Jian-Xu Zhang，Jin-Hua Zhang, Weidong Bao. Vomeronasal organ lesion elicits chemosensory dysfunction, anxiety, adrenal atrophy and preputial gland hypertrophy in male mice. ( under preparing )