Institute of Fisheries Science, NTU

Research Interests:
A. Impacts of Climate Change on Species Distributions, Community Assemblages and Ecosystems
(1) Fish biogeography
(2) Temporal and spatial changes in marine species
(3) Relationships between species and environments

B. Interdisciplinary & Transdisciplinary Sciences
(1) Linking ecology and economy through ecosystem service approach
(2) Climate change communication
(3) Epidemiology, public health and species distributions

C. Ecological Modeling & Data Analysis
(1) Species distributions
(2) Community dynamics
(3) Relationships between species and environments

D. Long-term Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences
(1) Effects of weather-related episodic events in freshwater
(2) Resource fluctuations in coastal Taiwanese Bua Fisheries
(3) Forecasting fishing condition for Argentine shortfin squid populations
(4) Long-term variation of marine ecosystem in the South China Sea
 
E. Ocean Litter / Marine Debris
(1) Ocean litter/marine debris observations
(2) Simulation of ocean litter/ marine debris origins

A. Impacts of Climate Change on Species Distributions, Community Assemblages and Ecosystems
To assess impacts of global climate change on species distributions, we can both explore distributions of individual species and biotic interactions between and/or among species. I use a variety of species distribution modeling to understand relationships between global climate change and terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Through the establishment of database, I analyze spatial shifts of species and their assemblages, quantify relationships between species and environments, understand trends of ecosystems over the years, and project species distributions under climate change. This research will be combined with subsequent inter- and transdisciplinary sciences, such as economic and social factors, as well as management and application issues.

B. Interdisciplinary & Transdisciplinary Sciences — global public climate change awareness and risk perception
In this study, my colleagues and I found that climate change awareness and risk perception were unevenly distributed around the world. The highest levels of awareness (over 90%) were reported in the developed world, including North America, Europe and Japan. By contrast, majorities in developing countries from Africa to the Middle East and Asia reported that they had never heard of climate change. Worldwide, education level and beliefs about the cause of climate change were frequently the top-ranked predictors of climate change awareness and risk perceptions, respectively. Besides, using national indicators of sustainability (for example, HDI and GDP) are poor predictors of the correlative structure of climate change awareness and risk perception globally.
The observed heterogeneities in the key predictors of climate change awareness and risk perceptions across countries suggest that each country has its own relatively unique set of correlates. Therefore, national and regional programmes aiming to increase citizen engagement with climate change must be tailored to the unique context of each country.

C. Ecological Modeling & Data Analysis — Comparisons of Ecological Community Modeling at large spatial scales
I am interested in comparing a stacked-species community modeling approach versus a direct community modeling approach. The former models the spatial distributions of each species and then derives community attributes at different locations by aggregating the predicted individual species distributions, and the latter statistically associates aggregate community attributes with environmental variables is putatively able to accommodate species interdependencies within communities because it accommodates spatial co-occurrences of species to infer community-level patterns. I am still exploring how to use these two approaches when using terrestrial or marine organisms as focal species, such birds and fish. Through such research, it is expected to provide new ways to help policy decisions on conservation and further identify environmental adaptations and diversity hotspots of species.

D. Long-term Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences — phytoplankton in response to episodic climatic disturbances, i.e. typhoons, in a freshwater ecosystem
Information of episodic climatic disturbances (i.e., typhoons) on phytoplankton in freshwater ecosystems have received limited attention partly due to the lack of long-term time-series monitoring data in typhoon prevailing areas. Collecting data in the Fei-Tsui Reservoir, our research team quantified phytoplankton dynamics. The results showed that phytoplankton exposed to typhoons generally showed an increasing trend before, during and after typhoons in summer but not in autumn. The intensity of both observed local wind speed and total runoff was found to vary considerably and was significantly different between the pre-typhoon and typhoon weeks in both the summer and autumn seasons. Besides, the phytoplankton responses induced by the discrete and continuous typhoon events were different. The study suggested sustained and systematic monitoring in order to advance our understanding of the role of typhoons between seasons in the modulation of phytoplankton productivity and functioning is required because such episodic climatic disturbances are projected to have intense magnitude and inconsistent frequency under 21st century climate change.

E. Ocean litter/marine debris — monitoring litter dynamics and backward-tracking simulation of litter origins on the Dongsha Island in the South China Sea
Large amounts of macro ocean litter, whose weight and quantity varied annually and monthly, entered the northern regions of the SCS, i.e. Dongsha Island. A wide variety of macro ocean litter was found, mostly in an undegraded form. Styrofoam was the primary source of both annual and monthly macro ocean litter, followed by plastic bottles, fishing gear and other plastic products. Based on a global standard barcode system, the majority of plastic bottles collected on the Dongsha Island in came from China and Vietnam. Taiwan, Japan and Korea were tied for third. Considering current advection effect and windage, the estimated drifting time of litter showed monthly and directional variability ranging from 8-496 days. Notably, the modeled results indicated that some litter remained in the northern SCS throughout the yearand were never drifted back to land or to the surrounding seas.
    Regional to global management action plans are suggested in this study, including (1) incorporating techniques into existing environmental or wildlife monitoring programs to get a “win-win” results, (2) the litter onboard vessels not being dumped at sea, as directed in the past, and being instead collected, shipped back and processed onshore, (3) strengthening national information exchanges, and acknowledging and fulfilling the importance of cooperative oceanic environmental protection plans through trajectory tracking, and (4) raising public awareness and action to protect the ocean and strengthening the legal system to better regulate ocean litter management.

近年重要著作 (2017- ):

*責任作者

Shih, Y.-Y., F.-K. Shiah, C.-C Lai, W.-C. Chou, J.-H. Tai, Y.-S. Wu, C.-Y. Lai, C.-Y. Ko & C.-C. Hung*. 2021. Comparison of primary production using in situ and satellite-derived values at the SEATS station in the South China Sea. Frontiers in Marine Science (SCI) (IF: 5.125; Ranking: Marine & Freshwater Biology, 6/110, Q1), 8, 747763.

Tsai, N.-C., T.-S. Hsu, S.-C. Kuo, C.-T Kao, T.-H. Hung, D.-G. Lin, C.-S. Yeh, C.-C. Chu, J.-S. Lin, H.-H. Lin, C.-Y. Ko, T.-H. Chang*, J.-C. Su* & Y.-C. J. Lin*. 2021. Large-scale data analysis for robotic yeast one-hybrid platforms and multi-disciplinary studies using GateMultiplex. BMC Biology (SCI) (IF: 8.182; Ranking: Biology, 7/93, Q1), 19, 214.

Chang, S.-W., R.-G. Chen, T.-H. Liu, Y.-C. Lee, C.-S. Chen, T.-S. Chiu & C.-Y. Ko*. 2021. Dietary shifts and risks of artifact Ingestion for Argentine shortfin squid Illex argentinus in the Southwest Atlantic. Frontiers in Marine Science (SCI) (IF: 5.125; Ranking: Marine & Freshwater Biology, 6/110, Q1), 8, 675560.

Lai, C.-C., C.-Y. Ko, E. Austria & F.-K. Shiah*. 2021. Extreme weather events enhance DOC consumption in a subtropical freshwater ecosystem: a multiple-typhoon analysis. Microorganisms (SCI) (IF: 4.128; Ranking: Microbiology, 52/137, Q2), 9, 1199. (co-first author)

Ko, C.-Y., S. Asano, M.-J. Lin, T. Ikeya, E. M. Peralta, E. M. C. Triño, Y. Uehara, T. Ishida, T. Iwata, I. Tayasu & N. Okuda. 2021. Rice paddy irrigation seasonally impacts stream benthic macroinvertebrate diversity at the catchment level. Ecosphere (SCI) (IF: 3.832; Ranking: Ecology, 62/166, Q2), 12, e03468.

Heng, W. K., M.-J. Ho, C.-Y. Kuo, Y.-Y. Huang, C.-Y. Ko, M.-S. Jeng & C. A. Chen. 2021. Crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak at Taiping Island (Itu Aba), Spratlys, South China Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science (SCI) (IF: 1.889; Ranking: Marine & Freshwater Biology, 65/110, Q3). https://doi.org/10.5343/bms.2021.0030

Ko, C.-Y., Y.-C. Hsin & M-.S. Jeng. 2020. Global distribution and cleanup opportunities for macro ocean litter: A quarter century of accumulation dynamics under windage effects. Environmental Research Letters (SCI) (IF: 7.801; Ranking: Environmental Sciences, 33/274, Q1), 15, 104063.

Peralta, E. M.*, L. S.Batucan Jr, I. B. B. De Jesus, E. M. C. Triño, Y. Uehara, T. Ishida, Y. Kobayashi, C.-Y. Ko, T. Iwata, A. S. Borja, J. C. A. Briones, R. D. S. Papa, F. S. Magbanua & N. Okuda. 2020. Nutrient loadings and deforestation decrease benthic macroinvertebrate diversity in an urbanised tropical stream system. Limnologica (SCI) (IF: 2.386; Ranking: Limnology, 8/21, Q2), 80, 125744.

Ishida, T.*, Y. Uehara, T. Iwata, A. P. Cid-Andres, S. Asano, T. Ikeya, K. Osaka, J. Ide, O. L. A. Privaldos, I. B. B. De Jesus, E. M. Peralta, E. M. C. Triño, C.-Y. Ko, A. Paytan, I. Tayasu & N. Okuda. 2019. Identification of phosphorus sources in a watershed using a phosphate oxygen isoscape approach. Environmental Science & Technology (SCI) (IF: 9.922; Ranking: Environmental Sciences, 20/274, Q1), 53, 4707-4716.

Austria, E. S., C.-C. Lai, C.-Y. Ko, K.-Y. Lee, H.-Y. Kuo, T.-Y. Chen, J.-H. Tai & F.-K. Shiah*. 2018. Growth-controlling mechanisms on heterotrophic bacteria in the South China Sea shelf: Summer and Winter patterns. Terrestrial, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (TAO) (SCI) (IF: 0.938), 29, 441-453.

Ko, C.-Y.*, Y.-C. Hsin, T.-L. Yu, K.-L. Liu, F.-K. Shiah & M.-S. Jeng*. 2018. Monitoring multi-year macro ocean litter dynamics and backward-tracking simulation of litter origins on a remote island in the South China Sea. Environmental Research Letters (SCI) (IF: 7.801; Ranking: Environmental Sciences, 33/274, Q1), 13, 044021.

Ko, C.-Y.*, T. Iwata, J.-Y. Lee, A. Murakami, J. Okano, N. F. Ishikawa, Y. Sakai, I. Tayasu, M. Itoh, U. Song, H. Togashi, S. Nakano, N. Ohte & N. Okuda*. 2018. Assessing alpha and beta diversities of benthic macroinvertebrates and their environmental drivers between watersheds with different levels of habitat transformation in Japan. Marine and Freshwater Research (SCI) (IF: 2.162; Ranking: Fisheries, 25/55, Q2),70, 504-512

Ko, C.-Y.*, C.-C. Lai, H.-H. Hsu & F.-K. Shiah*. 2017. Decadal phytoplankton dynamics in response to episodic climatic disturbances in a subtropical deep freshwater ecosystem. Water Research (SCI) (IF: 11.547; Ranking: Environmental Sciences, 6/274, Q1), 109, 102-113.

Ko, C.-Y.*, O. J. Schmitz & W. Jetz*. 2016. The limits of community-level modeling approaches for broad-scale predictions of ecological assemblage structure. Biological Conservation (SCI) (IF: 6.552; Ranking: Biodiversity Conservation, 6/60, Q1), 201, 396-404.

Chen, T.-Y., J.-H. Tai, C.-Y. Ko, C.-H. Hsieh, C.-C. Chen, N. Jiao, H.-B. Liu and F.-K. Shiah*. 2016. Nutrient pulses driven by internal solitary waves enhance heterotrophic bacterial growth in the South China Sea. Environmental Microbiology (SCI) (IF: 6.438; Ranking: Microbiology, 30/137, Q1), 18, 4312-4323.