The Ecological Consequences of Sociality in Global Avian Clades
Supervised by Dr. Shen at BRCAS, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
​Based on the latest research on starlings and hornbills (Lin et al. 2019), different types of cooperation are formed by different ecological causes and cooperative benefits, which will affect the ecological consequences (the geographical distribution of species).
We use phylogenetic analyses to construct causal relationships between life-history traits, climate factors, and geographical distribution on a global scale.
Also, we provide robust evidence that species range size is the key concept to distinguish two cooperative benefits and provide empirical evidence for future studies in different taxa.
​
Ecological Factors Affect the Range Size of Burying Beetles
Supervised by Dr. Shen at BRCAS, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
According to the previous experimental results in the Mt, Hehuan of Taiwan, the exploitative competition with blowflies resulted in the lower altitudes limit of N. nepalensis. While the upper limit of altitude is mainly limited by temperature.
​
On the other hand, a study conducted in Sichuan found another species of burying beetles, Nicrophorus schawalleri overlapped in the upper boundary of N. nepalensis. Furthermore, based on the resources they consumed, two species of burying beetles are the main interspecies competitor of each other.
​
​As a result, we conducted experiments to manipulate the condition of carcasses in Mt.Jiajin, Sichuan. Comparing the differences among the altitude and temperature gradients between Sichuan and Taiwan burying beetles will help us to further understand how interspecies competition restricts species distribution.
Nicrophorus nepalensis
(Photo credit to Syuan-Jyun Sun)
The Ecological Causes and Consequences of Cooperative Breeding
Supervised by Dr. Shen at BRCAS, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
The fact that cooperative societies occur in both benign and harsh—as well as stable and fluctuating—environments creates a paradox of environmental quality and sociality.
​
The dual benefits framework (Shen et al. 2017) provides a potential resolution to this paradox. Moreover, we collect the data of climate variables, social behavior, and range size of starlings (Sturnidae) and hornbills (Bucerotidae) to test the dual benefits framework.
We demonstrate that differentiating among the functional causes of social group formation is critical for developing a predictive framework for understanding the evolution of cooperative breeding behavior.
​
Analyzing the chemical composition of rotten rat carcasses in the air
Supervised by Dr. Shen at BRCAS, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
When I was an undergraduate student, I conducted GC-MS to analyze the chemical composition of rotten rat carcasses consumed by blowflies.
​
The chemical compound – dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) – has been proved as a single chemical cue that will trigger the social cooperation of N. nepalensis.
​
See further detail of this amazing project!
