Chyi-Rong Chiou

Colony site choice of blue-tailed bee-eaters: influences of soil, vegetation, and water quality

All bee‐eaters (Family Meropidae) are cavity nesters, excavating terrestrial burrows in sites ranging from flat ground, to small mounds of soil, steep earthen banks seen in road clearings, eroded cliff faces, and river gorges. However, very little is known concerning the environmental factors that influence nest site selection in bee‐eaters. We addressed abiotic and biotic issues associated with colony site choice in blue‐tailed bee‐eaters (Merops philippinus) nesting on Kinmen Island, off mainland China, from 2000 to 2002. About 89% of the colonies were located on slopes with soils of sandy loam and the other 11% on sandy clay loam. No colony was found on clay loam, which covered 20% of the island. The sandy loam and sandy clay loam had lower soil pressure, density and moisture, which, presumably, were easier for bee‐eaters to excavate and provided better drainage and ventilation for nest cavities. Bee‐eaters avoided placing nest cavities in areas with dense vegetation and abandoned colony sites when they became overgrown. Vegetation would impede excavation and decrease the detectability of predators. Bee‐eaters may prefer colony sites near water bodies showing water chemistries indicative of more biological productivity, especially in relation to the diversity and abundance of their major prey, dragonflies.

The First National Vegetation Inventory in Taiwan

This article describes the successful implementation and preliminary results of the first national vegetation inventory in Taiwan. This project which aimed to establish national criteria for vegetation classification, map island-wide forest vegetation at a scale of 1: 5000 and establish a vegetation data management system was launched in 2003. More than 3000 permanent plots (20 m×20 m) were set up throughout Taiwan, and 792 articles on vegetation of Taiwan were located to acquire vegetation data. Vegetation types were identified according to the physiognomic appearances in aerial photographs. The national vegetation classification system was constructed by referring to field observations, vegetation data, and currently available vegetation classification schemes. This project was finalized in 2008. Up to 67% of native vascular plant species in Taiwan were recorded, and 59% of the total area of Taiwan was mapped in this project. Preliminary vegetation analyses identified 9 major vegetation types and their diagnostic species, constant species and dominant species. The Taiwan Vegetation Information was established and has performed the functions of data management for the current project since 2003. The latest version of the Taiwan Vegetation Classification System was released in 2007. The achievement and experiences of the current project have paved the way for the successful implementation of subsequent large-scale surveys in Taiwan.

Humic Acid Composition and Characteristics of Soil Organic Matter in Relation to the Elevation Gradient of Moso Bamboo Plantations.

Studying the influence of climatic and/or site-specific factors on soil organic matter (SOM) along an elevation gradient is important for understanding the response of SOM to global warming. We evaluated the composition of SOM and structure of humic acids along an altitudinal gradient from 600 to 1400 m in moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) plantations in central Taiwan using NMR spectroscopy and photometric analysis. Total organic C and total nitrogen (N) content increased with increasing elevation. Aromaticity decreased and ΔlogK (the logarithm of the absorbance ratio of humic acids at 400 and 600 nm) increased with increasing elevation, which suggests that SOM humification decreased with increasing elevation. High temperature at low elevations seemed to enhance the decomposition (less accumulation of total organic C and N) and humification (high aromaticity and low ΔlogK). The alkyl-C/O-alkyl-C (A/O-A) ratio of humic acids increased with increasing elevation, which suggests that SOM humification increased with increasing elevation; this finding was contrary to the trend observed for ΔlogK and aromaticity. Such a discrepancy might be due to the relatively greater remaining of SOM derived from high alkyl-C broadleaf litter of previous forest at high elevations. The ratio of recalcitrant C to total organic C was low at low elevations, possibly because of enhanced decomposition of recalcitrant SOM from the previous broadleaf forest during long-term intensive cultivation and high temperature. Overall, the change in SOM pools and in the rate of humification with elevation was primarily affected by changes in climatic conditions along the elevation gradient in these bamboo plantations. However, when the composition of SOM, as assessed by NMR spectroscopy and photometric analysis was considered, site-specific factors such as residual SOM from previous forest and intensive cultivation history could also have an important effect on the humic acid composition and humification of SOM.

Modeling Potential Range Expansion of the Invasive Shrub Leucaena leucocephala in the Hengchun Peninsula, Taiwan

Abstract Prediction of invasive species distributions from survey data is widely recognized as a significant component of forest management and conservation planning. Leucaena leucocephala is the most aggressive invasive shrub and tree in the Hengchun peninsula in southern Taiwan. We analyzed geo-referenced data to identify potential variables of invasion and to predict likelihood of further invasion using boosted regression trees. Our results, which classified 92% of the cells correctly with regard to species presence and absence, indicated probability of invasion is correlated with climatic conditions (temperature and precipitation), landscape features (altitude; slope ratio and aspect; percentages of natural or secondary forest, agriculture land, developed area, and water bodies; and distances to the nearest forest edge and river), and anthropogenic factors (length of forest edge, and distances to the nearest road and agriculture land). The most influential variables are average annual temperature, altitude, precipitation, and slope. Continued range expansion by L. leucocephala is most likely to proceed (1) from the eastern and western portions toward the central portion of Hengchun township and (2) throughout the southern and toward the eastern portions of Manjhou township. Our model should provide useful information to aid forest managers in the development of long term monitoring and control strategies for L. leucocephala, in the early detection and eradication of newly established invasions, and also a framework for the integration and analysis of new presence and absence field data as they become available. Nomenclature: White leadtree, white popinac, and jumbay, Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit. Management Implications: Leucaena leucocephala continues to expand its ranges in the southern Taiwan, and reliable prediction of habitats at risk is needed urgently. We drew upon extensive geo-referenced datasets to develop an invasion distribution model predicting possible range expansion of L. leucocephala in the Hengchun peninsula, Taiwan. Our analyses suggest that continued range expansion of L. leucocephala. However, the opportunity exists for reducing the likelihood of invasions via increased monitoring and early control efforts focused on low-elevation lands with low slope ratios that are close to roads, water, and/or forest edges. Areas surrounding agricultural and developed areas also should be targeted for prompt inspection and potential control measures. The complementarity between controlling and preventing plant invasions suggests that coordinated efforts to enhance ecosystem health would be more cost effective. More efforts should be directed toward educating residents in the Hengchun peninsula with the goal of engaging them in the prevention of L. leucocephala invasions and the restoration of infested areas. Our model should provide useful information to aid forest managers in the development of long term monitoring and control strategies for L. leucocephala, in the early detection and eradication of newly established invasions, and also in educational efforts directed toward residents in the Hengchun peninsula. Our model also provides a framework for the integration and analysis of new presence and absence field data as they become available.

Classification of the High-Mountain Coniferous Forests in Taiwan

Vegetation of boreal coniferous forests has been extensively studied in many areas of northern Eurasia and North America, but similar forests in the high mountains of subtropical and tropical eastern Asia have been poorly documented so far. This paper, focusing on such forests, is the first phytosociological study at a national scale in Taiwan. The relevés from the National Vegetation Diversity Inventory and Mapping Project database were used to define vegetation types of the high-mountain coniferous forests and to characterize their distribution in Taiwan. Environmental variables such as aspect, elevation, soil rockiness and slope were related to species composition. Cluster analysis was used to classify vegetation plots and establish groups that were interpreted as nine associations belonging to two alliances. The alliance Juniperion squamatae represents woodlands and forests scattered in the subalpine belt, in which Juniperus squamata dominates the canopy and subalpine meadow species occur in the understorey. The Abieti kawakamii-Tsugion formosanae alliance includes forests dominated by Abies kawakamii and Tsuga chinensis var. formosana with shade-tolerant herb species in the upper montane belt. In addition to regional vegetation description, an identification key for the studied forests was developed based on the classification tree technique.

Modeling the Species Distribution of Three Dominant Coniferous Species in Taiwan

With the rapid rate of urbanization and increasing demands for forest resources, the vegetation cover has also decreased at a proportional rate in Taiwan. Government agencies and forest managers have come to realize the importance of the ecosystem and begun to implement conservation practices. Prediction of vegetation distribution will be a primary step in this effort. In this study, we developed logistic regression models for predicting the distribution of Abies kawakamii (Taiwan fir). Tsuga chinensis var. formnosana (Taiwan hemlock), and Chamaecyparis spp. (Taiwan cypress). The models achieved high R^2 and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) values. Overlaying the probability of map of Taiwan cypress and Taiwan fir showed a transition boundary for two species occurring at an elevation of approximately 2700 m. The distribution model showed an oval species distribution pattern, narrower and lower at north and south, and higher and wider in the middle. Therefore, the Massenerhebung effect, the northeasterly monsoons, and the cloud belt were also brought in to better explain the models against the species distribution in the real world. The model correctly predicted the species distribution using only 2 general environmental factors of latitude and elevation.

Assessing the recreational value of protective forests at Taitung Forest Park in Taiwan

The protective forests in the Taitung Forest Park, Taiwan, are studied to explore the potential recreational benefits in the year 2014. First, the importance performance analysis and stepwise discriminant analysis are first adopted to analyze the relationship between the tourist satisfaction and environmental factors. The contingent valuation method and Tobit regression model are then applied to evaluate the benefits of protective forests. It shows that the willingness to pay price for entrance to the Taitung Forest Park is NT

Plant bioclimatic models in climate change research

21.7 for each person. Note that US

TernCam: an automated energy-efficient visual surveillance system

1 is around NT

Comparison of potential water supply and demand in Taiwan.

30. The Taitung Forest Park creates a recreational value of NT