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Deforestation is a major contributor to biodiversity loss, yet the impact of forest loss on daily microclimate variability and its implications for species with different daily activity patterns remain poorly understood. Using a recently developed microclimate model, we investigated the effects of deforestation on the daily temperature range (DTR) in low-elevation tropical regions and high-elevation temperate regions. Our results show that deforestation substantially increases DTR in these areas, suggesting a potential impact on species interactions. To test this hypothesis, we studied the competitive interactions between nocturnal burying beetles and all-day-active blowfly maggots in forested and deforested habitats in Taiwan. We show that deforestation leads to increased DTR at higher elevations, which enhances the competitiveness of blowfly maggots during the day and leads to a higher failure rate of carcass burial by the beetles at night. Thus, deforestation-induced temperature variability not only modulates exploitative competition between species with different daily activity patterns, but also likely exacerbates the negative impacts of climate change on nocturnal organisms. In order to limit potential adverse effects on species interactions and their ecological functions, our study highlights the need to protect forests, especially in areas where deforestation can greatly alter temperature variability.

Land-use change not only affects habitat availability, it can also reduce population density and limit opportunities for interactions with conspecifics, further influencing species resilience to environmental challenges. For social species whose conspecific interactions are typically cooperative in nature, little is known about how land-use change influences demography and social behavior, and how this interaction impacts a species’ climatic niche. Here, we develop a spatially explicit, individual-based model to explore how land-use changes influence population size and niche width in social organisms through the Allee effect, the positive impact of higher population density on individual fitness. We then empirically test key model predictions by studying the distribution and cooperative behavior of burying beetles (Nicrophorus nepalensis) along elevational gradients in Taiwan. In support of our model predictions, we find that beetle densities are lower in areas of greater land-use change, making it harder for individuals in these hotter environments to form cooperative groups to compete against blowflies, their primary interspecific competitor. Consequently, the beetles’ lower distributional boundary is higher in areas with greater land-use change, indicating that the beetles’ thermal niche is reduced via Allee effects in human-altered landscapes. Ultimately, land-use change not only reduces habitat availability, it also shrinks the thermal niche of social species, making them more vulnerable to climate change.

Since the enactment of the “Feed-in Tariff” scheme in 2012, the solar power generation capacity in Japan has been steadily growing. Therefore, in the near future, the demand for the mass processing of spent photovoltaic (PV) panels is expected to increase. Secondary batteries, especially lithium-ion batteries (LiBs), have become important products for vehicles and mobile devices. The production of LiBs is also expected to significantly increase in the near future. In this study, we address the design of recycling systems for such emerging technologies. From life cycle perspectives, the requirements for the assessment of these technology systems are carefully defined through a bibliometric analysis of technology assessments, critical reviews of current research and developments in the recycling of PV panels and LiBs, and analysis of the intensities of life cycle impacts (such as greenhouse gas emissions and resource use). The necessities for life cycle assessments, material flow analyses, and other assessment methods are clarified, along with the conditions to be examined using these assessment methods.

A strictly anaerobic predominant bacterium, designated as strain gm001T, was isolated from a freshly voided faecal sample collected from a healthy Taiwanese adult. Cells were Gram-stain-negative rods, non-motile and non-spore-forming. Strain gm001T was identified as a member of the genus Prevotella , and a comparison of 16S rRNA and hsp60 gene sequences revealed sequence similarities of 98.5 and 93.3 %, respectively, demonstrating that it was most closely related to the type strain of Prevotella copri . Phylogenomic tree analysis indicated that the gm001T cluster is an independent lineage of P. copri DSM 18205T. The average nucleotide identity, digital DNA‒DNA hybridization and average amino acid identity values between strain gm001T and P. copri DSM 18205T were 80.9, 28.6 and 83.8 %, respectively, which were clearly lower than the species delineation thresholds. The species-specific genes of this novel species were also identified on the basis of pan-genomic analysis. The predominant menaquinones were MK-11 and MK-12, and the predominant fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, C15 : 0 and iso-C15 : 0. Acetate and succinate were produced from glucose as metabolic end products. Taken together, the results indicate that strain gm001T represents a novel species of the genus Prevotella , for which the name Prevotella hominis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is gm001T (=BCRC 81118T=JCM 33280T).

Understanding how phenotypic traits vary among populations inhabiting different environments is critical for predicting a species’ vulnerability to climate change. Yet, little is known about the key functional traits that determine the distribution of populations and the main mechanisms—phenotypic plasticity vs. local adaptation—underlying intraspecific functional trait variation. Using the Asian burying beetle Nicrophorus nepalensis, we demonstrate that mountain ranges differing in elevation and latitude offer unique thermal environments in which two functional traits—thermal tolerance and reproductive photoperiodism—interact to shape breeding phenology. We show that populations on different mountain ranges maintain similar thermal tolerances, but differ in reproductive photoperiodism. Through common garden and reciprocal transplant experiments, we confirm that reproductive photoperiodism is locally adapted and not phenotypically plastic. Accordingly, year-round breeding populations on mountains of intermediate elevation are likely to be most susceptible to future warming because maladaptation occurs when beetles try to breed at warmer temperatures. Understanding whether intraspecific trait variation results from local adaptation or phenotypic plasticity is crucial to predict species responses to climate change. Here the authors investigate geographically distinct burying beetle populations, showing that photoperiodism is a locally adapted, not phenotypically plastic, trait.

Monsoon precipitation affects natural and social systems in East Asia, one of the most densely populated regions in the world. Monsoon precipitation variability is strongly influenced by El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and may be related to the phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). However, a collective understanding of the long-term PDO-ENSO-monsoon relationship remains limited because related studies are almost exclusively based on short instrumental records. Although paleoclimate proxies for PDO and ENSO are currently available, there is a lack of high-quality proxies for East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) precipitation. Moreover, the strengthening of the ENSO-EASM relationship since the 1970s has raised the question of anthropogenic impact. Reconstructing EASM precipitation is thus crucial to understanding its variability under natural and anthropogenic forcings. In this study, we addressed these challenges using tree ring oxygen isotopes of red cypress (Chamaecyparis formosensis Matsum), a long-lived endemic tree species in Taiwan. We developed an annual-resolved and well-validated EASM precipitation proxy from 1533 CE to 2011 which explained 49 % of the variance in instrumental precipitation. In comparison with multiple paleoclimate proxies, we revealed that PDO persistently modulated the ENSO-EASM relationship over the past half-millennium. The ENSO-EASM relationship was enhanced during the positive PDO phases and dynamically weakened during the negative PDO phases, notably in the early-17th, 18th, and early to mid-20th centuries. The strengthened relationship since the 1970s concurred with an unusually high PDO and ENSO and fell within its natural variability. Nevertheless, as the amplitude of the PDO is predicted to weaken under warming, the modulation effects may become less predictable.

How abiotic and biotic factors constrain distribution limits at the harsh and benign edges of species ranges is hotly debated, partly because macroecological experiments testing the proximate causes of distribution limits are scarce. It has long been recognized - at least since Darwin's On the Origin of Species - that a harsh climate strengthens competition and thus sets species range limits. Using thorough field manipulations along a large elevation gradient, we show the mechanisms by which temperature determines competition type, resulting in a transition from interference to exploitative competition from the lower to the upper elevation limits in burying beetles (Nicrophorus nepalensis). This transition is an example of Darwin's classic hypothesis that benign climates favor direct competition for highly accessible resources while harsh climates result in competition through resources of high rivalry. We propose that identifying the properties of these key resources will provide a more predictive framework to understand the interplay between biotic and abiotic factors in determining geographic range limits.

Mountain ranges support concentrations of climate-endangered endemic species, and are potential refugia for species retreating from the lowlands under anthropogenic climate change. Predicting the outcome for biodiversity requires knowledge of whether species are shifting uphill at the same rate as temperature isotherms (i.e. whether they are successfully tracking the velocity of climatic changes)1. Here, we provide a global assessment of the velocity of climate change in mountain ranges: applying thermal dynamic theory, deriving moist adiabatic lapse rates (MALR) using local surface temperature and water vapor. MALR varied substantially around the world, from 3 to 9°C cooling per km elevation increase. Consider the rate of terrestrial surface warming from 1971 to 2015, 24 regions can be identified as exhibiting high velocities where the isotherms have shifted more than one standard deviation of the global mean value (> 8.45 m yr-1). High velocities are typically found in relatively dry parts of the world, but also occur in wet regions with low lapse rates, such as in Northern Sumatra, Western Guiana Shield, Northern Andes, Costa Rica, Nepal, and Madagascar. Analysis of biodiversity data in relation to mountain-specific velocities revealed more cases of tracking between species and isotherms than previously suggested2 and more likely occurred at lower climate velocity. Nevertheless, upslope migrations of montane species have generally been lagging behind climate velocity. Such lags could continue to effect change even if the climate were to stabilize immediately. Reducing emissions would be expected to minimize lags, as well as slow the velocities of warming and required responses everywhere.

Understanding how phenotypic traits vary among populations inhabiting different environments is critical for predicting a species’ vulnerability to climate change. Yet, little is known about the key functional traits that determine the distribution of populations and the main mechanisms—phenotypic plasticity vs. local adaptation—underlying intraspecific functional trait variation. Using the Asian burying beetle Nicrophorus nepalensis, we demonstrate that mountain ranges differing in elevation and latitude offer unique thermal environments in which two functional traits—thermal tolerance and reproductive photoperiodism—interact to shape breeding phenology. We show that populations on different mountain ranges maintain similar thermal tolerances, but differ in reproductive photoperiodism. Through common garden and reciprocal transplant experiments, we confirm that reproductive photoperiodism is locally adapted and not phenotypically plastic. Accordingly, year-round breeding populations on mountains of intermediate elevation are likely to be most susceptible to future warming because maladaptation occurs when beetles try to breed at warmer temperatures., Understanding whether intraspecific trait variation results from local adaptation or phenotypic plasticity is crucial to predict species responses to climate change. Here the authors investigate geographically distinct burying beetle populations, showing that photoperiodism is a locally adapted, not phenotypically plastic, trait.

In their recent critique, Qian et al. (2017) claimed that the results of structural equation modeling analysis (SEM) in Chan et al. (2016) were flawed. Here, we show that the source of the difference in their re-analysis is that Qian et al. did not follow the standard, iterative process of SEM, which allows researchers to evaluate which model offers the best account of the data in both absolute and relative senses. Here, we provide step-by-step instructions to reproduce our published results. All of Qian et al.′s concerns regarding SEM can be put to rest. Moreover, in our original paper we used three distinct statistical methods-hierarchical partitioning, SEM, and stationary bootstrap-to show that different temporal scales of environmental variability can differentially impact the elevational range size (ERS) of species. It is time to move on to probing the pressing issue of how and why climatic variability impacts ERS.

Our human-dominant world can be viewed as being built up in two parts, social and ecological systems, each consisting of multi-level organizations that interact in a complex manner. However, there are knowledge gaps among those interactions. In this paper, we focus on studies filling two types of gaps in the socioecological system, some of which are case studies in the East Asia region and others are discussed in a more general context. First, we address the gaps between different levels of organizations in ecological systems, namely, (1) the importance of plant trait plasticity in bridging evolution and ecology, (2) linking primary producer diversity and the dynamics of blue carbon in coastal ecosystems in the Asia–Pacific region, and (3) research direction of climate change biology to fill the gaps across evolution, community, and ecosystem. Also included is (4) the gap between ecological monitoring programs and theories, which also addresses the potential of citizen science. Second, we illustrate the gaps between ecological and social systems through ongoing development of an ecosystem management framework, i.e., ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction. Finally, we summarize the benefits of filling the gaps for ecologists and society.

In this study, we controlled the growth of crystalline plane to synthesize the vertical platinum nanopelts onto fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass to construct the platinum nanoroses (PtNRs) by an easy electrochemical deposition (ECD) method at room temperature in the normal atmospheric environment, and applied the PtNRs as a counter electrode (CE) for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The morphologies and crystalline nanostructures of the ECD PtNRs were examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy and the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The electrocatalytic properties of the ECD PtNRs were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectrum. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the DSSC assembled with the ECD PtNRs CE was examined under the illumination of AM 1.5 (100 mWcm − 2 ). The ECD PtNRs showed well contact behavior with FTO surface and offered a large surface area to promote the redox reaction rates therefore increased the exchange current density. Due to the PtNRs showed the macroporous structure, the electrolyte can easily diffuse through the open space between the nanopelts, resulting in improved kinetics for charge-transfer processes and reduced the charge-transfer resistance. Our findings suggest that the catalytic efficiency of PtNRs with a specific crystal plane was significantly greater than that of a traditional Pt film catalyst. In combination with a N719 dye-sensitized TiO 2 working electrode and an iodine-based electrolyte, the DSSC assembled with the PtNRs CE achieved a PCE of 6.58%, almost 10% higher than that of a cell prepared with a conventional sputtering Pt film CE (6.00%). These results provide a potential strategy for electrochemical catalytic applications.

In this study, a pulse-mode electrochemical deposition technique was employed to deposit dense and homogeneous Ni nanoparticles on the three-dimensional graphene network (3DGN) as the catalysts for growing the vertical aligned one-dimensional carbon nanofibers (CNFs) to fabricate the full-carbon hybrid nanoarchitecture of CNFs/3DGN for the supercapacitors. When tested as electrode for a supercapacitor, the CNFs/3DGN hybrid nanoarchitecture demonstrated to possess a large surface area and showed an excellent specific capacitance of 59.28 F g −1 at a current density of 0.17 mA cm −2 , also displayed good cycle stability with capacitance retention of 93.9% after 10,000 cycles in 6 M KOH electrolyte.

Politeness is a key factor affecting service business success. However, very few works have been done to study politeness issues in virtual commercial contexts, even visiting online storefronts already is common in people's daily life. In this work, the relationship between politeness of online storefronts and their customers' satisfaction was investigated. Research findings indicate that polite storefronts most likely satisfy their customers according to the ASCI model. The major implication to e-commerce administrators is that when they are dealing with online storefronts, they need to pay attention not only on issues like visual design, contents, performance, but also on politeness issues. Another implication is that politeness instrument is an ideal alternative to customer satisfaction index, and vice versa.

Peer assessment has been regarded as an effective strategy that encourages students to compare and make reflections by reviewing peers' work. Many studies have indicated that students' learning performance improved as a result of integrating the peer assessment mode. Some researchers have been interested in what students do and what they say during peer assessment, and others have also been concerned about the correlation between the qualitative content and students' learning performance. The aim of this study was to investigate students' peer assessment behaviors, and the relationship between their behaviors and their learning performance. Therefore, an online peer assessment learning platform was developed and integrated into a musical theater course in a university in Taiwan. There were three peer assessment modes, namely peer scoring, peer commenting, and peer scoring and commenting. Three classes of students each used one of the three different peer assessment modes. The experimental results showed that the students who learned with the peer scoring and commenting mode improved their musical theater performance; in addition, they provided more critical feedback and performed more behaviors of reading the rubrics, watching example videos, watching peers' work, and reading peers' feedback. Students who learned with the peer scoring mode performed more repeated behaviors of evaluating peers' works, but few behaviors related to viewing others' comments or reading the rubrics were found. Lastly, the students who learned with the peer commenting mode did not perform better compared with those who learned with the other two modes. However, their learning motivation was the highest, and they performed more behaviors of viewing peers' feedback and peers' works. This indicates that the students who learned with the peer commenting mode focused more on the feedback provided by their peers. To sum up, the integrated peer assessment mode that guided students to score and provide comments was an effective learning approach that improved their musical theater skills and led them to perform more complex behaviors than the other two peer assessment modes (i.e., peer scoring or peer commenting). The major contribution of the present study is to perceive peer assessment from the perspectives of both performance and behaviors. Moreover, the findings can be generalized to other courses that engage students in similar forms of assessment where they are viewing videos of each other's practical performance.

In this current work, we successfully decorated free-standing conductive functionalized graphitic nanofibers (GNFs) with interlaced Ni3S2 nanosheets (designated as GNFs@Ni3S2) by using a facile pulse-reversal deposition technique, and employed the GNFs@Ni3S2 composite as an efficient binder-free cathode material for hybrid supercapacitors (HSCs) for the first time. According to the results of the material characterizations, it confirmed that that surface of the GNFs was evenly deposited with Ni3S2 nanosheets, and the resultant composite was in fibrous nanostructure. On the basis of the series of electrochemical measurements, the GNFs@Ni3S2 composite electrode revealed almost three times larger discharge capacity than the pristine Ni3S2 electrode, and exhibited superior rate capability. Moreover, a HSC device based on the GNFs@Ni3S2 cathode delivered an impressive specific capacity of 34.6 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 and the maximum energy density of 44.2 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 1.2 kW kg−1. Most importantly, the HSC retained 68.9% of its initial capacity after 5000 consecutive charge/discharge cycles at a current density of 4 A g−1. The remarkable electrochemical performance of the binder-free GNFs@Ni3S2 composite electrode makes it to be regarded as one of the potential cathode materials for high-performance HSCs.

Both community composition changes due to species redistribution and within-species size shifts may alter body-size structures under climate warming. Here we assess the relative contribution of these processes in community-level body-size changes in tropical moth assemblages that moved uphill during a period of warming. Based on resurvey data for seven assemblages of geometrid moths (>8000 individuals) on Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo, in 1965 and 2007, we show significant wing-length reduction (mean shrinkage of 1.3% per species). Range shifts explain most size restructuring, due to uphill shifts of relatively small species, especially at high elevations. Overall, mean forewing length shrank by ca. 5%, much of which is accounted for by species range boundary shifts (3.9%), followed by within-boundary distribution changes (0.5%), and within-species size shrinkage (0.6%). We conclude that the effects of range shifting predominate, but considering species physiological responses is also important for understanding community size reorganization under climate warming., Body size shifts under climate change may arise from species range shifts, intraspecific size shifts, or both. Here the authors show that body size reduction in moth assemblages on Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo, over 42 years are driven more by species range shifts than by within-species shrinkage.

© 2017 Cambridge Philosophical Society Climate change is driving a pervasive global redistribution of the planet's species. Species redistribution poses new questions for the study of ecosystems, conservation science and human societies that require a coordinated and integrated approach. Here we review recent progress, key gaps and strategic directions in this nascent research area, emphasising emerging themes in species redistribution biology, the importance of understanding underlying drivers and the need to anticipate novel outcomes of changes in species ranges. We highlight that species redistribution has manifest implications across multiple temporal and spatial scales and from genes to ecosystems. Understanding range shifts from ecological, physiological, genetic and biogeographical perspectives is essential for informing changing paradigms in conservation science and for designing conservation strategies that incorporate changing population connectivity and advance adaptation to climate change. Species redistributions present challenges for human well-being, environmental management and sustainable development. By synthesising recent approaches, theories and tools, our review establishes an interdisciplinary foundation for the development of future research on species redistribution. Specifically, we demonstrate how ecological, conservation and social research on species redistribution can best be achieved by working across disciplinary boundaries to develop and implement solutions to climate change challenges. Future studies should therefore integrate existing and complementary scientific frameworks while incorporating social science and human-centred approaches. Finally, we emphasise that the best science will not be useful unless more scientists engage with managers, policy makers and the public to develop responsible and socially acceptable options for the global challenges arising from species redistributions.

Politeness issues in virtual commercial contexts received rare attention from both practitioners and researchers. This work developed an instrument for gauging degree of politeness in online retailers’ storefronts. The instrument’s reliability and validity were confirmed through empirical data analysis. A second-order confirmatory factor analysis revealed that online consumers' tendency in paying relative more attention to their rights being respected and gaining useful information while they are assessing online retailers’ politeness. Using the instrument, online merchants and 3rd-parties can measure the degree of politeness in online retailers. In addition, patrons’ tendency in paying more attention to particular factors while they were evaluating the politeness guides online merchants to allocate limited resources more efficiently. Besides its practical applications, this work sets a stage for future studies trying to investigate the relationships between the politeness construct and other constructs such as customer satisfaction, trust, repurchase intention, profitability, and others that interest business administrators.

Variability for a day or a seasonSpecies that experience larger seasonal climatic fluctuations are likely to be more physiologically flexible and thus likely to occur across a wider elevational range. Daily changes in temperature are also common but have rarely been considered. Chanet al.used a global data set of vertebrates to look at how these two different sets of variation affect a species' elevational distribution (see the Perspective by Perezet al.). Unexpectedly, larger daily fluctuations were associated with smaller elevational distributions. Thus, specialists are favored where daily fluctuations are dominant, whereas generalists are favored where seasonal fluctuations are the main climate influence.Science, this issue p.1437; see also p.1392

In their recent critique, Qian et al. (2017) claimed that the results of structural equation modeling analysis (SEM) in Chan et al. (2016) were flawed. Here, we show that the source of the difference in their re-analysis is that Qian et al. did not follow the standard, iterative process of SEM, which allows researchers to evaluate which model offers the best account of the data in both absolute and relative senses. Here, we provide step-by-step instructions to reproduce our published results. All of Qian et al.’s concerns regarding SEM can be put to rest. Moreover, in our original paper we used three distinct statistical methods—hierarchical partitioning, SEM, and stationary bootstrap—to show that different temporal scales of environmental variability can differentially impact the elevational range size (ERS) of species. It is time to move on to probing the pressing issue of how and why climatic variability impacts ERS.

Distributions of Earth's species are changing at accelerating rates, increasingly driven by humanmediated climate change. Such changes are already altering the composition of ecological communities, but beyond conservation of natural systems, how and why does this matter? We review evidence that climate-driven species redistribution at regional to global scales affects ecosystem functioning, human well-being, and the dynamics of climate change itself. Production of natural resources required for food security, patterns of disease transmission, and processes of carbon sequestration are all altered by changes in species distribution. Consideration of these effects of biodiversity redistribution is critical yet lacking in most mitigation and adaptation strategies, including the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals.

Management of emerging technologies may play a significant role in the advancement towards sustainable development. While the development of consistent management policies requires inputs from a wide spectrum of specialists and other stakeholders, current platforms for facilitating their participation are insufficient. In this study, we present a framework for a visualized scenario analysis that comprehensively assesses combinations of multiple technologies. This framework (1) helps our understanding of scenario performance and behaviors of technology-introduction, (2) identifies the relationships and trade-offs based on evaluation indices, and (3) allows for visualization of various technology-introduction scenarios accounting for time frame. The applicability of this methodology is demonstrated using case studies that evaluate scenario performances and behaviors when implementing various power generation technologies in the Japanese electricity supply system. Different scenarios (e.g., renewable energy-based power generation, operation choice of nuclear power) are visualized to assist stakeholders with evaluation of the trade-offs. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 34: 832–840, 2015

The capability of solving fundamental mathematical problems is essential to elementary school students; however instruction based on ordinary narration usually perplexes students. Concept mapping is well known for its effectiveness on assimilating and organizing knowledge, which is essential to meaningful learning. A variety of concept map-based instruction and assessment methods and software tools have been successfully applied to improve learning in diverse disciplines. This article presents a software tool that applies concept mapping and aims to train students in analyzing mathematical problems precisely and then solving them correctly. Additionally, an experiment investigating the tool's impact on children's capability of solving mathematical problems is reported. The experiment revealed that incorporating concept maps into the instruction process can successfully strengthen students' ability of reasoning and solving mathematical problems. Besides the quantitative analysis, an interview reflected that most students were inclined to use the tool as well as the approach that instructed learners how to reason and solve mathematical problems.