Bao-sen Shieh - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Bao-sen Shieh

Scientific Reports

As urbanization has expanded dramatically, the impacts of urban noise on wildlife have drawn incr... more As urbanization has expanded dramatically, the impacts of urban noise on wildlife have drawn increasing attention. However, previous studies have focused primarily on diurnal songbirds and much less on nocturnal nonpasserines such as nightjars. The savanna nightjar has recently successfully colonized urban areas in Taiwan. Using 1925 calls recorded from 67 individuals, we first investigated the individual differences of the acoustic structures; and, for those acoustic variables with significant individual differences, we examined the correlation between the acoustic structures and the ambient noise levels. We then compared the transmission efficacy of vocal individuality among three sets of acoustic variables: all acoustic variables, noise-related variables, and noise-unrelated variables. Using seven artificial frequency-shifted calls to represent seven different individuals in playback-recording experiments, we also investigated the transmission efficacy of vocal individuality and ...

Scientific reports, Jan 31, 2016

Most previous studies concerning avian adaptation to anthropogenic noise have focused on songbird... more Most previous studies concerning avian adaptation to anthropogenic noise have focused on songbirds, but few have focused on non-songbirds commonly found in urban environments such as doves. We conducted field playback-recording experiments on the perch-coos of five dove species, including four native Taiwan species (the spotted dove, Spilopelia chinensis, the oriental turtle-dove, Streptopelia orientalis, the red collared-dove, Streptopelia tranquebarica, and the emerald dove, Chalcophaps indica) and one species not native to Taiwan (the zebra dove, Geopelia striata) to evaluate the detection and recognition of dove coos in habitats with differing levels of traffic noise. Our results suggest that traffic noise has selected dominant urban species such as the spotted dove to temporally and spatially adjust cooing to reduce the masking effects of traffic noise and rare urban species such as the emerald dove to avoid areas of high traffic noise. Additionally, although the zebra dove had...

Ecotoxicology and environmental safety, 2017

The present study established a fast and convenient bioassay method for aqueous ecosystems using ... more The present study established a fast and convenient bioassay method for aqueous ecosystems using the prawn estradiol equivalent concentration (p-EEQ) of male Macrobrachium nipponense, which produce vitellogenin (VTG) after exposure to xeno-estrogens. This method was then used to determine the concentrations of xeno-estrogen pollutants in the rivers of Taiwan. To establish the calibration curve for the concentrations based on the p-EEQ, the induced VTG content was determined using the alkali-labile phosphate method after male M. nipponense were exposed to 0, 10, 100, 1,000 and 10,000ng/L of 17β-estradiol for 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days, respectively. The results of the experiments showed that the induced VTG content in all of the experimental groups stabilized after 10 days, except for the 10,000ng/L experimental group, in which the induced VTG content decreased after 10 days. A 17β-estradiol-VTG10day response curve was then established based on the induced VTG content in the 0, 10, 1...

Shieh (2010) Variations in the pit size of Cueta sauteri (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) larvae in r... more Shieh (2010) Variations in the pit size of Cueta sauteri (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) larvae in response to past pit-building experience and food limitation. Zoological Studies 49(1): 102-107. Few studies on antlion species of Taiwan have been conducted to examine the pit structure of antlion larvae and their pit building responses to food limitations. Pitbuilding antlions may respond to food limitations by relocating their pits or altering their established pits. The present study attempted to describe pit structures built in the field and in captivity by the larvae of Cueta sauteri, an antlion species distributed in a prey-poor badland area of southern Taiwan, and compare pit sizes of fed and unfed antlions under different past pit-building experiences in a situation with restrictions on pit relocation. Cueta sauteri larvae exhibited similar pit-building behaviors and pit structures in both the field and laboratory. By controlling relocation and preventing pit building, the results of the present study indicated that both food limitations and past pit-building experience affected pit sizes of C. sauteri larvae. In a comparison between fed and unfed larvae, free-building larvae displayed no differences in pit sizes during 32 d of observation, while size differences were significant in those previously not free-building antlions after 22 d. We suggest that C. sauteri, a badland species, is more tolerant of food limitations than other antlion species found in prey-rich habitats. http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/49.1/102.pdf

Background. Biological invasions have become a major threat to biodiversity, and identifying dete... more Background. Biological invasions have become a major threat to biodiversity, and identifying determinants underlying success at different stages of the invasion process is essential for both prevention management and testing ecological theories. To investigate variables associated with different stages of the invasion process in a local region such as Taiwan, potential problems using traditional parametric analyses include too many variables of different data types (nominal, ordinal, and interval) and a relatively small data set with too many missing values. Methods. We therefore used five decision tree models instead and compared their performance. Our dataset contains 283 exotic bird species which were transported to Taiwan; of these 283 species, 95 species escaped to the field successfully (introduction success); of these 95 introduced species, 36 species reproduced in the field of Taiwan successfully (establishment success). For each species, we collected 22 variables associated with human selectivity and species traits which may determine success during the introduction stage and establishment stage. For each decision tree model, we performed three variable treatments: (I) including all 22 variables, (II) excluding nominal variables, and (III) excluding nominal variables and replacing ordinal values with binary ones. Five performance measures were used to compare models, namely, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), specificity, precision, recall, and accuracy. Results. The gradient boosting models performed best overall among the five decision tree models for both introduction and establishment success and across variable treatments. The most important variables for predicting introduction success were the bird family, the number of invaded countries, and variables associated with environmental adaptation, whereas the most important variables for predicting establishment success were the number of invaded countries and variables associated with reproduction. Discussion. Our final optimal models achieved relatively high performance values, and we discuss differences in performance with regard to sample size and variable treatments. Our results showed that, for both the establishment model and introduction model, the number of invaded countries was the most important or second most important determinant, respectively. Therefore, we suggest that future success for

Chaishan (also known as Shoushan or Takao Hill), part of the Shoushan National Nature Park, is an... more Chaishan (also known as Shoushan or Takao Hill), part of the Shoushan National Nature Park, is an uplifted Pleistocene reef natural landmark at the west of Kaohsiung City. About 1.25 million years ago, the area of the present day Shoushan was once a shallow water region, abundant with coral, algae, foraminifers and seashell growths. The remains of these organisms formed the hard limestone known as the "Kaohsiung Limestone" today, which was layered on top of the Kutingkeng formation and formed the basis of Shoushan Mountain. Land area 5,000 year ago Present day land area Present day hill area Abundant and sustained fresh spring was an important irrigation and domestic water source before the tape water became common, then formed one of the oldest community in Kaohsiung, and one of the spring hole even became one of the eight most beautiful sceneries of Fengshan, during the Qing Dynasty. With plenty natural resource from the west coast, lagoon at the east, and the sustained ...

PloS one, 2015

Comparing adaptations to noisy city environments with those to natural mountain environments on t... more Comparing adaptations to noisy city environments with those to natural mountain environments on the community level can provide significant insights that allow an understanding of the impact of anthropogenic noise on invertebrates that employ loud calling songs for mate attraction, especially when each species has its distinct song, as in the case of cicadas. In this study, we investigated the partitioning strategy of cicada assemblages in city and mountain environments by comparing the acoustic features and calling activity patterns of each species, recorded using automated digital recording systems. Our comparison of activity patterns of seasonal and diel calling revealed that there was no significant temporal partitioning of cicada assemblages in either environment. In addition, there was no correlation between the acoustic distance based on spectral features and temporal segregation. Heterospecific spectral overlap was low in both city and mountain environments, although city an...

Zoological Science, 2013

Cervus nippon, rutting vocalizations play an important role in breeding behavior. This study inve... more Cervus nippon, rutting vocalizations play an important role in breeding behavior. This study investigated two types of rutting vocalizations, the moan and the howl, of the Formosan sika deer C. n. taiouanus, including the acoustic characteristics of the vocalizations, the diurnal and seasonal variations of vocal activity, and individual acoustic variation and identification. The results showed that the sound levels were approximately 81-88 dB(A) for the moan and 92-96 dB(A) for the howl, at a distance of 7 m from the sources. From October 2006 to January 2007, eight days of continuous observations were conducted to record the type and amount of vocalizations. Both moan and howl began to occur in the middle of October and reached peaks in the middle and end of November. Thereafter, few vocalizations were recorded until mid-January 2007. Moreover, we found that 74.5% of the first portion of moan, 65.3% of the second portion of moan, and 64.2% of howl could be identified on an individual basis by using discriminant analysis with 200 iterations of cross-validation test. These results revealed that the sounds differed among individuals, and also that they could be correctly identified. Our findings add to the scientific knowledge of sika deer behavior and provide the basis for a novel method of monitoring sika deer populations.

Pedobiologia, 2011

ABSTRACT Metallothionein-2, a ubiquitous metal-inducible protein, is involved in direct metal seq... more ABSTRACT Metallothionein-2, a ubiquitous metal-inducible protein, is involved in direct metal sequestration and is associated with detoxification and metal accumulation in eukaryotic organisms. In this study, higher levels of cadmium (Cd) accumulation were detected in earthworms exposed to higher Cd concentrations or longer exposure times. However, the bio-concentration factor (BCF), derived from the ratio of the Cd levels in the earthworms to that in soil, indicated that earthworms could relatively efficiently remove Cd from soil with low Cd contamination levels. In addition, earthworm recombinant metallothionein-2 effectively eliminated oxidative DNA damage in vitro and was probably able to counteract DNA damage caused by Cd, as shown by the comet assay in earthworm coelomocytes. Because earthworm metallothionein-2 proteins were evaluated as possible biomarkers for heavy-metal pollution in soil, the metallothionein-2 genes of six Megascolecidae earthworms and one Glossoscolecidae earthworm were cloned and sequenced using mRNA differential display. Based on the resolved earthworm metallothionein-2 nucleotide sequences, quantitative PCR was used to investigate the metallothionein-2 transcription levels from three earthworm species (Metaphire posthuma, Polypheretima elongata and Pontoscolex corethrurus) in response to different Cd concentrations or exposure times. The result demonstrated that Cd treatments elevated metallothionein-2 transcription in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In conclusion, the induction of earthworm metallothionein-2 would not only provide cellular protection against Cd-induced oxidative stress but also increase Cd accumulation consistent with a potential role in bioremediation.

Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection, 2013

In this study, we addressed whether the production of apoptosis-related genes and proteins is ind... more In this study, we addressed whether the production of apoptosis-related genes and proteins is induced in mouse macrophages infected with Burkholderia pseudomallei cells. Mouse macrophages were infected with B. pseudomallei cells at 0.5 hours, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, and 6 hours, respectively, followed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array analysis. The amount of apoptosis-related proteins (caspase-3, caspase -8, caspase -9, Bax, and Bcl-2) was confirmed by Western blot. After infection, an increase of these proteins was observed. The expression levels of other apoptosis-related genes were also determined by PCR array. Experimental results revealed that the messenger RNA levels of tumor necrosis factor ligand (e.g., tnfsf10 and tnfrs10b) and fas were increased, whereas the expression levels of some antiapoptosis genes such as Birc5, Hells, and Bnip3 were decreased. Our study results demonstrate that the apoptosis-related genes and proteins in mouse macrophages were modulated by B. pseudomallei.

Biological Conservation, 2009

For birds that excavate their own nest burrows, the availability of suitable nest sites and subst... more For birds that excavate their own nest burrows, the availability of suitable nest sites and substrates may influence the number and density of breeding birds. However, few studies of burrow-nesting birds have experimentally manipulated nest site or substrate availability. The blue-tailed bee-eater (Merops philippinus) is a colony breeding, summer migrant that excavates nest burrows in sandy banks on Kinmen Island, 5 km east of mainland China. To test whether substrate availability influenced the density or reproductive success of breeding pairs of bee-eaters, we removed all vegetation and old nest holes on treated slopes and left control slopes unmanipulated in 2003 and 2004. Plant cover on control slopes was 37.7% (11.9-67.7%). Slope gradient, soil penetration resistance and vegetation height in front of slopes did not differ between treated and control slopes in either year. Combining data from both years, the density of active nests was significantly higher (3.1-fold) on treated slopes than on control slopes. However, the reproductive performance of bee-eaters nesting on treated and control slopes did not differ in either year. Thus, removing vegetation and old nest holes from slopes with sandy loam soil improved the breeding habitat and increased the number of breeding blue-tailed bee-eaters. This technique could be used to support and manage populations of this species and other burrow-nestling species with similar habitat requirements.

Biotropica, 2007

We compared the population dynamics of a riparian ranid frog, Rana swinhoana, before (1996Rana sw... more We compared the population dynamics of a riparian ranid frog, Rana swinhoana, before (1996Rana swinhoana, before ( -1999 and after (1999)(2000)(2001) a strong earthquake. This earthquake caused little disturbance to the vegetation and landscape of the study site but the stream and ponds dried up within a week. Nearly all frogs marked (1002 of 1004) before the earthquake had disappeared after the earthquake. Smaller, unmarked frogs began to appear in stream habitats about 9 mo after the earthquake, and the frog population was much smaller than it was before the earthquake. Population dynamics and temporal and spatial distribution of frogs before and after the earthquake correlated closely with the hydrology of the stream and ponds. The movement patterns of frogs before and after the earthquake were similar, suggesting frog behavior did not change in response to drastic changes in hydrology, and frogs continued to exhibit strong site-fidelity. Following the earthquake, stream water volume was much lower, especially in the summer, which allowed the normally winter-breeding frogs to breed year-round. Results demonstrate that a population of R. swinhoana can disappear suddenly as the result of a natural disturbance. We propose that anuran species that exhibit strong site-fidelity are particularly susceptible to extirpation of local populations because frogs may lack the behavioral plasticity to respond to sudden water depletion.

Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2011

We previously isolated and identified Enterobacter sp. NKNU02 as a methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE)... more We previously isolated and identified Enterobacter sp. NKNU02 as a methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE)degrading bacterial strain from gasoline-contaminated water. In this study, tert-butyl alcohol, acetic acid, 2-propanol, and propenoic acid were detected using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry when MTBE was degraded by rest cells of Enterobacter sp. NKNU02 cells. We also found that biodegradation of MTBE was decreased, but not totally inhibited in mixtures of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene. The effects of MTBE on the biology of Enterobacter sp. NKNU02 were elucidated using 2D proteomic analysis. The cytoplasmic proteins isolated from these MTBE-treated and -untreated cells were carried out for proteomic analysis. Results showed that there were 6 differential protein spots and 8 differential protein spots, respectively, as compared to their corresponding control (without MTBE addition), at the indicated incubation times when 40% and 60% of 100 mg/L of MTBE had been removed, Among these proteins, nine were successfully identified with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry. Proteins identified included extracellular solute-binding protein, periplasmic-binding protein ytfQ, cationic amino acid ABC transporter, isocitrate dehydrogenase, cysteine synthase A, alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (AhpC), transaldolase, and alcohol dehydrogenase. Based on these differential proteins, we discuss the bacterial responses to MTBE at the molecular level.

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology C-toxicology & Pharmacology, 2009

In this study we report the sequences of MT-2 cDNA from two species of Megascoleidae earthworms, ... more In this study we report the sequences of MT-2 cDNA from two species of Megascoleidae earthworms, Metaphire posthuma and Polypheretima elongata, by mRNA differential display after exposure of the organisms to cadmium. Complementary (c)DNA was verified as the MT-2 gene by the characteristics of its predicted translation product, namely a high cysteine content, conserved CXC motifs, and a molecular weight of around 8 kDa. Amino acid sequence alignment revealed a conserved TKCCG in the cloned MT-2 of both megascolecid earthworms instead of the corresponding conserved TQCCG found in lumbricid earthworms. The cDNAs corresponding to the two megascolecid MT-2 genes were expressed, and the MT-2 proteins were purified for biochemical characterization. The binding of Cu 2+ exhibited monophasic kinetics and those of Zn 2+ and Cd 2+ biphasic kinetics. The proteins bound more tightly to Cd 2+ than to Zn 2+ and more tightly still to Cu 2+ . Zn-MT and apo-MT were the most effective at scavenging free radicals, followed by Cd-MT. In conclusion, MT-2s from M. posthuma and P. elongata showed unique sequence features compared to those of lumbricid earthworms. These earthworms could be used to evaluate heavy-metal pollution in soil due to the inducible MT-2 by cadmium exposure.

Ornis Fennica, 2007

Song has been an important subject in studying geographic variation and cultural evolution across... more Song has been an important subject in studying geographic variation and cultural evolution across bird populations, but the quantitative analysis of song has been problematic. The aim of this study is to investigate the temporal changes and geographic variations in songs of Rufous-capped Babblers (Stachyris ruficeps praecognita) using both spectrographic cross-correlation (SPCC) analysis and multivariate analysis on spectrographic measures. We recorded songs at Shoushan Nature Park of southern Taiwan from 2001 to 2004 and five other sites including Fushan in northern Taiwan, Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan, and Gauchon, Sanpin, Nazenshan in southern Taiwan. The results showed that the cross-correlation coefficients of songs between bird samples were relatively smaller than those within samples. Using SPCC analysis on first notes instead of whole songs, songs of northern Taiwan could be differentiated from those of central or southern Taiwan. Results of multivariate analysis on spectrographic measures showed that mean frequency, minimum frequency and maximum frequency of the first note were the primary acoustic parameters responsible for this differentiation. However, there were no obvious patterns of temporal changes of songs in the habitat island population of Shoushan Nature Park, which could have resulted from higher variations among individuals within the same year in this high density population. We conclude that the SPCC analysis works as a starting point to examine the geographic variations in songs with simple structures and a following mutivariate analysis is effective in identifying the acoustic parameters resulting in those geographic variations.