Commensal Rodent Habitat Expansion Enhances Arthropod Disease Vectors on a Tropical Volcanic Island

On volcanic islands, the release of animals from predators and competitors can lead to increased body size and population density as well as the expanded habitat use of introduced animals relative to their mainland counterparts. Such alterations might facilitate the spread of diseases on islands when these exotic animals also carry pathogenic agents; however, this has rarely been investigated. The commensal Asian house rat (Rattus tanezumi) is confined to human residential surroundings in mainland Taiwan but can be observed in the forests of nearby Orchid Island, which is a tropical volcanic island. Orchid Island is also a hot spot for scrub typhus, a lethal febrile disease transmitted by larval trombiculid mites (chiggers) that are infected primarily with the rickettsia Orientia tsutsugamushi (OT). We predicted an increase in chigger abundance when rodents (the primary host of chiggers) invade forests from human settlements since soils are largely absent in the latter habitat but necessary for the survival of nymphal and adult mites. A trimonthly rodent survey at 10 sites in three habitats (human residential, grassland, and forest) found only R. tanezumi and showed more R. tanezumi and chiggers in forests than in human residential sites. There was a positive association between rodent and chigger abundance, as well as between rodent body weight and chigger load. Lastly, >95% of chiggers were Leptotrombidium deliense and their OT infection rates were similar among all habitats. Our study demonstrated potentially elevated risks of scrub typhus when this commensal rat species is allowed to invade natural habitats on islands. Additionally, while the success of invasive species can be ascribed to their parasites being left behind, island invaders might instead obtain more parasites if the parasite requires only a single host (e.g., trombiculid mite), is a host generalist (e.g., L. deliense), and is transferred from unsuitable to suitable habitats (i.e., human settlements on the mainland to forests on an island).

Implementation of Indigenous Knowledge on Local Spatial Management: A Case Study in Orchid Island (Lanyu), Taiwan

Spatial management consists of land property and land use management, both on land and in the ocean. From the perspective of ‘social-ecological systems’, local spatial management represented the resilience of adaptation that indigenous knowledge and environment change were interrelated. This study aims to extract critical components that contribute to the dynamic maintenance of the stability and sustainability of local spatial management. The indigenous knowledge of Yami people on Orchid Island was investigated as a case study to highlight how indigenous institutions functioned in a more suitable and adaptable way for local spatial management. Empirical data were collected by participatory mapping and an in-depth interview with indigenous experts. Differently from the official policy, the results show that the cultural-specific spatial regulations, including land ownership and land use, were strictly maintained with landscape structure and social organizations by the Yami indigenous institution. Local cultural spatial management with regulated and comprehensive institutions could cope with challenges immediately and dynamically, and enhance resilience more than official institutions that are simplified and controlled by the state. It is argued that spatial regulations, landscape structure, and social organizations from indigenous knowledge were recommended to be introduced into official spatial management institutions, to validate the values of indigenous knowledge and improve the resilience of local spatial management.

"Raus aus dem Elfenbeinturm!"

The Tao are one of sixteen recognized indigenous groups in Taiwan who live on Ponso no Tao, which literally means "the island of human-beings". Since the 1950s, many policies by the Taiwanese government have aimed to support "development" and "modernization" of ethnic minorities. As a consequence the Tao veered away from their traditional religion and cultural practices, for example by using the economic and monetary system imposed by Taiwan since 1967, and in 1971 the island was opened for tourism. These lifestyle changes resulted in a loss of traditional vocal music as well as the knowledge of history, views of life and taboos which had traditionally been transmitted through song. In 1980, an "intermediate deposit" for weak radioactive waste was established on the island through close cooperation and fraudulent practices between the Taiwan Power Company and the government. In 2009, radioactive substances were found outside of the dumpsite on Orchid Island. This article evaluates the social and political implications of two applied ethnomusicological projects developed together with the indigenous group of the Tao. These are the concert project "SoundScape - Island of Human Beings" (2014), which brought together Austrian, Taiwanese and Tao performers and composers, and the dance theatre production Maataw - The Floating lsland (2016) developed in collaboration with the Formosan Aboriginal Song and Dance Troupe (FASDT). Both projects are based on the author's dissertation "Music in the Life ofthe Tao: Tradition and innovation" (2015). These projects posed questions such as: how can anthropological and ethnomusicological approaches and methods be applied during the creative processes of composition and choreography in order to interpret the Taos ecological and political issues on the stage? What insights can be gained from the practice-based collaboration and discussions, during and after the performances? And how do these artistic projects reflect back on and potentially change current political and social situations?

Indigenous participation and knowledge justice in deliberative systems: Flooding and wild creek remediation controversies in Taiwan

Research on deliberative systems with detailed discussions on the deliberative features of Indigenous activism is limited. The systemic approach of deliberative democracy argues that activism constitutes an integral part of public deliberation. Drawing on the controversy on flooding and wild creek remediation on Orchid Island, Taiwan, this article explored how Tao tribespeople have used deliberative ways to influence political processes at multiple scales and improve the democratising quality of deliberative systems. Tao tribespeople engaged in communication and activated deliberation across scales when facing the government’s dominant policy framing and expert claims with limited discursive space. Tao activists use the virtual community as both an internal and external communication platform and engaged in transmitting policy ideas and visualizing Tao traditional knowledge system and situated practices to address knowledge injustice. This article illuminates connectivity of Indigenous deliberation and activism at multiple scales. These connectivity contribute to shaping knowledge production and dynamics of governance practices.

Commensal rodent habitat expansion enhances arthropod disease vectors on a tropical volcanic island

Release from predators and competitors on volcanic islands can lead to increased body size and population density, as well as expanded habitat usage of introduced animals relative to their mainland counterparts. Such alterations might help the spread of diseases on islands when these exotic animals also carry pathogenic agents, but is rarely investigated. The commensal Asian house rat (Rattus tanezumi) is confined to human residential surroundings in Taiwan mainland but can be observed in the primary forests of the nearby Orchid Island, a tropical volcanic island. Orchid Island is also a hotspot of scrub typhus, a lethal febrile disease transmitted by larval trombiculid mites (chiggers) infective of the rickettsia Orientia tsutsugamushi (OT). We predicted an increase in chigger abundance when rodents, the primary host of chiggers, invade forests from human settlements as soils are largely devoid of in the latter habitat but is necessary for the survival of nymphal and adult mites. A trimonthly rodent survey in ten sites of three habitats (human resident, grassland, and forest) found only R. tanezumi and showed more R. tanezumi and chiggers in forest than in human residential sites. There was a positive association between rodent and chigger abundance, as well between rodent body weight and load of chiggers. Lastly, >95% of chiggers were Leptotrombidium deliense and their OT infection rates were similar among the habitats. Our study demonstrated potentially elevated risks of scrub typhus when the commensal rat is allowed to invade natural habitats on islands. In addition, while the success of invasive species can be ascribed to their parasites being left behind, island invaders might instead attain more parasites when the parasite requires only a single host (e.g. trombiculid mite), is a host generalist (L. deliense), and is transferred from unsuitable to suitable habitats (human settlement on mainland to forest on island).

A survey on poorly known rainforest litter-dwelling spiders of Orchid Island (Lanyu, Taiwan) with the description of a new species (Araneae: Linyphiidae, Tetrablemmidae, and Theridiosomatidae)

Representatives of some poorly known spider species collected in the rainforest litter of the Orchid Island (Taiwan) are illustrated and discussed here. A new species, Brignoliella tao sp. nov. (Fam. Tetrablemmidae), endemic to Orchid Island, is described based on both sexes. The previously unknown female of Theridiosoma triumphale Zhao & Li, 2012 (Fam. Theridiosomatidae), is described for the first time. Zoma taiwanica (Zhang, Zhu & Tso 2006) comb. nov., from the same family, is illustrated and its transfer from the genus Theridiosoma O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879 to Zoma Saaristo, 1996 is proposed on the basis of morphological characters. Habitus and genitalia of the endemic species Gongylidioides angustus Tu & Li, 2006 (Fam. Linyphiidae) are also illustrated.

Assessment of Offshore Wave Energy Resources in Taiwan Using Long-Term Dynamically Downscaled Winds from a Third-Generation Reanalysis Product

In this study, long-term wind fields during 1991–2010 from the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) were dynamically downscaled over Taiwan and its offshore islands at a 5 km horizontal resolution using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Simulations of the 10 m (above sea level) dynamically downscaled winds served as the atmospheric forcing for driving a fully coupled wave-circulation model. The sea states of the waters surrounding Taiwan during 1991–2010 were hindcasted to evaluate the offshore wave energy resources and optimal wave energy hotspots. This study reveals that the southeastern offshore waters of Taiwan and the Central Taiwan Strait exhibited the highest mean wave power density (WPD), exceeding 20 kW/m. The annual mean WPD, incidence of the hourly WPD greater than or equal to 4 kW/m, monthly variability index and coefficient of variation of the WPD indicated that the sea areas located between Green Island and Orchid Island (OH_1), southeast of Orchid Island (OH_2), south of the Hengchun Peninsula (OH_3), and north of the Penghu Islands (OH_4) were the optimal hotspots for deploying wave energy converters. The most energetic months were October for OH_1 and OH_2 and November for OH_3 and OH_4, while the wave power was weak from March to June for OH_1, OH_2 and OH_3 and in May for OH_4. The wave direction is prevailingly east-northeast for OH_1, OH_2 and OH_3 and nearly northeast for OH_4. These phenomena reveal that wave power in the waters offshore Taiwan is induced primarily by the northeast (winter) monsoon. The exploitable annual WPD was estimated to be 158.06, 182.89, 196.39 and 101.33 MWh/m for OH_1, OH_2, OH_3 and OH_4, respectively.

Taboos/Norms and Modern Science, and Possible Integration for Sustainable Management of the Flyingfish Resource of Orchid Island, Taiwan

Coastal management without scientific data or modern techniques has been implemented successfully by many coastal communities, and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), which is regarded as a culturally framed belief system, has played an important role in the successful cases. TEK of flyingfish culture in the Orchid Island was proved to have a theoretical basis and advantages in managing the flyingfish resource. However, modernization, introduction of modern techniques (motorized boats), development of tourism, and numerous other factors have caused TEK to change or disappear, and integration of TEK with the modern science of environmental management may be a solution to sustain the marine resource. TEK constitutes numerous taboos and norms (T&N). This study, for the first time, itemized the T&N of the flyingfish culture by category, with plausible motives explained by the respondents through in-depth interviews of tribespeople in 2014 and 2015, and identified the T&N with ecological conservation implications. The study also implemented a sampling scheme to provide the first records of fishery composition, flyingfish catch amount (about 260,000–280,000 fish per year), and the catch rate for the island. Finally, this study discussed three interrelated approaches for sustainable management of the flyingfish resource, including integration of TEK with science-based monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS), and research.