My research lies in marine ecology and marine biogeography, with a central focus on how climate change reshapes the distribution, movement, and ecological roles of marine species. As ocean conditions shift rapidly, many marine fishes are undergoing range changes that challenge conventional management and influence fisheries sustainability and ecosystem services. A key emphasis of my work is improving how we model and interpret these changes by examining the role of data choice in species distribution modeling. In particular, I investigate how predictions differ when using occurrence versus abundance data, and how these differences affect our understanding of species’ responses to environmental change. During my doctoral training, I applied species distribution models to long-term marine survey data to explore distributional dynamics while explicitly incorporating both data types into predictive frameworks. By integrating ecological theory with spatial analysis and large-scale datasets, I aim to enhance the reliability of projections under future climate scenarios. Ultimately, my research seeks to refine predictive tools that better capture ecological realities and support ecosystem-based management and spatial conservation planning in a changing ocean.
Lai, Y.-Z., Lin, Y.-C., & Ko, C.-Y.* (2024). How would estimation of geographic range shifts of marine fishes be different when using occurrence and abundance data? Diversity and Distributions, 30, e13919. doi:10.1111/ddi.13919 (IF: 4.6; Ranking: Ecology, 27/197, Q1)
Tu, C.-W.#, Lai, Y.-Z. #, Chen, H. C., Kuo, C.-Y., Lee, P.-F., & Ko, C.-Y.* (2022). Trends in Geographic Sensitivity of Marine Fishes Over Decades in the North Sea. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8, 748278. doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.748278 (IF: 2.8; Ranking: Marine & Freshwater Biology, 14/119, Q1)
Lai, Y.-Z., Tu, C.-W., Hsieh, C.-h., & Ko, C.-Y.* (2022). Using Geographical Overlaps to Track Temporal Changes in Species Interactions and Community Coexistence Instability. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, 751094. doi:10.3389/fmars.2022.751094 (IF: 2.8; Ranking: Marine & Freshwater Biology, 14/119, Q1)
Kuo, C.-Y.*, Ko, C.-Y., & Lai, Y.-Z. (2022). Assessing warming impacts on marine fishes by integrating physiology-guided distribution projections, life-history changes and food web dynamics. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 13, 1343-1357. doi:10.1111/2041-210X.13846 (IF: 6.3; Ranking: Ecology, 12/197, Q1)
