Publications

1. Y.H. Lee, W.J. Lin, M.T. Tsai, B. Lan, Y.L. Chu, J.I. Yang, S.J. Sun*. Context-dependent mutualism: phoretic mites enhance burying beetle success under nematode pressure. (under review)

2. Y.S. Huang, C.H. Fan, Y.C. Lu, Y.T. Wu, Y.C. Niu, Y.H. Hsieh, Y.K. Liao*, S.J. Sun*. Climate-driven phenology modeling for data-limited species using ERA5 reanalysis and citizen science. (under review)

3. M.G.C. Reyes, C.P. Tung, S.J. Sun*. An integrative framework for nature-based solutions: a systematic review and co-occurrence analysis. Nature-Based Solutions (in revision)

4. S.J. Sun* and R.M. Kilner. Synchronous hatching offers a defence against a biological enemy in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. Behavioral Ecology (under review) 

5. M.G.C. Reyes*, J. Pagaduan, and S.J. Sun. Enhanced coral reef recovery following the COVID-19 lockdown at a Philippine restoration site. Journal of Environmental Science and Management (under review)

6. S.J. Sun, X.Y. Lee, Y.J. Wang, W.P. Chuang, S.Y. Hwang, and C.K. Ho*. Crop performance and pest control under climate change: the importance of considering the interaction among warming, elevated CO2, and trophic interactions. Scientific Reports (in revision)

7. B.F. Chen, Y.C. Li, D. Rubenstein, S.J. Sun, M. Liu, D.P. Chen, S.F. Shen*. Interspecific competition unexpectedly reduces physiological costs by decreasing intragroup conflict in social burying beetles. Ecology Letters (in revision) 

2025

8. B. Lan, T.G. Malik, M.T. Tsai, Y.T. Wu, and S.J. Sun*. No evidence that phoretic mites influence mate choice or fitness in the burying beetle Nicrophorus nepalensis. Ecology and Evolution 15:7 e71733 https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71733

9. M.L. Fearon, K.F. Sánchez, S.J. Sun, S.K. Calhoun, K. Monell, V. Ravichandran, and M.A. Duffy*. Resource quality differentially impacts Daphnia Interactions with two parasites. Ecosphere 16:3 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70234

10. T.G. Malik, M.T. Tsai, B.J.M. Jarrett*, S.J. Sun*. Heat stress effects on offspring compound across parental care. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 292: 20250026. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.0026

11. M.G.C. Reyes*, C.R. Chiou, Xiang Yao Deng, S.J. Sun. Temporal changes in land use dynamics and mangrove expansion. Journal of Environmental Science and Management 27:2. https://ovcre.uplb.edu.ph/journals-uplb/index.php/JESAM/article/view/1273

2024

12. M.M.Y. Chang, P.S. Hsu, E.C. Yang, S.J. Sun*, and C.K. Ho*. Warming induces short-term phenological shifts in pollinator-plant interactions that enhance larval development in honey bee. PLoS One 19(12): e0314791. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314791

13. G.C. Hsu†, W.J. Lin†, C.H. Hsieh, Y.J. Lee, and S.J. Sun*. Carcass size, not source or taxon, dictates breeding performance and carcass use in burying beetles. Royal Society Open Science 11: 241265. http://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.241265

    • highlighted on NTU webpage

    • featured on Asia Research News

    • featured on NCCU Uonline news

14. T.G. Malik, B.J.M. Jarrett, S.J. Sun*. The effect of experimental warming on reproductive performance and parental care in the burying beetle Nicrophorus nepalensis. Royal Society Open Science 11: 240653. http://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.240653

15. B.J.M. Jarrett, R. Mashoodh,..., S.J. Sun, M. Schrader, and R.M. Kilner. Selection on the joint actions of pairs leads to divergent adaptation and coadaptation of care-giving parents during pre-hatching care. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 291: 20240876. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.0876

16. S.J. Sun*,†, S. Chen†, W. Federle, R.M. Kilner. Biomechanical adaptations enable phoretic mite species to occupy distinct spatial niches on host burying beetles. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 291: 2019. doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.0230

    • highlighted on NTU webpage 

    • Journal cover photo

17. S.J. Sun* and R.M. Kilner. 2024. Competition among host-specific lineages of Poecilochirus carabi mites influences the extent of co-adaptation with their Nicrophorus vespilloides burying beetle hosts. Ecology and Evolution 14(1): e10837. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/641936

2023

18. G.C. Hsu, W.J. Lin, and S.J. Sun*. 2023. Temporal trends in academic performance and career duration of principal investigators in ecology and evolutionary biology in Taiwan. Scientometrics doi: 10.1101/2022.01.31.478501

19. S.J. Sun*, S. Calhoun, and M.A. Duffy. 2023. Host and parasite functional morphology jointly explain parasite specificity. Functional Ecology https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14323

20. S.J. Sun*, M.K. Dziuba, R.N. Jaye, and M.A. Duffy. 2023. Transgenerational plasticity in a zooplankton in response to temperature elevation and parasitism. Ecology and Evolution doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9767

21. S.J. Sun*, M.K. Dziuba, R.N. Jaye, and M.A. Duffy. 2023. Temperature modifies trait-mediated infection outcomes in a Daphnia-fungal parasite system. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2022.0009

    • highlighted on NTU webpage

2022

22. S.J. Sun*, M.K. Dziuba, K.M. Mclntire, R.N. Jaye, and M.A. Duffy. 2022. Transgenerational plasticity alters parasite fitness in changing environments. Parasitology doi:10.1017/S0031182022001056

23. S.J. Sun*. 2022. A framework for using phoresy to assess ecological transition into parasitism and mutualism. Symbiosis https://doi.org/10.1007/s13199-022-00830-7

24. S.J. Sun*, V.P. Narayan. 2022. Digest: Deprivation of parental care reveals the value of sibling cooperation in burying beetles. Evolution doi: 10.1111/evo.14451

25. S.J. Sun*, V.P. Narayan*, Y. Wang, N. Wasana. 2022. Digest: Nature and nurture: influences of parental care and rearing environment on phenotypic plasticity in Nicrophorus vespilloides. Evolution doi: 10.1111/evo.14433

2020

26. S.J. Sun*, A.M. Catherall, S.C.M. Pascoal, B.J.M. Jarrett, S.E. Miller, M.J. Sheehan, and R.M. Kilner. 2020. Rapid local adaptation linked with phenotypic plasticity. Evolution Letters 4-4: 345–359. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/evl3.176

    • featured on Cambridge Zoology website

27. S.J. Sun* and R.M. Kilner. 2020. Temperature stress induces mites to help their carrion beetle hosts by eliminating rival blowflies. eLife 2020;9:e55649. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/590125

28. H.Y. Tsai, D.R. Rubenstein, B.F. Chen, M. Liu, S.F. Chan, D.P. Chen, S.J. Sun, T.N. Yuan, S.F. Shen*. 2020. Antagonistic effects of infraspecific cooperation and interspecific competition on thermal performance. eLife doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.03.075325

    • featured on Nature Climate Change

29. M. Liu†, S.F. Chan†, D.R. Rubenstein, S.J. Sun, B.F. Chen, S.F. Shen*. 2020. Ecological transitions in grouping benefits explain the paradox of environmental quality and sociality. The American Naturalist doi: 10.1086/708185

30. B.F. Chen, M. Liu, D.R. Rubenstein, S.J. Sun, J.N. Liu, Y.H. Lin, S.F. Shen*. 2020. A chemically triggered transition from conflict to cooperation in burying beetles. Ecology Letters 23:3. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13445

31. S.J. Sun. 2020. On the ecological transitions between parasitism and mutualism (Doctoral thesis). https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.45796

Before 2020

32. S.J. Sun*, N.P.C. Horrocks, and R.M. Kilner. 2019. Conflict within species determines the value of a mutualism between species. Evolution Letters 3:2. https://doi.org/10.1002/evl3.109

    • featured on Cambridge University and Department of Zoology website

    • featured on Evolution Letters editor’s blog

33. S.J. Sun, D.R. Rubenstein, B.F. Chen, S.F. Chan, J.N. Liu, M. Liu, W. Hwang, P.S. Yang, and S.F. Shen*. 2014. Climate-mediated cooperation promotes niche expansion in burying beetles. eLife 3: e02440. doi: 10.7554/eLife.0244

    • Master’s thesis

    • featured on eLife homepage

†equal contributions; *corresponding author