scholarly journals Winners and losers over 35 years of dragonfly and damselfly distributional change in Germany

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.E Bowler ◽  
D. Eichenberg ◽  
K.J. Conze ◽  
F. Suhling ◽  
K. Baumann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Running Water ◽  
Distributional Change ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Occupancy Detection ◽  
Declining Species

AbstractRecent studies suggest insect declines in parts of Europe; however, the generality of these trends across different taxa and regions remains unclear. Standardized data are not available to assess large-scale, long-term changes for most insect groups but opportunistic citizen science data is widespread for some taxa. We compiled over 1 million occurrence records of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) from different regional databases across Germany. We used occupancy-detection models to estimate annual distributional changes between 1980 and 2016 for each species. We related species attributes to changes in the species’ distributions and inferred possible drivers of change. Species showing increases were generally warm-adapted species and/or running water species while species showing decreases were cold-adapted species using standing water habitats such as bogs. We developed a novel approach using time-series clustering to identify groups of species with similar patterns of temporal change. Using this method, we defined five typical patterns of change for Odonata – each associated with a specific combination of species attributes. Overall, trends in Odonata provide mixed news – improved water quality, coupled with positive impacts of climate change, could explain the positive trend status of many species. At the same time, declining species point to conservation challenges associated with habitat loss and degradation. Our study demonstrates the great value of citizen science data for assessing large-scale distributional change and conservation decision-making.

scholarly journals Comparison of large‐scale citizen science data and long‐term study data for phenology modeling

Ecology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 100 (2) ◽  
pp. e02568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn D. Taylor ◽  
Joan M. Meiners ◽  
Kristina Riemer ◽  
Michael C. Orr ◽  
Ethan P. White
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Long Term Study

Using long-term citizen science data to understand distribution and habitat use of an irruptive species

2021 ◽  
pp. 101377
Author(s):  
Anant Deshwal ◽  
Pooja Panwar ◽  
Joseph C. Neal ◽  
Matthew A. Young
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Science Data

Oceanography of the New Zealand subantarctic region

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Aitana Forcén-Vázquez
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
Intermediate Water ◽  
Subantarctic Region

<p>Subantarctic New Zealand is an oceanographycally dynamic region with the Subtropical Front (STF) to the north and the Subantarctic Front (SAF) to the south. This thesis investigates the ocean structure of the Campbell Plateau and the surrounding New Zealand subantarctic, including the spatial, seasonal, interannual and longer term variability over the ocean properties, and their connection to atmospheric variability using a combination of in-situ oceanographic measurements and remote sensing data.  The spatial and seasonal oceanographic structure in the New Zealand subantarctic region was investigated by analysing ten high resolution Conductivity Temperature and Depth (CTD) datasets, sampled during oceanographic cruises from May 1998 to February 2013. Position of fronts, water mass structure and changes over the seasons show a complex structure around the Campbell Plateau combining the influence of subtropical and subantarctic waters.  The spatial and interannual variability on the Campbell Plateau was described by analysing approximately 70 low resolution CTD profiles collected each year in December between 2002 and 2009. Conservative temperature and absolute salinity profiles reveal high variability in the upper 200m of the water column and a homogeneous water column from 200 to 600m depth. Temperature variability of about 0.7 °C, on occasions between consecutive years, is observed down to 900m depth. The presence of Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) on the Campbell Plateau is confirmed and Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) reported for the first time in the deeper regions around the edges of the plateau.  Long-term trends and variability over the Campbell Plateau were investigated by analysing satellite derived Sea Level Anomalies (SLA) and Sea Surface Temperature (SST) time series. Links to large scale atmospheric processes are also explored through correlation with the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and Southern Annular Mode (SAM). SST shows a strong seasonality and interannual variability which is linked to local winds, but no significant trend is found. The SLA over the Campbell Plateau has increased at a rate of 5.2 cm decade⁻¹ in the last two decades. The strong positive trend in SLA appears to be a combination of the response of the ocean to wind stress curl (Ekman pumping), thermal expansion and ocean mass redistribution via advection amongst others.  These results suggest that the variability on the Campbell Plateau is influenced by the interaction of the STF and the SAF. The STF influence reaches the limit of the SAF over the western Campbell Plateau and the SAF influence extends all around the plateau. Results also suggest different connections between the plateau with the surrounding oceans, e.g., along the northern edge with the Bounty Trough and via the southwest edge with the SAF. A significant correlation with SOI and little correlation with SAM suggest a stronger response to tropically driven processes in the long-term variability on the Campbell Plateau.  The results of this thesis provide a new definitive assessment of the circulation, water masses and variability of the Campbell Plateau on mean, annual, and interannual time scales which will support research in other disciplines such as palaeoceanography, fisheries management and climate.</p>

scholarly journals Citizen science monitoring reveals a significant, ongoing decline of the Endangered Carnaby's black-cockatoo Calyptorhynchus latirostris

Oryx ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 626-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew R. Williams ◽  
Colin J. Yates ◽  
William D. Stock ◽  
Geoff W. Barrett ◽  
Hugh C. Finn
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Sampling Site ◽  
Significant Decline ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Site Characteristics ◽  
Declining Species ◽  
Scientific Value ◽  
Survey Effort

AbstractCitizen science monitoring programmes are making increasingly important contributions to wildlife conservation, often at spatial and temporal scales unachievable by individual or teams of researchers. They are particularly valuable in estimating population trends and management impacts, and thus informing effective conservation decisions for declining species. The quality and potential biases of citizen science data are of concern, however, and appropriate experimental design and analysis are needed to ensure that the maximum scientific value is extracted. We investigated these issues in a citizen science survey of the Endangered Carnaby's black-cockatoo Calyptorhynchus latirostris. Since 2010, citizen scientists have conducted synchronized annual counts of Carnaby's black-cockatoo at roost sites to estimate the population trend. Survey effort was substantial, with c. 150 sites surveyed by > 260 volunteers each year. Relatively few sites were occupied, however, and only 42 (16%) of the 265 sites surveyed in total accounted for 95% of all observations. Many sites were empty and survey effort was often inconsistent. Taking these issues into account, analysis showed a statistically significant decline in roost occupancy rate and a non-significant decline in the mean size of roosting flocks, with an estimated overall trend of 14% decline per annum in the number of roosting birds. We highlight three important issues for citizen science monitoring programmes: the need to maintain regular surveys of sample sites to avoid patchy data, use an appropriate model that accounts for variable survey effort, high frequency of zero counts, and sampling site turnover, and incorporate information on site characteristics to help explain variation.

scholarly journals Estimating disease vector population size from citizen science data

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (184) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tam Tran ◽  
W. Tanner Porter ◽  
Daniel J. Salkeld ◽  
Melissa A. Prusinski ◽  
Shane T. Jensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Tick Population ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Tick Abundance ◽  
Vector Population ◽  
Public Datasets

Citizen science projects have the potential to address hypotheses requiring extremely large datasets that cannot be collected with the financial and labour constraints of most scientific projects. Data collection by the general public could expand the scope of scientific enquiry if these data accurately capture the system under study. However, data collection inconsistencies by the untrained public may result in biased datasets that do not accurately represent the natural world. In this paper, we harness the availability of scientific and public datasets of the Lyme disease tick vector to identify and account for biases in citizen science tick collections. Estimates of tick abundance from the citizen science dataset correspond moderately with estimates from direct surveillance but exhibit consistent biases. These biases can be mitigated by including factors that may impact collector participation or effort in statistical models, which, in turn, result in more accurate estimates of tick population sizes. Accounting for collection biases within large-scale, public participation datasets could update species abundance maps and facilitate using the wealth of citizen science data to answer scientific questions at scales that are not feasible with traditional datasets.

scholarly journals The value of long-term citizen science data for monitoring koala populations

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravi Bandara Dissanayake ◽  
Mark Stevenson ◽  
Rachel Allavena ◽  
Joerg Henning
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Science Data

scholarly journals Latitudinal variation in arrival and breeding phenology of the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca using large‐scale citizen science data

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro G. Nicolau ◽  
Malcolm D. Burgess ◽  
Tiago A. Marques ◽  
Stephen R. Baillie ◽  
Nick J. Moran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ficedula Hypoleuca ◽  
Pied Flycatcher ◽  
Latitudinal Variation ◽  
Breeding Phenology ◽  
Science Data

scholarly journals Citizen Science Observations Reveal Long-Term Population Trends of Common and Pacific Loon in Urbanized Alaska

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. McDuffie ◽  
Julie C. Hagelin ◽  
Marian L. Snively ◽  
Grey W. Pendleton ◽  
Audrey R. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Sampling Bias ◽  
Gavia Immer ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Common Loon ◽  
Chick Survival ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Common Loons

Abstract For more than 30 y, the Alaska Loon Watch (1985–1999) and the Alaska Loon and Grebe Watch (2000–2015) engaged citizen scientist participants to record more than 10,000 observations of common loons Gavia immer and Pacific loons Gavia pacifia at 346 lakes in five subregions of southcentral Alaska. We used generalized linear mixed models to estimate long-term trends in adult loon counts and chick survival and examined environmental variables associated with loon abundance. Adult common loon counts increased in all five subregions by 0.6–3.6% annually, whereas Pacific loons decreased 3% in the Anchorage subregion, but otherwise had trends not distinguishable from zero. Lake area was positively associated with common loon abundance and negatively associated with Pacific loon abundance. We also noted an inverse relationship between common loon and Pacific loon presence, consistent with the premise of interspecific competition. We did not find strong relationships between loon presence and predictor variables indicative of human disturbance or lakeshore development. Estimates of chick survival over time also revealed no clear pattern, although common loon chicks showed a decline in survival over the study period in one subregion. Citizen science programs provide agencies with a cost-effective tool to collect data over large spatial and temporal extents, which may not be feasible otherwise. However, there are ramifications of common data deficiencies associated with casual or unstructured observations, which can violate the assumptions required for rigorous statistical analysis. The implementation of a carefully predefined sampling protocol can avoid sampling bias, eliminate stringent assumptions, and ensure higher information content of citizen science data.

scholarly journals Citizen Science on Twitter: Using Data Analytics to Understand Conversations and Networks

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 210
Author(s):  
Suvodeep Mazumdar ◽  
Dhavalkumar Thakker
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Term Study ◽  
The Public ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Science Activities

This paper presents a long-term study on how the public engage with discussions around citizen science and crowdsourcing topics. With progress in sensor technologies and IoT, our cities and neighbourhoods are increasingly sensed, measured and observed. While such data are often used to inform citizen science projects, it is still difficult to understand how citizens and communities discuss citizen science activities and engage with citizen science projects. Understanding these engagements in greater depth will provide citizen scientists, project owners, practitioners and the generic public with insights around how social media can be used to share citizen science related topics, particularly to help increase visibility, influence change and in general and raise awareness on topics. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first large-scale study on understanding how such information is discussed on Twitter, particularly outside the scope of individual projects. The paper reports on the wide variety of topics (e.g., politics, news, ecological observations) being discussed on social media and a wide variety of network types and the varied roles played by users in sharing information in Twitter. Based on these findings, the paper highlights recommendations for stakeholders for engaging with citizen science topics.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document