scholarly journals Enhancing Diversity Knowledge through Marine Citizen Science and Social Platforms: The Case of Hermodice carunculata (Annelida, Polychaeta)

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 311
Author(s):  
Maja Krželj ◽  
Carlo Cerrano ◽  
Cristina Di Camillo
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Predatory Behavior ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Online Newspapers ◽  
Hermodice Carunculata ◽  
Southern Mediterranean ◽  
Citizen Science Project

The aim of this research is to set a successful strategy for engaging citizen marine scientists and to obtain reliable data on marine species. The case study of this work is the bearded fireworm Hermodice carunculata, a charismatic species spreading from the southern Mediterranean probably in relation to global warming. To achieve research objectives, some emerging technologies (mainly social platforms) were combined with web ecological knowledge (i.e., data, pictures and videos about the target species published on the WWW for non-scientific purposes) and questionnaires, in order to invite people to collect ecological data on the amphinomid worm from the Adriatic Sea and to interact with involved people. In order to address future fruitful citizen science campaigns, strengths and weakness of each used method were illustrated; for example, the importance of informing and thanking involved people by customizing interactions with citizens was highlighted. Moreover, a decisive boost in people engagement may be obtained through sharing the information about citizen science project in online newspapers. Finally, the work provides novel scientific information on the polychete’s distribution, the northernmost occurrence record of H. carunculata in the Mediterranean Sea and new insights on predatory behavior on other living benthic species.

scholarly journals Understanding drivers, barriers and information sources for public participation in marine citizen science

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (02) ◽  
pp. A02 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicki Martin ◽  
Les Christidis ◽  
David Lloyd ◽  
Gretta Pecl
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Science Project ◽  
The People ◽  
Salient Beliefs ◽  
Citizen Science Project

Interviews were conducted with 110 marine users to elicit their salient beliefs about recording marine species in a citizen science project. The results showed that many interviewees believe participation would increase knowledge (either scientific, the community's, or their own). While almost half of the interviewees saw no negative outcomes, a small number expressed concerns about targeting of marine species by others, or restrictions on public access to marine sites. Most of the people surveyed (n = 106) emphasised the importance of well-designed technological interfaces to assist their data collection, without which they would be unlikely to engage in the project.

scholarly journals Four years on the track of Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1986): reconstructing the invasion of the Iberian Peninsula using social networks sites and citizen science.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Izquierdo Gomez
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Callinectes Sapidus ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Alien Invasive Species ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Portunid Crab ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Abstract Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) is one of the 100 worst alien invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea, first reported in Venice in 1949. Firstly, the portunid crab colonized the Northern Levantine basin, and half a century later the species spreads rapidly in the Western basin. The general use of social network sites and smart phones have derived in the bloom of citizen science, which enlists the general public in gathering scientific information across large spatio-temporal scales. This research, describes the use of citizen science to unveil the colonization of C. sapidus in the Iberian Peninsula, using the Local Ecological Knowledge of recreational fishermen. Overall, C. sapidus has been detected in more than 300 locations, including a number of Natura2000 areas and 18 rivers. Eventually, recreational fishermen perceived the presence of the portunid crab as detrimental for the ecosystem.

scholarly journals Citizens, Scientists, and Enablers: A Tripartite Model for Citizen Science Projects

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 309
Author(s):  
Rhian A. Salmon ◽  
Samuel Rammell ◽  
Myfanwy T. Emeny ◽  
Stephen Hartley
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Tripartite Model ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Emerging Issues ◽  
Citizen Science Project

In this paper, we focus on different roles in citizen science projects, and their respective relationships. We propose a tripartite model that recognises not only citizens and scientists, but also an important third role, which we call the ‘enabler’. In doing so, we acknowledge that additional expertise and skillsets are often present in citizen science projects, but are frequently overlooked in associated literature. We interrogate this model by applying it to three case studies and explore how the success and sustainability of a citizen science project requires all roles to be acknowledged and interacting appropriately. In this era of ‘wicked problems’, the nature of science and science communication has become more complex. In order to address critical emerging issues, a greater number of stakeholders are engaging in multi-party partnerships and research is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary. Within this context, explicitly acknowledging the role and motivations of everyone involved can provide a framework for enhanced project transparency, delivery, evaluation and impact. By adapting our understanding of citizen science to better recognise the complexity of the organisational systems within which they operate, we propose an opportunity to strengthen the collaborative delivery of both valuable scientific research and public engagement.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Pandemic Turns Life-Science Students into “Citizen Scientists”: Data Indicate Multiple Negative Effects of Urbanization on Biota

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2992
Author(s):  
Jens Schirmel
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching Strategy ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Pollinating Insects ◽  
Impact Of Urbanization ◽  
Data Collections ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions strongly affect the higher education community and require diverse teaching strategies. We designed a course where we combined online teaching with independently conducted ecological data collections by students using a “citizen science” approach. The aim was to analyze the impact of urbanization on biota by comparing urban and rural grasslands. Seventy-five students successfully conducted the data collections and the results provide evidence for prevailing negative effects of urbanization. Individual numbers of ground-dwelling invertebrates (−25%) and pollinating insects (−33%) were generally lower in urban sites. Moreover, animal and seed predation were reduced in urban grasslands, indicating the potential of urbanization to alter ecosystem functions. Despite the general limitations of online teaching and citizen science approaches, outcomes of this course showed this combination can be a useful teaching strategy, which is why this approach could be used to more actively involve students in scientific research.

Building Data Sets for Rainforest Deforestation Detection Through a Citizen Science Project

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Fernanda Beatriz Jordan Rojas Dallaqua ◽  
Fabio Augusto Faria ◽  
Alvaro Luiz Fazenda
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Citizen Science Project

scholarly journals The epistemic culture in an online citizen science project: Programs, antiprograms and epistemic subjects

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 564-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dick Kasperowski ◽  
Thomas Hillman
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Distributed Cognition ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Large Sets ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Epistemic Culture ◽  
Classification Of Images ◽  
Citizen Science Project

In the past decade, some areas of science have begun turning to masses of online volunteers through open calls for generating and classifying very large sets of data. The purpose of this study is to investigate the epistemic culture of a large-scale online citizen science project, the Galaxy Zoo, that turns to volunteers for the classification of images of galaxies. For this task, we chose to apply the concepts of programs and antiprograms to examine the ‘essential tensions’ that arise in relation to the mobilizing values of a citizen science project and the epistemic subjects and cultures that are enacted by its volunteers. Our premise is that these tensions reveal central features of the epistemic subjects and distributed cognition of epistemic cultures in these large-scale citizen science projects.

scholarly journals Animais Venenosos em Território Português: Abordagem Clínica de Picadas e Mordeduras

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (11) ◽  
pp. 784
Author(s):  
Sofia R. Valdoleiros ◽  
Inês Correia Gonçalves ◽  
Carolina Silva ◽  
Diogo Guerra ◽  
Lino André Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Hospital Setting ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Symptomatic Treatment ◽  
Thaumetopoea Pityocampa ◽  
Hermodice Carunculata ◽  
Spider Bites

There are many native species of animals with the potential to cause severe disease in Portugal. Of the four clinically relevant snake species, the vipers (Vipera latastei and Vipera seoanei) are the most concerning. They can cause severe disease and require in-hospital management, monitoring and specific treatment, including the administration of anti-snake venom serum. The Malpolon monspessulanus and Macroprotodon brevis snakes cause mostly localized clinical manifestations, which do not require specific treatment. Only a minority of the spider species in Portugal possess chelicerae (mouthparts of the Chelicerata, shaped as either articulated fangs or pincers, which may contain venom or be connected to the venom glands and are used for predation or capture of food) long enough to perforate the human skin. Nevertheless, Latrodectus tredecimguttatus and Loxosceles rufescens spider bites may require specialized treatment in a hospital setting, as well as careful active symptom surveillance. Diversely, the treatment for Scolopendra cingulata and Scolopendra oraniensis centipedes’ bites is merely symptomatic. The only existing scorpion species in Portugal is the Buthus ibericus; its sting typically causes local symptoms with intense pain, and its treatment consists essentially of analgesia. The insects of the Hymenoptera order, such as bees and wasps, have the ability to inject venom into the skin. Most people present only with local or regional inflammatory response, and symptomatic treatment is usually effective. Even so, individuals with hypersensitivity to bee venom may develop anaphylaxis. Several marine species in the Portuguese coast are venomous to humans, including weeverfish (Trachinidae family), stingrays (Dasyatis pastinaca, Taeniura grabata, Myliobatis aquila), red scorpion fish (Scorpaena scrofa), cnidaria (Pelagia noctiluca, Chrysaora hysoscella, Physalia physalis) and bearded fireworm (Hermodice carunculata); treatment is symptomatic. Contact with the larvae or bristles (chitinous structures with locomotor or tactile functions) of Thaumetopoea pityocampa (pine processionary) can cause cutaneous, ocular and, rarely, respiratory reactions; its management is also symptomatic.

scholarly journals The Verification of Ecological Citizen Science Data: Current approaches and future possibilities

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Baker ◽  
Jonathan Drury ◽  
Johanna Judge ◽  
David Roy ◽  
Graham Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Quality ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Automated Verification ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
The Past ◽  
Published Research ◽  
Critical Process

Citizen science schemes (projects) enable ecological data collection over very large spatial and temporal scales, producing datasets of high value for both pure and applied research. However, the accuracy of citizen science data is often questioned, owing to issues surrounding data quality and verification, the process by which records are checked after submission for correctness. Verification is a critical process for ensuring data quality and for increasing trust in such datasets, but verification approaches vary considerably among schemes. Here, we systematically review approaches to verification across ecological citizen science schemes, which feature in published research, aiming to identify the options available for verification, and to examine factors that influence the approaches used (Baker et al. 2021). We reviewed 259 schemes and were able to locate verification information for 142 of those. Expert verification was most widely used, especially among longer-running schemes. Community consensus was the second most common verification approach, used by schemes such as Snapshot Serengeti (Swanson et al. 2016) and MammalWeb (Hsing et al. 2018). It was more common among schemes with a larger number of participants and where photos or video had to be submitted with each record. Automated verification was not widely used among the schemes reviewed. Schemes that used automation, such as eBird (Kelling et al. 2011) and Project FeederWatch (Bonter and Cooper 2012) did so in conjunction with other methods such as expert verification. Expert verification has been the default approach for schemes in the past, but as the volume of data collected through citizen science schemes grows and the potential of automated approaches develops, many schemes might be able to implement approaches that verify data more efficiently. We present an idealised system for data verification, identifying schemes where this hierachical system could be applied and the requirements for implementation. We propose a hierarchical approach in which the bulk of records are verified by automation or community consensus, and any flagged records can then undergo additional levels of verification by experts.

scholarly journals Embedding Computer Vision in Citizen Science

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom August ◽  
J Terry ◽  
David Roy
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Computer Vision ◽  
Data Quality ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Limited Resource ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Time Of Year

The rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods has presented new opportunities for those who work with biodiversity data. Computer vision, in particular where computers can be trained to identify species in digital photographs, has significant potential to address a number of existing challenges in citizen science. The Biological Records Centre (www.brc.ac.uk) has been a central focus for terrestrial and freshwater citizen science in the United Kingdom for over 50 years. We will present our research on how computer vision can be embedded in citizen science, addressing three important questions. How can contextual information, such as time of year, be included in computer vision? A naturalist will use a wealth of ecological knowledge about species in combination with information about where and when the image was taken to augment their decision making; we should emulate this in our AI. How can citizen scientists be best supported by computer vision? Our ambition is not to replace identification skills with AI but to use AI to support the learning process. How can computer vision support our limited resource of expert verifiers as data volumes increase? We receive more and more data each year, which puts a greater demand on our expert verifiers, who review all records to ensure data quality. We have been exploring how computer vision can lighten this workload. How can contextual information, such as time of year, be included in computer vision? A naturalist will use a wealth of ecological knowledge about species in combination with information about where and when the image was taken to augment their decision making; we should emulate this in our AI. How can citizen scientists be best supported by computer vision? Our ambition is not to replace identification skills with AI but to use AI to support the learning process. How can computer vision support our limited resource of expert verifiers as data volumes increase? We receive more and more data each year, which puts a greater demand on our expert verifiers, who review all records to ensure data quality. We have been exploring how computer vision can lighten this workload. We will present work that addresses these questions including: developing machine learning techniques that incorporate ecological information as well as images to arrive at a species classification; co-designing an identification tool to help farmers identify flowers beneficial to wildlife; and assessing the optimal combination of computer vision and expert verification to improve our verification systems.

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