scholarly journals Beewatching: A Project for Monitoring Bees through Photos

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 841
Author(s):  
Simone Flaminio ◽  
Rosa Ranalli ◽  
Laura Zavatta ◽  
Marta Galloni ◽  
Laura Bortolotti
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Numerous Species ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Wild Bee ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
The Common ◽  
Interactive Map ◽  
Citizen Science Project

Bees play a key role in natural and agro-ecosystems and their diversity is worldwide threatened by anthropogenic causes. Despite this, there is little awareness of the existence of the numerous species of wild bees, and the common name “bee” is very often exclusively associated with Apis mellifera. Our aim was to create a citizen science project in Italy with the following objectives: (a) raising awareness of the importance and diversity of bees, (b) obtaining data on the biology, ecology and distribution of Italian species, and (c) launching the monitoring of alien bees. The first step of the project was to create a website platform with a section containing informative datasheets of the wild bee families and of the most common bee genera present in Italy, a form to send reports of observed bees and an interactive map with all citizen’s reports. During the 2 years of the project 1086 reports were sent by 269 users, with 38 Apoidea genera reported on 190 plant genera; furthermore, 22 reports regarding the alien species Megachile sculpturalis arrived. The majority of bees (34 genera) were observed on spontaneous plants, including 115 genera native to Italy. Considering the increasing number of reports and data obtained in these first two years of the project, our objectives seem to be achieved. Future steps will be to outline the profile of beewatchers, to plan activities in a more targeted way, and also to start some sub-projects for conservation purposes.

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.

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 High honeybee abundances reduce wild bee abundances on flowers in the city of Munich

Oecologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne S. Renner ◽  
Marie Sophie Graf ◽  
Zoe Hentschel ◽  
Helen Krause ◽  
Andreas Fleischmann
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Adjacent Area ◽  
Exploitative Competition ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
European Cities ◽  
Urban Garden ◽  
Wild Bee ◽  
June July ◽  
The City ◽  
Clear Support

AbstractThe increase in managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) in many European cities has unknown effects on the densities of wild bees through competition. To investigate this, we monitored honeybees and non-honeybees from 01 April to 31 July 2019 and 2020 at 29 species of plants representing diverse taxonomic and floral-functional types in a large urban garden in the city of Munich in which the same plant species were cultivated in both years. No bee hives were present in the focal garden, and all bee hives in the adjacent area were closely monitored by interviewing the relevant bee keepers in both 2019 and 2020. Honeybee numbers were similar in April of both years, but increased from May to July 2020 compared to 2019. The higher densities correlated with a significant increase in shifts from wild bee to honeybee visits in May/June/July, while visitor spectra in April 2019 and 2020 remained the same. Most of the species that experienced a shift to honeybee visits in 2020 were visited mostly or exclusively for their nectar. There were no shifts towards increased wild bee visits in any species. These results from a flower-rich garden have implications for the discussion of whether urban bee keeping might negatively impact wild bees. We found clear support that high honeybee densities result in exploitative competition at numerous types of flowers.

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.

Student participation in a coastal water quality citizen science project and its contribution to the conceptual and procedural learning of chemistry

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Luís Araújo ◽  
Carla Morais ◽  
João Paiva
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Coastal Water ◽  
Student Participation ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Procedural Learning ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Coastal Water Quality ◽  
Chemistry Learning ◽  
Citizen Science Project

The active participation of citizens in scientific research, through citizen science, has been proven successful. However, knowledge on the potential of citizen science within formal chemistry learning, at the conceptual...

Somewhere over the Rainbow

2019 ◽  
pp. 186-190
Author(s):  
Nicholas Mee
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Extraterrestrial Intelligence ◽  
Telescope Array ◽  
Science Project ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Radio Signals ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Citizen Science Project

Frank Drake devised the Drake equation to estimate the number of advanced civilizations in the galaxy with the aim of gathering support for SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). The earliest attempts to detect radio signals from extraterrestrials date back to the 1960s. Paul Allen has funded the Allen Telescope, Array which is dedicated to searching for such signals. When complete it will include 350 radio dishes. The citizen science project SETI@Home allows anyone with a home PC to participate in analysing the data amassed by the SETI project.

The Living Dock: A Study of Benthic Recruitment to Oyster Substrates Affixed to a Dock in the Indian River Lagoon

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 7-18
Author(s):  
Robert J. Weaver ◽  
Kelli Hunsucker ◽  
Holly Sweat ◽  
Kody Lieberman ◽  
Abby Meyers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Indian River Lagoon ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Benthic Organisms ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Indian River ◽  
Local Water ◽  
Citizen Science Project

AbstractBenthic filter feeding organisms have the potential to improve local water quality by filtering microalgae and particulate matter out of the water column. A pilot project was conducted to test the concept of creating a Living Dock by growing these filter feeders at a dock in the Indian River Lagoon. Two different methods (mats and bags) were tested for their ability to recruit benthic organisms, as well as the efficacy of these methods for use as a long-term citizen science project. Eighteen oyster mats were wrapped around dock pilings, and 18 oyster bags were suspended between pilings of the same dock. After 1 year of immersion, healthy populations of barnacles, sponges, algae, bryozoans, mussels, and tunicates were found growing on both the bags and the mats. During that same time period, live oysters were also found growing on both mats and bags, with a maximum of 73 live oysters in one bag. Although the total percent cover of organisms settling on the shells did not differ between the mats or the bags, there was significantly greater organismal diversity in the bag treatment compared to the mat treatment. Bags were a more effective recruiter of benthic organisms, but longevity was an issue, with bags becoming heavily fouled and often breaking loose from the dock over time. It was noted that the mats with the higher shell densities saw greater recruitment and had greater diversity. Although the bags proved to be a better alternative than mats for the recruitment and growth of benthic organisms, they are not sustainable for use as a citizen science project. Future efforts should consider constructing mats with high-density shell counts, as the mats have more durability and are better suited for citizen scientists.

Building an army of wombat warriors: developing and sustaining a citizen science project

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 186
Author(s):  
Candice J. Skelton ◽  
Amelia S. Cook ◽  
Peter West ◽  
Ricky-John Spencer ◽  
Julie M. Old
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
Wildlife Diseases ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Community Values ◽  
Australian Community ◽  
Citizen Science Project

Citizen science websites and mobile applications are credited for their ability to engage members of the public in science and enhance scientific literacy, while operating as a cost-effective, geographically vast data-collection tool. Recruiting participants, tailoring online platforms to users’ needs and harnessing community values are key to creating a successful, sustainable citizen science project. However, few studies have conducted a detailed examination of the recruitment experience when trying to build an engaged and active citizen science audience to assess wildlife diseases in Australia. The present study aimed to determine the most effective methods to recruit and continue to engage citizens to use the tool called WomSAT (Wombat Survey and Analysis Tools). Various marketing techniques were employed to recruit participants. A survey was also disseminated to gain feedback on WomSAT and understand the driving factors behind participation. Participation in the WomSAT project was driven by a collective desire to help and learn about wombats. Preliminary distribution data collected by citizens suggest that WomSAT contains the necessary elements to enable it to be an important tool for monitoring wombats and the distribution of disease. Continuation of the WomSAT project will support scientific research while fostering conservation messages amongst the Australian community.

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