An updated understanding of Texas bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) species presence and potential distributions in Texas, USA

Texas is the second largest state in the United States of America, and the largest state in the contiguous USA at nearly 700,000 sq. km. Several Texas bumble bee species have shown evidence of declines in portions of their continental ranges, and conservation initiatives targeting these species will be most effective if species distributions are well established. To date, statewide bumble bee distributions for Texas have been inferred primarily from specimen records housed in natural history collections. To improve upon these maps, and help inform conservation decisions, this research aimed to (1) update existing Texas bumble bee presence databases to include recent (2007–2016) data from citizen science repositories and targeted field studies, (2) model statewide species distributions of the most common bumble bee species in Texas using MaxEnt, and (3) identify conservation target areas for the state that are most likely to contain habitat suitable for multiple declining species. The resulting Texas bumble bee database is comprised of 3,580 records, to include previously compiled museum records dating from 1897, recent field survey data, and vetted records from citizen science repositories. These data yielded an updated state species list that includes 11 species, as well as species distribution models (SDMs) for the most common Texas bumble bee species, including two that have shown evidence of range-wide declines: B. fraternus (Smith, 1854) and B. pensylvanicus (DeGeer, 1773). Based on analyses of these models, we have identified conservation priority areas within the Texas Cross Timbers, Texas Blackland Prairies, and East Central Texas Plains ecoregions where suitable habitat for both B. fraternus and B. pensylvanicus are highly likely to co-occur.

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An updated understanding of Texas bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) species presence and potential distributions in Texas, USA

10.7287/peerj.preprints.2932v2 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Jessica L Beckham ◽

Samuel Atkinson

Keyword(s):

Citizen Science ◽

Species Distributions ◽

Field Studies ◽

The United States ◽

Bumble Bee ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Distribution Models ◽

Species List ◽

Central Texas ◽

Declining Species

Texas is the second largest state in the United States of America, and the largest state in the contiguous USA at nearly 700,000 sq. km. Several Texas bumble bee species have shown evidence of declines in portions of their continental ranges, and conservation initiatives targeting these species will be most effective if species distributions are well established. To date, statewide bumble bee distributions for Texas have been inferred primarily from specimen records housed in natural history collections. To improve upon these maps, and help inform conservation decisions, this research aimed to (1) update existing Texas bumble bee presence databases to include recent (2007-2016) data from citizen science repositories and targeted field studies, (2) model statewide species distributions of the most common bumble bee species in Texas using MaxEnt, and (3) identify conservation target areas for the state that are most likely to contain habitat suitable for multiple declining species. The resulting Texas bumble bee database is comprised of 3,580 records, to include previously compiled museum records dating from 1897, recent field survey data, and vetted records from citizen science repositories. These data yielded an updated state species list that includes 11 species, as well as species distribution models (SDMs) for the most common Texas bumble bee species, including two that have shown evidence of range-wide declines: B. fraternus (Smith, 1854) and B. pensylvanicus (DeGeer, 1773). Based on analyses of these models, we have identified conservation priority areas within the Texas Cross Timbers, Texas Blackland Prairies, and East Central Texas Plains ecoregions where suitable habitat for both B. fraternus and B. pensylvanicus are highly likely to co-occur.

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An updated understanding of Texas bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) species presence and potential distributions in Texas, USA

10.7287/peerj.preprints.2932v1 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Jessica L Beckham ◽

Samuel Atkinson

Keyword(s):

Citizen Science ◽

Species Distributions ◽

Field Studies ◽

The United States ◽

Bumble Bee ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Distribution Models ◽

Species List ◽

Central Texas ◽

Declining Species

Texas is the second largest state in the United States of America, and the largest state in the contiguous USA at nearly 700,000 sq. km. Several Texas bumble bee species have shown evidence of declines in portions of their continental ranges, and conservation initiatives targeting these species will be most effective if species distributions are well established. To date, statewide bumble bee distributions for Texas have been inferred primarily from specimen records housed in natural history collections. To improve upon these maps, and help inform conservation decisions, this research aimed to (1) update existing Texas bumble bee presence databases to include recent (2007-2016) data from citizen science repositories and targeted field studies, (2) model statewide species distributions of the most common bumble bee species in Texas using MaxEnt, and (3) identify conservation target areas for the state that are most likely to contain habitat suitable for multiple declining species. The resulting Texas bumble bee database is comprised of 3,581 records, to include previously compiled museum records dating from 1897, recent field survey data, and vetted records from citizen science repositories. These data yielded an updated state species list that includes 12 species, as well as species distribution models (SDMs) for the most common Texas bumble bee species, including two that have shown evidence of range-wide declines: B. fraternus (Smith, 1854) and B. pensylvanicus (DeGeer, 1773). Based on analyses of these models, we have identified conservation priority areas within the Texas Cross Timbers, Texas Blackland Prairies, and East Central Texas Plains ecoregions where suitable habitat for both B. fraternus and B. pensylvanicus are highly likely to co-occur.

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An updated understanding of Texas bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) species presence and potential distributions in Texas, USA

10.7287/peerj.preprints.2932 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Jessica L Beckham ◽

Samuel Atkinson

Keyword(s):

Citizen Science ◽

Species Distributions ◽

Field Studies ◽

The United States ◽

Bumble Bee ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Distribution Models ◽

Species List ◽

Central Texas ◽

Declining Species

Texas is the second largest state in the United States of America, and the largest state in the contiguous USA at nearly 700,000 sq. km. Several Texas bumble bee species have shown evidence of declines in portions of their continental ranges, and conservation initiatives targeting these species will be most effective if species distributions are well established. To date, statewide bumble bee distributions for Texas have been inferred primarily from specimen records housed in natural history collections. To improve upon these maps, and help inform conservation decisions, this research aimed to (1) update existing Texas bumble bee presence databases to include recent (2007-2016) data from citizen science repositories and targeted field studies, (2) model statewide species distributions of the most common bumble bee species in Texas using MaxEnt, and (3) identify conservation target areas for the state that are most likely to contain habitat suitable for multiple declining species. The resulting Texas bumble bee database is comprised of 3,580 records, to include previously compiled museum records dating from 1897, recent field survey data, and vetted records from citizen science repositories. These data yielded an updated state species list that includes 11 species, as well as species distribution models (SDMs) for the most common Texas bumble bee species, including two that have shown evidence of range-wide declines: B. fraternus (Smith, 1854) and B. pensylvanicus (DeGeer, 1773). Based on analyses of these models, we have identified conservation priority areas within the Texas Cross Timbers, Texas Blackland Prairies, and East Central Texas Plains ecoregions where suitable habitat for both B. fraternus and B. pensylvanicus are highly likely to co-occur.

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Using citizen science monitoring data in species distribution models to inform isotopic assignment of migratory connectivity in wetland birds

10.1101/144527 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Auriel M. V. Fournier ◽

Kiel L. Drake ◽

Douglas C. Tozer

Keyword(s):

South Carolina ◽

Citizen Science ◽

Species Distribution ◽

Species Distribution Models ◽

Monitoring Program ◽

The United States ◽

Monitoring Data ◽

Migratory Connectivity ◽

Distribution Models ◽

The Pacific

AbstractStable isotopes have been used to estimate migratory connectivity in many species. Estimates are often greatly improved when coupled with species distribution models (SDMs), which temper estimates in relation to occurrence. SDMs can be constructed using from point locality data from a variety of sources including extensive monitoring data typically collected by citizen scientists. However, one potential issue with SDM is that these data oven have sampling bias. To avoid this potential bias, an approach using SDMs based on marsh bird monitoring program data collected by citizen scientists and other participants following protocols specifically designed to maximize detections of species of interest at locations representative of the species range. We then used the SDMs to refine isotopic assignments of breeding areas of autumn-migrating and wintering Sora (Porzana Carolina), Virginia Rails (Rallus limicola), and Yellow Rails (Coturnicops noveboracensis) based on feathers collected from individuals caught at various locations in the United States from Minnesota south to Louisiana and South Carolina. Sora were assigned to an area that included much of the western U.S. and prairie Canada, covering parts of the Pacific, Central, and Mississippi Flyways. Yellow Rails were assigned to a broad area along Hudson and James Bay in northern Manitoba and Ontario, as well as smaller parts of Quebec, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, including parts of the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways. Virginia Rails were from several discrete areas, including parts of Colorado, New Mexico, the central valley of California, and southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba in the Pacific and Central Flyways. Our study demonstrates extensive data from organized citizen science monitoring programs are especially useful for improving isotopic assignments of migratory connectivity in birds, which can ultimately lead to better informed management decisions and conservation actions.

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Use of Biomonitoring to Control Toxics in the United States

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1988.0129 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 20 (10) ◽

pp. 101-108 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Nelson A. Thomas

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Chronic Toxicity ◽

National Policy ◽

Single Species ◽

Field Studies ◽

The United States ◽

Toxicity Tests ◽

Toxic Pollutants ◽

Receiving Waters ◽

Biological Field

A biomonitoring program has been developed in support of the National Policy for the Development of Water Quality-Based Permit Limitations for Toxic Pollutants. The program focuses on the use of laboratory toxicity tests on aquatic plants and animals to predict ecosystem impact caused by toxic pollutants. Both acute and chronic toxicity tests were developed to test effluents and ambient waters. Laboratory and biological field studies were conducted at nine sites. Single species laboratory toxicity tests were found to be good predictors of impacts on the ecosystem when two or more species were used. Biomonitoring can be undertaken either on effluents and/or on the receiving waters. In that toxicity related to seeps, leachates and storm sewers has often been found upstream from dischargers, it is beneficial to conduct both effluent and ambient biomonitoring.

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The Use of Citizen Science to Achieve Multivariate Management Goals on Public Lands

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13070293 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 293

Author(s):

Sara Souther ◽

Vincent Randall ◽

Nanebah Lyndon

Keyword(s):

Citizen Science ◽

Land Management ◽

Ecological Integrity ◽

Public Land ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Science Data ◽

Public Land Management ◽

Federal Land ◽

Botanical Research ◽

Federal Land Management

Federal land management agencies in the US are tasked with maintaining the ecological integrity of over 2 million km2 of land for myriad public uses. Citizen science, operating at the nexus of science, education, and outreach, offers unique benefits to address socio-ecological questions and problems, and thus may offer novel opportunities to support the complex mission of public land managers. Here, we use a case study of an iNaturalist program, the Tribal Nations Botanical Research Collaborative (TNBRC), to examine the use of citizen science programs in public land management. The TNBRC collected 2030 observations of 34 plant species across the project area, while offering learning opportunities for participants. Using occurrence data, we examined observational trends through time and identified five species with 50 or fewer digital observations to investigate as species of possible conservation concern. We compared predictive outcomes of habitat suitability models built using citizen science data and Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data. Models exhibited high agreement, identifying the same underlying predictors of species occurrence and, 95% of the time, identifying the same pixels as suitable habitat. Actions such as staff training on data use and interpretation could enhance integration of citizen science in Federal land management.

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Mapping Arctic clam abundance using multiple datasets, models, and a spatially explicit accuracy assessment

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fsz099 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 76 (7) ◽

pp. 2349-2361

Author(s):

Benjamin Misiuk ◽

Trevor Bell ◽

Alec Aitken ◽

Craig J Brown ◽

Evan N Edinger

Keyword(s):

Spatial Autocorrelation ◽

Cross Validation ◽

Predictive Accuracy ◽

Accuracy Assessment ◽

Small Scale ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Distribution Models ◽

Management Tools ◽

Seabed Topography ◽

Leave One Out

Abstract Species distribution models are commonly used in the marine environment as management tools. The high cost of collecting marine data for modelling makes them finite, especially in remote locations. Underwater image datasets from multiple surveys were leveraged to model the presence–absence and abundance of Arctic soft-shell clam (Mya spp.) to support the management of a local small-scale fishery in Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut, Canada. These models were combined to predict Mya abundance, conditional on presence throughout the study area. Results suggested that water depth was the primary environmental factor limiting Mya habitat suitability, yet seabed topography and substrate characteristics influence their abundance within suitable habitat. Ten-fold cross-validation and spatial leave-one-out cross-validation (LOO CV) were used to assess the accuracy of combined predictions and to test whether this was inflated by the spatial autocorrelation of transect sample data. Results demonstrated that four different measures of predictive accuracy were substantially inflated due to spatial autocorrelation, and the spatial LOO CV results were therefore adopted as the best estimates of performance.

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Scaling up ideals to freedom: are densities of red knots across western Europe consistent with ideal free distribution?

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2011.0026 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 278 (1719) ◽

pp. 2728-2736 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Gwenaël Quaintenne ◽

Jan A. van Gils ◽

Pierrick Bocher ◽

Anne Dekinga ◽

Theunis Piersma

Keyword(s):

Uniform Distribution ◽

Western Europe ◽

Ideal Free Distribution ◽

Scale Up ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Distribution Models ◽

Free Distribution ◽

Wintering Areas ◽

Wintering Area ◽

Suitable Habitats

Local studies have shown that the distribution of red knots Calidris canutus across intertidal mudflats is consistent with the predictions of an ideal distribution, but not a free distribution. Here, we scale up the study of feeding distributions to their entire wintering area in western Europe. Densities of red knots were compared among seven wintering sites in The Netherlands, UK and France, where the available mollusc food stocks were also measured and from where diets were known. We tested between three different distribution models that respectively assumed (i) a uniform distribution of red knots over all areas, (ii) a uniform distribution across all suitable habitat (based on threshold densities of harvestable mollusc prey), and (iii) an ideal and free distribution (IFD) across all suitable habitats. Red knots were not homogeneously distributed across the different European wintering areas, also not when considering suitable habitats only. Their distribution was best explained by the IFD model, suggesting that the birds are exposed to interference and have good knowledge about their resource landscape at the spatial scale of NW Europe, and that the costs of movement between estuaries, at least when averaged over a whole winter, are negligible.

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The role of citizen science in addressing grand challenges in food and agriculture research

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2018.1977 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 285 (1891) ◽

pp. 20181977 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

S. F. Ryan ◽

N. L. Adamson ◽

A. Aktipis ◽

L. K. Andersen ◽

R. Austin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Communities ◽

Citizen Science ◽

Food Systems ◽

The United States ◽

Food Science ◽

Grand Challenges ◽

Food Research ◽

Food And Agriculture ◽

Science Projects ◽

Agriculture And Food

The power of citizen science to contribute to both science and society is gaining increased recognition, particularly in physics and biology. Although there is a long history of public engagement in agriculture and food science, the term ‘citizen science’ has rarely been applied to these efforts. Similarly, in the emerging field of citizen science, most new citizen science projects do not focus on food or agriculture. Here, we convened thought leaders from a broad range of fields related to citizen science, agriculture, and food science to highlight key opportunities for bridging these overlapping yet disconnected communities/fields and identify ways to leverage their respective strengths. Specifically, we show that (i) citizen science projects are addressing many grand challenges facing our food systems, as outlined by the United States National Institute of Food and Agriculture, as well as broader Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations Development Programme, (ii) there exist emerging opportunities and unique challenges for citizen science in agriculture/food research, and (iii) the greatest opportunities for the development of citizen science projects in agriculture and food science will be gained by using the existing infrastructure and tools of Extension programmes and through the engagement of urban communities. Further, we argue there is no better time to foster greater collaboration between these fields given the trend of shrinking Extension programmes, the increasing need to apply innovative solutions to address rising demands on agricultural systems, and the exponential growth of the field of citizen science.

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Diversity and distribution of Phanaeini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in Mexico

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4358.2.3 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4358 (2) ◽

pp. 271 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

VIRIDIANA LIZARDO ◽

FEDERICO ESCOBAR ◽

OCTAVIO ROJAS-SOTO

Keyword(s):

Relevant Literature ◽

Volcanic Belt ◽

Field Studies ◽

Distribution Data ◽

Biological Databases ◽

Distribution Models ◽

Distribution Maps ◽

Distribution Ranges ◽

Starting Point ◽

Sierra Madre

In this study, we systematized available distribution data, obtained from biological databases and relevant literature, for Mexican species belonging to the tribe Phanaeini. The main objectives were to provide an overall description of the distribution records in biological collections, to detect potential sampling biases, to describe the seasonality of collections and to obtain species distribution models using the Desktop GARP algorithm. A total of 5,562 records, corresponding to 32 species in Mexico, were compiled, including the recently described Phanaeus zoque Moctezuma & Halffter, 2017. This compilation includes 784 unique collection records at 325 localities. These records were mainly distributed along the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, the Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre Occidental mountain ranges and throughout the states of Chiapas and Veracruz. The Mexican High Plateau, the state of Tlaxcala and the Yucatan Peninsula are lacking in records. Distribution maps were created for species of three genera (Phanaeus MacLeay, 1819, Coprophanaeus Olsoufieff, 1924, and Sulcophanaeus Olsoufieff, 1924) and for 29 species present in Mexico. These species distributions are largely delimited by geomorphological features and vegetation types and coincide with expert descriptions of this tribe; some species show expanded distribution ranges. These maps provide a starting point for further analyses, the planning of future field studies, and the verification of possible new species in the Mexican territory.

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