A niche of their own: variations of information practices in biodiversity citizen science

PurposeInformation practices become highly complex in biodiversity citizen science projects due to the projects’ large scale, distributed setting and vast inclusion of participants. This study aims to contribute to knowledge concerning what variations of information practices can be found in biodiversity citizen science and what these practices may mean for the overall collaborative biodiversity data production in such projects.Design/methodology/approachFifteen semi-structured interviews were carried out with participants engaged with the Swedish biodiversity citizen science information system Artportalen. The empirical data were analysed through a practice-theoretical lens investigating information practices in general and variations of practices in particular.FindingsThe analysis shows that the nexus of biodiversity citizen science information practices consists of observing, identifying, reporting, collecting, curating and validating species as well as decision-making. Information practices vary depending on participants’ technical know-how; knowledge production and learning; and preservation motivations. The study also found that reporting tools and field guides are significant for the formation of information practices. Competition was found to provide data quantity and knowledge growth but may inflict data bias. Finally, a discrepancy between practices of validating and decision-making have been noted, which could be mitigated by involving intermediary participants for mutual understandings of data.Originality/valueThe study places an empirically grounded information practice-theoretical perspective on citizen science participation, extending previous research seeking to model participant activities. Furthermore, the study nuances previous practice-oriented perspectives on citizen science by emphasising variations of practices.

A Field Guide to Whole Number Representations in Children’s Books

Trade books are a common resource used to teach children mathematical ideas. Yet, detailed analyses of the mathematics content of such books to determine potential impacts on learning are needed. This study investigated how trade books represent whole numbers. A two-pronged approach was used a) one team documented every way 197 books represented numerical ideas and b) another team used standards to identify ideal representations. A third team validated the traits on 67 books. Greater variation than expected was documented (103 traits identified) and organized into a field guide for researchers to consult to design studies about how particular traits influence number learning. Studies could investigate how a particular trait supports learning or experimentally compare a selected combination of the 45 pictorial, 45 written symbol, 10 tactile, 2 kinesthetic, and 1 auditory trait. Implications for practice include recognizing what representations are present or missing from books used in classrooms. The study also serves as an example of how the field of mathematics education would benefit from adopting structures from disciplinary science, such as field guides, to inform how we organize phenomena of mathematics learning.

Preface

ABSTRACT This paper does not have an abstract. The Northern California Geological Society held its first meeting in May 1944. Over the years, a monthly lecture series and occasional field trips evolved to serve as the main venues for the Society. At first, meetings of the Society were held in various locations across the San Francisco Bay area, but eventually settled in San Francisco because of its concentration of petroleum and mining companies. One of the first field trips organized by the Society was a two-day trip to Mount Diablo held on 12–13 May 1950. This event marked the beginning of a close connection between the Society and the mountain. The Society prospered over the next few decades, but as the petroleum and mining companies relocated away from San Francisco, the membership broadened and the meeting location was moved to the East Bay and near Mount Diablo. Seventy-five years after its founding, the Society proposed to celebrate this anniversary by assembling a volume of new research and field guides by the members...

From Terranes to Terrains: Geologic Field Guides on the Construction and Destruction of the Pacific Northwest

The eight field trips in this volume, associated with GSA Connects 2021 held in Portland, Oregon, USA, reflect the rich and varied geological legacy of the Pacific Northwest. The western margin of North America has had a complex subduction and transform history throughout the Phanerozoic, building a collage of terranes. The terrain has been modified by Cenozoic sedimentation, magmatism, and faulting related to Cascadia subduction, passage of the Yellowstone hot spot, and north and westward propagation of the Basin and Range province. The youngest flood basalt province on Earth also inundated the landscape, while the mighty Columbia watershed kept pace with arc construction and funneled epic ice-age floods from the craton to the coast. Additional erosive processes such as landslides continue to shape this dynamic geological wonderland.

Field Excursions from the 2021 GSA Section Meetings

The 2021 GSA Northeastern, Southeastern, joint North-Central/South-Central, and Cordilleran Section Meet-ings were held virtually in spring 2021 during continued restrictions on travel and large gatherings due to COVID-19. Eleven groups put together field guides, taking participants on treks to states from Connecticut to Nevada in the United States, to Mexico, and to Italy, and covering topics as varied as bedrock geologic map-ping, geochemistry, paleodrainage, barrier islands, karst, spring systems, a southern Appalachian transect, Ordo-vician and Mississippian stratigraphy, high-energy events, Cretaceous arc granites and dextral shear zones, and Mesoproterozoic igneous rocks. This volume serves as a valuable resource for those wishing to discover, learn more about, and travel through these geologically fascinating areas.

A Guide to Sexing Salamanders of The Central Appalachians, USA

Documenting the sex of individuals encountered during wildlife research and monitoring activities is important for understanding and tracking changes in populations. However, sexing salamanders can be particularly difficult because secondary sex characters are often subtle or only visible during the breeding season, and guidance on species-specific sex determination is lacking from most field guides. The purpose of this guide is to provide a reference to assist biologists in the Central Appalachian region with identifying sex of live adult salamanders. In the main text we provide summary tables and figures to serve as concise references in the field. In Text S1 (Supplemental Material) we provide individual species accounts that contain concise yet comprehensive information for each species based on the published literature, as well as many images depicting sexually dimorphic characters. Our focal region encompasses partial or entire distributions for 56 species of salamanders in five families (Ambystomidae, Cryptobranchidae, Plethodontidae, Proteidae, and Salamandridae). We identified seven morphological characters that are strongly sexually dimorphic and useful for sexing live, non-anesthetized, adult salamanders in the field, with males of individual species exhibiting one to five of the characters. We identified >20 additional characters that are weakly sexually dimorphic, difficult to distinguish in the field, or species-specific. Our guide serves as a synthesis of sexually dimorphic characters available for salamanders in Central Appalachia, and we anticipate it will have broad value for researchers, monitoring programs, and salamander enthusiasts in eastern and central North America.

Reeling them in: taxonomy of marine annelids used as bait by anglers in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

Background Common names are frequently used inconsistently for marine annelid species used as bait in the peer-reviewed literature, field guides and legislative material. The taxonomy of many such species based on morphology only also ignores cryptic divergences not yet detected. Such inconsistencies hamper effective management of marine annelids, especially as fishing for recreation and subsistence is increasing. This study investigates the scale of the problem by studying the use and names of bait marine annelids in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Methods Fifteen recreational and six subsistence fishers at 12 popular fishing sites in the Western Cape Province donated 194 worms which they identified by common name. Worms were assigned scientific names according to a standard identification key for polychaetes from South Africa, and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) amplified and sequenced. Results This study identified 11 nominal species known by 10 common names, in the families Siphonosomatidae, Arenicolidae, Sabellaridae, Lumbrineridae, Eunicidae, Onuphidae and Nereididae. Cryptic diversity was investigated through employing mitochondrial COI sequences and these data will facilitate future identifications among widely distributed species. Several species (Siphonosoma dayi, Abarenicola gilchristi, Scoletoma species, Marphysa corallina, Lysidice natalensis, Heptaceras quinquedens, Perinereis latipalpa) are reported as bait for the first time, and while the names blood- and moonshineworms were consistently applied to members of Arenicolidae and Onuphidae, respectively, coralworm was applied to members of Sabellaridae and Nereididae. Analysis of COI sequences supported morphological investigations that revealed the presence of two taxonomic units each for specimens initially identified as Gunnarea gaimardi and Scoletoma tetraura according to identification keys. Similarly, sequences for Scoletoma species and Lysidice natalensis generated in this study do not match those from specimens in China and India, respectively. Further research is required to resolve the species complexes detected and also to refine the use of names by fishermen over a wider geographic range.

Diversity of Pteridophyte Flora in Rajamala, Eravikulam National Park, Kerala, India

Aims: To enumerate the fern diversity in the disturbed landscapes of Rajamala part of Eravikulam National Park, Western Ghats Study Design: Purposive sampling method was adopted in the study area and habitats suitable for ferns were surveyed. Place and Duration of Study: The study area is Rajamala, a tourist impacted site inside Eravikulam National Park in Kerala, India. Intensive field explorations were carried out in this area during February 2018- April 2019, to document the ferns and fern-allies. Methodology: A preliminary study was conducted in February 2018 to identify the probable habitats of ferns for further detailed study. Purposive sampling was done in the study area considering the most suitable habitats in both shola ecosystems and grassland ecosystems of the area. Materials for herbaria were processed using standard methods. The collected plants were identified with the help of standard field guides and flora. The potential medicinally important ferns were also listed out. Results: 54 species of pteridophytes including fern and fern allies belonging to sixteen different families were found from the Rajamala region of Eravikulam National Park. Aspleniaceae was the most common family with 11 species followed by Polypodiaceae. The majority of the Pteridophytes found in the region are showing terrestrial habit. Eleven species found in the study site are medicinally important. Conclusion: Despite the high tourism pressure in the study area, pteridophyte species richness is higher in the Rajamala region of Western Ghats. The suitable habitat with ideal substrate conditions and year-long moisture availability in the substrates could be the reason for a higher number of pteridophyte species in this area.

Reptiles in the Pontianak and Kubu Raya Residental Area, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

Setiadi AE, Rahayu HM. 2021. Reptiles in the Pontianak and Kubu Raya Residental Area, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 2763-2770. The increase in population is directly proportional to housing needs. Expansion of residential areas can threaten the diversity of reptiles in West Kalimantan. This study aims to inventory and identify the diversity of reptiles in residential areas in Pontianak and Kubu Raya, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia. This research gives a better understanding of reptilian urban species to support monitoring and evaluation of biodiversity in West Kalimantan. This research uses the descriptive exploratory method. Four study areas were selected based on a proportion of impervious surfaces. Data collection used the VES (Visual Encounter Survey). Identification refers to Reptile field guides and identification books. The data were analyzed descriptively qualitatively, the level reptile diversity was analyzed using the Shannon Diversity Index, and the similarities of reptiles between the residential area in Pontianak and Kubu Raya were assessed using the Jaccard similarity coefficient. The results showed, from 50 individual reptiles found in Pontianak and Kubu Raya, there were 13 reptile species from the order Squamata and the order Testudines. The Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index of 2.26 and Jaccard similarity coefficient 0.384, indicating that the level of diversity of reptile species in the two study areas is classified as moderate.