Comparisons of Citizen Science Data-Gathering Approaches to Evaluate Urban Butterfly Diversity.

Kathleen Prudic,Brian Brown,Elizabeth Long,Jeffrey Oliver

doi:10.3390/insects9040186

Kathleen Prudic, Brian Brown + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/insects9040186

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Abstract

By 2030, ten percent of earth’s landmass will be occupied by cities. Urban environments can be home to many plants and animals, but surveying and estimating biodiversity in these spaces is complicated by a heterogeneous built environment where access and landscaping are highly variable due to human activity. Citizen science approaches may be the best way to assess urban biodiversity, but little is known about their relative effectiveness and efficiency. Here, we compare three techniques for acquiring data on butterfly (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) species richness: trained volunteer Pollard walks, Malaise trapping with expert identification, and crowd-sourced iNaturalist observations. A total of 30 butterfly species were observed; 27 (90%) were recorded by Pollard walk observers, 18 (60%) were found in Malaise traps, and 22 (73%) were reported by iNaturalist observers. Pollard walks reported the highest butterfly species richness, followed by iNaturalist and then Malaise traps during the four-month time period. Pollard walks also had significantly higher species diversity than Malaise traps.

Highlights

Successful conservation relies on species occurrence data and their analysis
Of the 30 total BioSCAN sites available, 16 were selected for both Malaise traps and Pollard walks based on coverage continuity
In the ButterflySCAN and BioSCAN surveys, a total of 28 species were recorded during the sampling period (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Successful conservation relies on species occurrence data and their analysis. Research clarifies where a species is found, how and when it reproduces, and what aspects of its environment are important to its survival. All of this information contributes to a conservation framework from which policy is built. Broadly has never been more important for conservation efforts. Urban areas can be species-rich habitats, especially for insects, but they are a challenging environment in which to document biodiversity. Sampling and experimental designs are complicated by a heterogeneous built environment where access and landscaping are highly variable due to human activity [1,2].

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