Contribution Of Citizen Science Research Articles

Citizen science enhances understanding of sea turtle distribution in the Gulf of California.

Citizen science is a valuable tool for addressing spatial distribution gaps in endangered species, especially in data-limited regions. Given the logistical and financial challenges of studying migratory species, this cost-effective approach contributes to strategic conservation planning. The Bay of La Paz, located in Baja California Sur, México, is considered an ecologically important region within the larger Gulf of California. Due to its rich biodiversity and abundant natural resources, the region serves as a hub for ecotourism and fishing, affording diverse opportunities for community-based scientific initiatives. This paper examines the value of citizen science contributions from three diverse community groups (i.e., coastal residents, SCUBA divers, and artisanal fishers) to help scientists obtain information on sea turtle distribution in the Bay of La Paz. Our findings represent the first records of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the bay based on ten citizen science reports that include live and dead turtles (either observed swimming, as bycatch, or stranded), providing new information on an endangered pelagic species identified in a coastal bay. Although the sample size is small, our diversity of sources and sighting types highlight the value of collaborative citizen science initiatives in complementing traditional research methods.

Description and total ontogeny of the Sonoran Tiger Mantis, Stagmomantis clauseni sp. nov., and key to the subgenus Nigralora (Mantodea: Mantidae)

A recent reinvigorated effort into examining morphology and ecology of Nearctic Mantodea has led to the description of nearly 10 new species in the past decade. Expeditions to southern Arizona, combined with iNaturalist observations, suggested that S. wheelerii sensu Anderson is a complex of at least two cryptic species across its extensive range. Herein I describe one new species: Stagmomantis clauseni sp. nov., the Sonoran Tiger Mantis, from the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, utilizing citizen science contributions, comparative morphology, and captive observations to describe its ontogeny and ethology. In addition, I also redescribe Stagmomantis wheelerii (Thomas 1875) and document the holotypes of Stagmomantis colorata (Hebard 1922) for the first time. The development of Stagmomantis clauseni sp. nov. also warranted the description of new hatching and signaling systems in Mantodea. For ease of both citizen and professional scientists a dichotomous key is provided for members of the subgenus Nigralora including characters in life.

Hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) in a rural garden and their potential for citizen science

In a rural garden in the southwest of the Netherlands, 48 species of hoverfly were observed, belonging to 28 genera. All but one species are common in the Netherlands. Gardens are a natural habitat for many hoverflies. Both species diversity and the abundance of hoverflies can be high, making hoverflies good indicators for an ecological garden health index for insects. The potential contribution of citizen science to gain more ecological knowledge of hoverflies in gardens is discussed. This study shows that photographic capture and biometrical identification are suitable for citizen science projects on hoverflies.

Citizen Science in the Philippines: Coastal biodiversity engagements on a small island

The community's extreme perception of volunteerism (97%) for conservation on a small island relates to the limited resources and coastline vulnerability. This probably results in various types of citizen scientists associated with different coastal biodiversity projects. To elucidate these aspects, I explored the public’s perception of participation in biodiversity conservation, the citizen science groups and their engagements (including profile by gender, age, and frequency of activity), as well as the potential ecological drawback of the engagement (primarily involving Independent Citizen Scientists). Results suggest that the public has a high perception of willingness to participate in citizen science (with three Types of Citizen Scientists). Gender prevalence in the participation is evident (suggesting viable options of participation for both genders) while the age and frequency of activities suggest that younger and more active individuals are significantly present in one type (Independent Citizen Scientists). Data gathering and public services demonstrate the contribution of citizen science to productive coastal biodiversity engagements on the island, although a potentially misguided activity, is also identified. It is emphasized, however, that this does not discourage any type of citizen scientists. This study recommends policy formulation and extended interventions in the island’s coastal biodiversity programs.

Citizen Science and Urban Home Gardeners’ Attitudes Toward Gardening

Citizen science is a participatory research method that enlists community members as scientists to collect data at a scale that would not be possible for researchers on their own and in research contexts that are difficult for researchers to reach. Although the contribution of citizen science to scientific data collection is well-known, a new area of research investigates the impact that citizen science programs have on the citizen scientists. Gardening can support healthy dietary patterns, food access, and food system resilience in urban communities. Leveraging home gardening can be a good way for cooperative extension and community groups to support the health and wellbeing of their community members. However, to reap the health and community benefits of gardening, individuals need to adopt the behavior of gardening. In this study, researchers from University of Florida conducted a home gardening citizen science program between Mar 2022 and Jul 2022 for the purpose of assessing whether participating in a citizen science home gardening program increases the likelihood of participants’ future home gardening. Researchers used a matched pretest and posttest evaluation design to assess whether participation in this program affected the citizen scientists’ (n = 112) beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions of home gardening. Citizen science program participants improved their attitudes and beliefs about home gardening but had limited improvement in their self-efficacy about home gardening after participation in the program. A 1-year follow-up survey found that program participants had adopted new gardening behaviors and reported benefits of participating in the program beyond gardening. These results highlight the value of citizen science to facilitate intentions to home garden and show the importance of information and program support to ensure the success of program participants.

Probing species’ information initially obtained with citizen science: implications for ecological management

Due to the natural engagements of citizen scientists, they have the advantage of species encounters, thus leveraging their significance in biodiversity studies. When a citizen scientist reports a suspected new species, an investigation may first require studies on taxonomy and biological analysis. There are cases, however, when their reports pertain to already known species that may still need investigations (species’ occurrence and distributions), considering different ecological viewpoints. With this premise, we conducted a field survey (station-based visual data collection) to probe the extent of the distribution of two species described with citizen science engagements. We also explored the species-associated cultural practices in the community. Our results reveal the presence of the two species with distributions varying in spatiotemporal contexts, validating the contribution of citizen science to the distribution record. With ecological management perspectives, we provide the following notions: conservation plans for the “rare” species and eradication programs for the invasive species on the island.

Migratory destinations and spatial structuring of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) wintering off Nicaragua

Understanding the migratory patterns of large whales is of conservation importance, especially in identifying threats to specific populations. Migration ecology, including migratory destinations, movements and site fidelity for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) remain poorly studied in parts of the range of the Central America population, considered endangered under the United States Endangered Species Act. This study aimed to investigate the migratory destinations of humpback whales sighted at two study sites in Nicaragua, which are part of the Central America population. A ten-year photographic database of humpback whales observed off Nicaragua was combined with citizen science contributions and sightings from dedicated research programs. The resulting image collection was compared with available historical photo identifications and databases using an automated image recognition algorithm. This approach yielded 36 years of photographic identification totaling 431 recaptures in Nicaragua (2006–2008 and 2016–2021) and 2539 recaptures (1986–2020) in both feeding and breeding grounds of 176 unique individuals sighted in Nicaragua. Our results showed that photo-identified whales were recaptured between October and April in breeding grounds and year-round in feeding grounds between British Columbia and California, with peak recaptures between June and October. Our study provided first-time evidence on fine-scale site affinity of individual humpback whales within Nicaraguan waters and to other breeding and feeding grounds.

The potential for freshwater citizen science to engage and empower: a case study of the Rivers Trusts, United Kingdom

Rivers Trusts in the United Kingdom work to protect and restore freshwater ecosystems. This includes the provision of citizen science opportunities that encompass water quality monitoring, assessment of polluting outfalls, surveying riverine plastic pollution, mapping and control of freshwater invasive species and assessment of the biological health of rivers. In some cases, citizen science data has led directly to action being taken to address a pollution source and, in one example, indirectly influenced policy focus. Online platforms play an increasingly important role in capturing and portraying citizen science data. A large multi-stakeholder initiative aims to achieve a step-change in the contribution of citizen science to the assessment of river health including development of a standardised national framework. There is potential for citizen science to widen the monitoring of freshwater to encompass toxic chemicals.

Large biodiversity datasets conform to Benford's law: Implications for assessing sampling heterogeneity

Inadequate sampling can cause biased estimates of species diversity, as species occurrence generally follows a log-normal distribution with a long tail. Understanding this sampling bias is fundamental to inform biodiversity conservation actions. However, currently available tests to assess data quality, such as fitting species abundance distribution (SAD) models and rarefaction curves are computationally costly and can still lead to erroneous conclusions.We evaluated Benford's law (first digit distribution) as a complementary method to assess data heterogeneity and survey coverage in large biodiversity datasets, including eBird data for 157 countries and three non-avian GBIF datasets. We also tested conformity to Benford's law of four simulated communities with different SAD models and four corrupted datasets with log-normal SAD. Finally, we evaluated the effect of including rare species in three datasets on the conformity to Benford's law and also compared Benford fit to the results of traditional methods to estimate survey completeness in seven datasets.Species-rich datasets with a large number of observations tended to obtain a good fit. Benford conformity can be a simple and sensitive measure of sampling evenness, complementing traditional methods to assess quality data in large-scale studies. Benford's test can reflect species abundance heterogeneity, especially in log-normally distributed data, but was not ideal to evaluate surveys completeness, as its results diverged from those of traditional methods.As the contribution of citizen science continues to increase in biodiversity monitoring, this fast and efficient method can play a critical role to assess the quality of datasets.

Non-lethal sampling does not misrepresent trophic level or dietary sources for Sagmariasus verreauxi (eastern rock lobster).

Isotope analysis can be used to investigate the diets of predators based on assimilation of nitrogen and carbon isotopes from prey. Recent work has shown that tissues taken from legs, antennae or abdomen of lobsters can give different indications of diet, but this has never been evaluated for Sagmariasus verreauxi (eastern rock lobster). Work is now needed to prevent erroneous conclusions being drawn about lobster food webs, and undertaking this work could lead to developing non-lethal sampling methodologies. Non-lethal sampling for lobsters is valuable both ethically and for areas of conservation significance such as marine reserves. We evaluated this by dissecting 76 lobsters and comparing δ13 C and δ15 N isotope values in antennae, leg and abdomen tissue from the same individuals ranging from 104 to 137 mm carapace length. Stable isotope values were determined using a Europa EA GSL elemental analyser coupled with Hydra 20-20 Isoprime IRMS. We found the abdomen δ13 C values to be lower than other tissues by 0.3 ± 0.2‰ for antennae tissue and 0.1 ± 0.2‰ δ13 C for leg tissues, whereas for δ15 N, no significant difference between tissues was observed. There was no significant effect of lobster size or sex, though we did observe interactions between month and tissue type, indicating that differences may be seasonal. Importantly, the detected range of isotopic variability between tissues is within the range of uncertainty used for discrimination factors in isotopic Bayesian modelling of 0‰-1.0‰ for δ13 C and 3.0‰-4.0‰ for δ15 N. We show that S. verreauxi can be sampled non-lethally with mathematical corrections applied for δ13 C, whereas any tissue is suitable for δ15 N. Our results indicate that a walking leg is most favourable and would also be the least intrusive for the lobster. The application of non-lethal sampling provides avenues for the contribution of citizen science to understanding lobster food webs and to undertake fieldwork in ecologically sensitive areas such as marine reserves.

Gut content metabarcoding and citizen science reveal the earthworm prey of the exotic terrestrial flatworm, Obama nungara

The metabarcoding of digestive contents is a powerful approach to study the diet of newly introduced predatory species, and therefore to forecast their potential impact on native species. Obama nungara (Platyhelminthes: Geoplanidae) is an exotic terrestrial flatworm, which recently invaded several Western European countries and predates on earthworms. Because O. nungara is known to live above ground, we hypothesize that it consumes earthworms living on or coming frequently to the soil surface i.e. epigeic or anecic species, respectively. In this study, we undertook the metabarcoding of O. nungara gut contents to characterize more precisely the earthworm prey it consumes in its invaded range. This species is only known to date in anthropized, mostly privately-owned, environments and the contribution of citizen science volunteers to the reporting of species and their collection is of critical value. We first validated the development of the method, by extracting the digestive contents of O. nungara obtained through citizen science contributions throughout France, amplifying a 70bp earthworm-specific fragment of the 16S RNA gene and sequencing amplicons with a high-throughput approach. Secondly, the taxonomic affiliation of the sequences allowed identifying one to five species of earthworms in the digestive content of each flatworm. Contrary to our hypothesis, O. nungara seems also to consume endogeic species living within the soil and rarely coming out to the surface, as well as intermediate ecological categories. These results, by expanding the range of potential prey of O. nungara, confirm its status as a threat to native soil fauna.

Scientific contributions of citizen science applied to rare or threatened animals.

Citizen science is filling important monitoring gaps and thus contributing to the conservation of rare or threatened animals. However, most researchers have used peer-reviewed publications to evaluate citizen science contributions. We quantified a larger spectrum of citizen science's contributions to the monitoring of rare or threatened animals, including contributions to the peer-reviewed publications, gray literature and to conservation measures (i.e., actions taken as a direct result of citizen science monitoring). We sought to provide broad information on how results of studies of citizen science monitoring is used. We also evaluated factors associated with success of citizen science projects. We conducted a web search to find citizen science projects focusing on rare and threatened species and surveyed citizen science project managers about their contributions and factors influencing their success. The number of projects increased rapidly after 2010. Almost one-half of the citizen science projects produced at least 1 peer-reviewed publication, 64% produced at least 1 gray literature publication, and 64% resulted in at least 1 conservation measure. Conservation measures covered a wide range of actions, including management and mitigation plans, modification of threat status, identification and establishment of protected areas, habitat restoration, control of invasive species, captive breeding programs, and awareness campaigns. Longevity, data quality, and collaboration type best explained quantities of all types of scientific contributions of citizen science. We found that citizen science contributed substantially to knowledge advancement and conservation, especially when programs were long term and had rigorous data collection and management standards, and multidisciplinary or transdisciplinary collaborations.

Comportamiento de apareamiento del tiburón limón Negaprion brevirostris (Carcharhiniformes: Carcharhinidae), revelado por la ciencia ciudadana en el Océano Atlántico Ecuatorial

Introduction: Knowledge on the copulatory behavior and mating ground requirements of large sharks, including the lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris, is scarce, hampering conservation efforts. Objective: To describe an area in the Equatorial Atlantic used as a mating ground by N. brevirostris, as well as part of the species pre-copulatory behaviors based on citizen reports. Methods: Between 2004 and 2019, recreational divers, dive guides and rangers from the Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Fernando de Noronha Archipelago (FEN) recorded courtship behaviour, females with mating scars, pregnant females, and adult males. Results: N. brevirostris was recorded mating in shallow waters (0.5-2 m deep) during the austral summer (December to March). A specific location in the MPA, Buraco da Raquel lagoon, was the main aggregation and mating site for adult N. brevirostris in FEN. Conclusions: Citizen science records allowed the identification of shallow waters as key sites for the reproduction of this shark in FEN. Results highlight the potential of citizen science contributions to knowledge of sharks in nature and show MPAs as essential for habitat conservation of sharks with decreasing populations along the Brazilian coast, such as N. brevirostris. We present management recommendations to protect N. brevirostris there and elsewhere.

Advancing the pursuit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Initiatives of selected publicly listed companies in the Philippines

Advancing the pursuit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Initiatives of selected publicly listed companies in the Philippines

Utilizing citizen science to model the distribution of Aedes aegypti in West Africa.

In the rapidly urbanizing region of West Africa, Aedes mosquitoes pose an emerging threat of infectious disease that is compounded by limited vector surveillance. Citizen science has been proposed as a way to fill surveillance gaps by training local residents to collect and share information on disease vectors. Understanding the distribution of arbovirus vectors in West Africa can inform researchers and public health officials on where to conduct disease surveillance and focus public health interventions. We utilized citizen science data collected through NASA's GLOBE Observer mobile phone application and data from a previously published literature review on Aedes mosquito distribution to examine the contribution of citizen science to understanding the distribution of Ae. aegypti in West Africa using Maximum Entropy modeling. Combining citizen science and literature-derived observations improved the fit of the model compared to models created by each data source alone but did not alleviate location bias within the models, likely due to lack of widespread observations. Understanding Ae. aegypti distribution will require greater investment in Aedes mosquito surveillance in the region, and citizen science should be utilized as a tool in this mission to increase the reach of surveillance.

Citizen Science Contributions to the Conservation of Sea Turtles Facing Port City and Land Use Stressors in the Mexican Central Pacific

The unplanned development of a port city generates urban growth in its coastal zone that stresses the local biotic and abiotic resources, affecting the nesting beach areas of sea turtles. This work evaluated the impact of social collaboration on sea turtle conservation in response to coastal rigidization. Over the past twenty years, the Manzanillo Port (Colima), located in the Mexican Central Pacific, underwent vigorous development and urbanization. This growth has produced stressors including increasing levels of marine noise pollution due to the transit of merchant ships, the decrease in 4.3 ha in beach areas, and increased light pollution, which likely reduced the number of turtles that reached the nesting stage. Despite the above, the number of turtle nests has increased thanks to social collaboration through protection actions, education programs, and the participation of volunteers along with public and private organizations supported by the media and social networks. These actions are part of citizen science and contribute to the balance between urban development and the protection of sea turtles, reducing environmental vulnerability in the coastal zone. This success story can be reproduced in coastal cities for other wildlife species to achieve a social-ecological benefit through advocacy projects that involve the empowerment of local inhabitants and the appropriation of their landscapes and natural elements. These projects will contribute to alleviating the effects of coastal rigidization in the face of future challenges that will require solutions to different environmental aspects of imminent climate change.

A description of Dendronotus shpataki sp. nov. (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) from the Sea of Japan: a contribution of citizen science to marine zoology

The nudibranch genus Dendronotus Alder et Hancock, 1845 is a common component of boreal and arctic ecosystems, which has recently received a considerable attention due to its high cryptic diversity. Here we describe a new species Dendronotus shpataki sp. nov. from the northwestern Sea of Japan, using the material and observations provided by Andrey Shpatak, a local citizen, diver and underwater photographer. We studied morphological features of the new species, including external morphology, coloration, jaw and radular morphology, and configuration of the reproductive system, as well as its ecological traits including possible diet preferences. We obtained DNA sequences and reconstructed the phylogeny by Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood approaches using four molecular markers (mitochondrial COI and 16S rRNA, and nuclear histone H3 and 28S rRNA), and tested the boundaries between the species by calculating the uncorrected p-distances and automatic species delimitation methods ABGD and GMYC. Our results show that D. shpataki sp. nov. differs both morphologically and genetically from all other Dendronotus species. The new species possibly represents a unique example of local endemism, being found in a single locality, while other local Dendronotus species demonstrate wide distribution in the North-West Pacific. We also report on a considerable wearing of the radular teeth during feeding, which is a remarkable case for the Dendronotus.

A description of Dendronotus shpataki sp. nov. (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) from the Sea of Japan: a contribution of citizen science to marine zoology

The nudibranch genus Dendronotus Alder et Hancock, 1845 is a common component of boreal and arctic ecosystems, which has recently received a considerable attention due to its high cryptic diversity. Here we describe a new species Dendronotus shpataki sp. nov. from the northwestern Sea of Japan, using the material and observations provided by Andrey Shpatak, a local citizen, diver and underwater photographer. We studied morphological features of the new species, including external morphology, coloration, jaw and radular morphology, and configuration of the reproductive system, as well as its ecological traits including possible diet preferences. We obtained DNA sequences and reconstructed the phylogeny by Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood approaches using four molecular markers (mitochondrial COI and 16S rRNA, and nuclear histone H3 and 28S rRNA), and tested the boundaries between the species by calculating the uncorrected p-distances and automatic species delimitation methods ABGD and GMYC. Our results show that D. shpataki sp. nov. differs both morphologically and genetically from all other Dendronotus species. The new species possibly represents a unique example of local endemism, being found in a single locality, while other local Dendronotus species demonstrate wide distribution in the North-West Pacific. We also report on a considerable wearing of the radular teeth during feeding, which is a remarkable case for the Dendronotus.

Increasing Herpetofauna Data Through Citizen Science in Indonesia

Citizen science has become increasingly popular to collect data on biodiversity as it can cover a large area and is cost-effective. However, gaps in biodiversity data are common especially related to data of herpetofauna, which is not received much attention. Project Amfibi Reptil Kita (ARK) is one of the programs created to collect data on the distribution of the herpetofauna in Indonesia. This research aims to analyse the contribution of citizen science through project ARK in increasing data of herpetofauna in Indonesia for the last four years. Most of the data in ARK (56.3%) were obtained during herpblitz, however, the percentage (43.86%) tend to increase in 2020. In total 433 species were reported consisting of 152 species of amphibian and 281 reptiles. Most of the data (70%) reported were from Java region. The lowest recorded data come from Papua and Maluku region. The most frequently reported amphibian species was Duttaphrynus melanostictus and the reptile species was Bronchocela jubata. A total of 416 member-contributed data in ARK project. The result of ARK has been used to describe new species and model spatial distribution. It shows, ARK has been important in documenting the diversity of herpetofauna in Indonesia.

Citizen science highlights litter associated with COVID-19 as a potential threat on the island of Mindanao, Philippines: a marine biodiversity hotspot

The on-going COVID-19 pandemic is expected to exacerbate the marine litter problem. The use of disposable personal protective equipment (e.g., facemasks) will result to increase in marine plastics pollution. Here we explored the potential of citizen science to determine the distribution of marine litter associated with COVID-19 in Mindanao, Philippines. Volunteers were invited through social media, contributing geotagged photographs of marine litter associated with COVID-19. Although the information is limited, results showed the possible pervasiveness of marine litter associated with COVID-19. Since the waters surrounding the Southern Philippines is known to host high marine biodiversity, the potential negative interaction of marine litter associated with COVID-19 and marine species is inevitable. The contribution of citizen science to address some of the limitations on marine litter research is highlighted and is recommended to be explored further.