1
|
Bowler DE, Bhandari N, Repke L, Beuthner C, Callaghan CT, Eichenberg D, Henle K, Klenke R, Richter A, Jansen F, Bruelheide H, Bonn A. Decision-making of citizen scientists when recording species observations. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11069. [PMID: 35773384 PMCID: PMC9245884 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15218-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Citizen scientists play an increasingly important role in biodiversity monitoring. Most of the data, however, are unstructured—collected by diverse methods that are not documented with the data. Insufficient understanding of the data collection processes presents a major barrier to the use of citizen science data in biodiversity research. We developed a questionnaire to ask citizen scientists about their decision-making before, during and after collecting and reporting species observations, using Germany as a case study. We quantified the greatest sources of variability among respondents and assessed whether motivations and experience related to any aspect of data collection. Our questionnaire was answered by almost 900 people, with varying taxonomic foci and expertise. Respondents were most often motivated by improving species knowledge and supporting conservation, but there were no linkages between motivations and data collection methods. By contrast, variables related to experience and knowledge, such as membership of a natural history society, were linked with a greater propensity to conduct planned searches, during which typically all species were reported. Our findings have implications for how citizen science data are analysed in statistical models; highlight the importance of natural history societies and provide pointers to where citizen science projects might be further developed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Diana E Bowler
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. .,Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, 07743, Jena, Germany. .,Department of Ecosystem Services, Helmholtz-Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Netra Bhandari
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lydia Repke
- Department of Survey Design and Methodology, GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, P.O. Box 12 21 55, 68072, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christoph Beuthner
- Department of Survey Design and Methodology, GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, P.O. Box 12 21 55, 68072, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Corey T Callaghan
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany
| | - David Eichenberg
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Ecosystem Services, Helmholtz-Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Klaus Henle
- Department of Conservation Biology & Social-Ecological Systems, Helmholtz-Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Reinhard Klenke
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany
| | - Anett Richter
- Thünen Institute of Biodiversity, Bundesallee 65, 38116, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Florian Jansen
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, 18059, Rostock, Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany
| | - Aletta Bonn
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, 07743, Jena, Germany.,Department of Ecosystem Services, Helmholtz-Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
The Potential Role of School Citizen Science Programs in Infectious Disease Surveillance: A Critical Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18137019. [PMID: 34209178 PMCID: PMC8297284 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18137019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Public involvement in science has allowed researchers to collect large-scale and real-time data and also engage citizens, so researchers are adopting citizen science (CS) in many areas. One promising appeal is student participation in CS school programs. In this literature review, we aimed to investigate which school CS programs exist in the areas of (applied) life sciences and if any projects target infectious disease surveillance. This review’s objectives are to determine success factors in terms of data quality and student engagement. After a comprehensive search in biomedical and social databases, we found 23 projects. None of the projects found focused on infectious disease surveillance, and the majority centered around species biodiversity. While a few projects had issues with data quality, simplifying the protocol or allowing students to resubmit data made the data collected more usable. Overall, students at different educational levels and disciplines were able to collect usable data that was comparable to expert data and had positive learning experiences. In this review, we have identified limitations and gaps in reported CS school projects and provided recommendations for establishing future programs. This review shows the value of using CS in collaboration with traditional research techniques to advance future science and increasingly engage communities.
Collapse
|
3
|
Gadsden GI, Malhotra R, Schell J, Carey T, Harris NC. Michigan ZoomIN: Validating Crowd‐Sourcing to Identify Mammals from Camera Surveys. WILDLIFE SOC B 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel I. Gadsden
- 1105 N. University Ave., Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
| | - Rumaan Malhotra
- Shapiro Design Lab University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
| | - Justin Schell
- Shapiro Design Lab University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
| | - Tiffany Carey
- 1105 N. University Ave., Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
| | - Nyeema C. Harris
- 1105 N. University Ave., Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
| |
Collapse
|