Citizen Science: A global citizen network to monitor insect abundance
A U of A biologist is part of an international team of researchers is building a volunteer network of citizen scientists to help monitor the abundance of dragonflies and damselflies.
Recent studies have indicated that insect species in general are declining throughout the world and could be headed toward collapse due to intensive agricultural practices, climate change and habitat loss. For many species, however, there isn’t enough baseline data to determine trends in insect abundance.
Adam Siepielski, associate professor of biology, is part of a team working on a solution –– establishing a volunteer network that will collect data on odonata, the scientific name for dragonflies and damselflies. Odonata are easy to spot, often vividly colored and an important indicator group of species reflecting environmental changes in freshwater biodiversity.
“Volunteer nature enthusiasts can greatly help to monitor the abundance of dragonflies and damselflies, iconic freshwater sentinels and one of the few nonpollinator insect groups appreciated by the public and amenable to citizen science,” the scientists wrote in a paper published in the journal BioScience.
Researchers propose modeling the volunteer network on a similar collection of projects, organizations and individuals dedicated to butterflies. “The network has improved knowledge of not only butterfly geographical distributions but also their relative population sizes across years and the effects of large-scale environmental change,” researchers wrote.
“We are hopeful that with similar efforts dedicated to odonata, great strides can be made in our understanding of changes in their abundances and distributions too. They really are amazing animals and fascinating to observe,” said Siepielski.
An odonata network would fill in gaps from areas of the world with little information, and incorporate existing data-collection efforts. Ideally, volunteers would collect data at a fixed location for 10 to 15 years, and have a standardized portal to report their findings.
“An army of amateur naturalists may contribute far more data than a small cadre of professional observers,” the researchers wrote. “Citizen science promotes biophilia while contributing enormously to understanding large-scale biodiversity loss and environmental change, especially in developing or transitioning regions.”
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Monitoring insect populations
- Dengue Fever
Dengue fever is a viral infection that Aedes mosquitoes spread to humans. Symptoms include a high fever and body aches. Cases do happen in the U.S.
- Study pinpoints most helpful habitat for least flycatcher
A new University of Alberta study helps define the most helpful breeding habitat for the least flycatcher, a species of bird in rapid decline. The findings are published in The Wilson Journal of ...
- Feds greenlight return of grizzlies to WA’s North Cascades
Grizzly bears will be brought to Washington from elsewhere over the next five to 10 summers. The goal is to rebuild a population of 200 bears in a century.
- Browntail moth spread could depend on weather this spring
Browntail moth caterpillars are emerging from their nests already this spring. Scientists hope spring rain will help keep populations down.
- The Netherlands Is Losing Its Insect-Pollinated Flowers
A wide range of plant species rely on insects for pollination, but the diversity of these insect-pollinated plants have decreased dramatically in recent decades ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Monitoring insect populations
[google_news title=”” keyword=”monitoring insect populations” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Citizen science
- Citizen science: Dept. of Conservation, Agriculture ask for help with black vulture study
MDC, USDA needs public’s help with black vulture studyThe Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ...
- This Weekend, Contribute To Science By Going Out And Taking Photos Of The Nature Around You
Animal tracks. Bones. A slug living in a tide pool ... and yes, you can even snap and send in a pic of animal poop. This weekend, Los Angeles is one of hundreds of cities across the globe taking part ...
- Across the Finish Line! Citizen Science Month Final Days.
One Million Acts of Science challenge met, but lots of important project work is still left!
- You might find a rare species in your backyard: How global citizen science contributes to biodiversity knowledge
While it can be hard for us to notice as we go about our busy lives, cities are filled with indigenous plants, fungi, insects, spiders and other little creatures, as well as birds, frogs and reptiles.
- 'Citizen scientists' help NASA discover over 1,000 new asteroids using Hubble Telescope
NASA said volunteers scanned 19 years' worth of images from the Hubble Telescope, using a new approach that could lead to other discoveries.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Citizen science
[google_news title=”” keyword=”citizen science” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]