Comparison of Amphibian Occurrence Data in Museum Collections and Citizen Science Databases
Disciplines
Bioinformatics | Population Biology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
iNaturalist is a fast-growing citizen science platform that offers a unique opportunity to collect geospatial data through user-generated observations. In contrast, contributions of specimens to traditional museum collections are declining. Previous studies have compared these two data sources to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each. For example, iNaturalist houses an ever-growing user base, has easily accessible data, has more recent records, has more recent observations, and may include records from a greater diversity of areas than museums. Museum records, on the other hand, may have greater accuracy of identifications, more reliable metadata, and are built upon physical specimens that can be examined. Here, we compare geospatial patterns of occurrence data from iNaturalist and museum collections, using Appalachian salamanders as a model system. Our goals were to: 1) see if museum records and citizen science data are distributed similarly on the landscape; 2) specifically evaluate whether records from national parks are more likely to be represented in one or the other. These objectives highlight the importance of citizen science and how it can further our knowledge of salamander geospatial boundaries.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CSM - Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Todd Pierson
Comparison of Amphibian Occurrence Data in Museum Collections and Citizen Science Databases
iNaturalist is a fast-growing citizen science platform that offers a unique opportunity to collect geospatial data through user-generated observations. In contrast, contributions of specimens to traditional museum collections are declining. Previous studies have compared these two data sources to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each. For example, iNaturalist houses an ever-growing user base, has easily accessible data, has more recent records, has more recent observations, and may include records from a greater diversity of areas than museums. Museum records, on the other hand, may have greater accuracy of identifications, more reliable metadata, and are built upon physical specimens that can be examined. Here, we compare geospatial patterns of occurrence data from iNaturalist and museum collections, using Appalachian salamanders as a model system. Our goals were to: 1) see if museum records and citizen science data are distributed similarly on the landscape; 2) specifically evaluate whether records from national parks are more likely to be represented in one or the other. These objectives highlight the importance of citizen science and how it can further our knowledge of salamander geospatial boundaries.