Journal article
Can School Children Support Ecological Research? Lessons from the Oak Bodyguard Citizen Science Project
Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, Vol.5(1), pp.1-11
2020
Abstract
Scientific knowledge in the field of ecology is increasingly enriched by data acquired by the general public participating in citizen science (CS) programs. Yet, doubts remain about the reliability of such data, in particular when acquired by schoolchildren. We built upon an ongoing CS program, Oak Bodyguards, to assess the ability of schoolchildren to accurately estimate the strength of biotic interactions in terrestrial ecosystems. We used standardized protocols to estimate attack rates on artificial caterpillars and insect herbivory on oak leaves. We compared estimates made by schoolchildren with estimates made by professional scientists who had been trained in predation and herbivory assessments (henceforth, trained scientists), and trained scientists' estimates with those made by professional scientists with or without expertise (untrained) in predation or herbivory assessment. Compared with trained scientists, both schoolchildren and untrained professional scientists overestimated attack rates, but assessments made by the latter were more consistent. Schoolchildren tended to overestimate insect herbivory, as did untrained professional scientists. Raw data acquired by schoolchildren participating in CS programs therefore require several quality checks by trained professional scientists before being used. However, such data are of no less value than data collected by untrained professional scientists. CS with schoolchildren can be a valuable tool for carrying out ecological research, provided that the data itself is acquired by professional scientists from material collected by citizens.
Details
- Title
- Can School Children Support Ecological Research? Lessons from the Oak Bodyguard Citizen Science Project
- Authors
- Bastien Castagneyrol (Author) - Université de BordeauxElena Valdés-Correcher (Author) - Université de BordeauxAudrey Bourdin (Author) - Université de BordeauxLuc Barbaro (Author) - Université de ToulouseOlivier B Bouriaud (Author) - Ştefan cel Mare University of SuceavaManuela Branco (Author) - University of LisbonGiada Centenaro (Author) - Stockholm UniversityGyorgy Csoka (Author) - National Agricultural Research and Innovation CentreMihai-Leonard Duduman (Author) - Ştefan cel Mare University of SuceavaAnne-Maïmiti Dulaurent (Author) - UniLaSalleCsaba Eötvös (Author) - National Agricultural Research and Innovation CentreMaria Faticov (Author) - Stockholm UniversityMarco Ferrante (Author) - Universidade dos AçoresÁgnes Fürjes-Mikó (Author) - Aarhus UniversityAndrea Galmán (Author) - Misión Biológica de GaliciaMartin M Gossner (Author) - Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLDeborah J Harvey (Author) - University of LondonAndy G Howe (Author) - Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLSee article text for complete list of remaining 15 authors (Author)
- Publication details
- Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, Vol.5(1), pp.1-11
- Publisher
- Ubiquity Press Ltd.
- Date published
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.5334/cstp.267
- ISSN
- 2057-4991
- Copyright note
- © 2020 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Organisation Unit
- Forest Industries Research Centre; Forest Research Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99637977302621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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