3 pp. / Phenology is defined and described in terms of how we use observations in education and research. Suggestions for implementing phenology lessons using examples from 4-H youth development and Master Gardener and citizen science training.

Citizen science, which uses volunteer observers in research, is fast becoming standard practice in ecology. In this thesis, I begin with an essay reviewing the benefits and limitations of citizen science, and then measure the influence of several forms of observer error that might bias ornithological citizen science. Using an internet-based survey, I first found that observer skill level can predict the nature of false-positive detections, where self-identified experts tend to falsely detect more rare species and moderately-skilled observers tend to falsely detect more common species. I also found that overconfidence is widespread among all skill levels, and hence that observer confidence is an unreliable indication of data quality. Using existing North American databases, I then found that older observers tend to detect fewer birds than younger observers -- especially if the birds' peak call frequencies exceed 6 kHz -- and that published long-term population trend estimates and high-pitched (>= 6 kHz) peak bird vocalization frequencies are negatively correlated. Taken together, these data suggest that both hearing loss and other sensory changes might be negatively biasing long-term trend estimates. In the next chapter, I measured how observer experience can bias detection data. In solitary observers, I found that detections tend to increase over the first 5 years of service (e.g. learning effects), after which they decline consistently (e.g. observer senescence). Conversely, among survey groups that may be motivated to exceed a previous year's species count, I found that species richness tends to increase consistently with consecutive survey years. In this case, individual sensory deficits may be offset by group participation. Lastly, I re-evaluated the established assumption that the quality of new volunteers on North American Breeding Bird Survey routes is increasing over time. I showed that the existing measure of “quality” ignores variable lengths of observer service, and that, after accounting for this variable, “quality” is unchanging. Throughout this thesis, I also show how generalized additive mixed models can address these biases statistically. My findings offer new opportunities to improve the accuracy and relevance of citizen science, and by extension, the effectiveness of wildlife conservation and management.

No description available.

Monitoring rare or elusive species can be especially difficult in marine environments, resulting in poor data density. SCUBA-derived citizen science data has the potential to improve data density for conservation. However, citizen science data quality may be perceived to be of low quality relative to professional data due to a lack of ‘expertise’ and increased observer variability. We evaluated the quality of data collected by citizen science scuba divers for rockfish (Sebastes spp.) conservation around Southern Vancouver Island, Canada. An information-theoretic approach was taken in two separate analyses to address the overarching question: ‘what factors are important for SCUBA-derived citizen science data quality?’. The first analysis identified predictors of variability in precision between paired divers. We found that professional scientific divers did not exhibit greater data precision than recreational divers. Instead, precision variation was best explained by study site and divers’ species identification or recreational training. A second analysis identified what observer and environmental factors correlated with higher resolution identifications (i.e. identified to the species level rather than family or genus). We found divers provided higher resolution identifications on surveys when they had high species ID competency and diving experience. Favorable conditions (high visibility and earlier in the day) also increased taxonomic resolution on dive surveys. With our findings, we are closer to realizing the full potential of citizen science to increase our capacity to monitor rare and elusive species. / Graduate

This study aims to draw attention to a new concept within the tourism industry that integrates citizen science into an ecotourism product. The merge of citizen science and ecotourism shows potential to play a role in strategic sustainable development and to give ecotourism providers a competitive advantage in the market. However, the environmental and social benefits of this concept can only be realized if it is applied correctly. The framework for strategic for strategic sustainable development (FSSD) was used to address the complexity surrounding ecotourism and the use of citizen science. The study used a mixed method research design by conducting exploratory interviews, and then distributing a questionnaire to validate the qualitative findings. Results demonstrate that the merge of citizen science and ecotourism could contribute to sustainability through education, conservation, local community engagement, and the increased environmental awareness of the travellers. Additionally, it demonstrates that the integration of citizen science in an ecotourism product might create business benefits for the ecotourism providers in conjunction with a dynamic learning experience for the consumer. This study makes adaptions to a widely used citizen science toolkit and recommends appropriate changes to the process in order to ensure that it is effective for ecotourism providers while incorporating sustainability throughout the product design phase.

abstract: Plastic pollution has become a global threat to ecosystems worldwide, with microplastics now representing contaminants reported to occur in ambient air, fresh water, seawater, soils, fauna and people. Over time, larger macro-plastics are subject to weathering and fragmentation, resulting in smaller particles, termed ‘microplastics’ (measuring < 5 mm in diameter), which have been found to pollute virtually every marine and terrestrial ecosystem on the planet. This thesis explored the transfer of plastic pollutants from consumer products into the built water environment and ultimately into global aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. A literature review demonstrated that municipal sewage sludge produced by wastewater treatment plants around the world contains detectable quantities of microplastics. Application of sewage sludge on land was shown to represent a mechanism for transfer of microplastics from wastewater into terrestrial environments, with some countries reporting as high as 113 ± 57 microplastic particles per gram of dry sludge. To address the notable shortcoming of inconsistent reporting practices for microplastic pollution, this thesis introduced a novel, online calculator that converts the number of plastic particles into the unambiguous metric of mass, thereby making global studies on microplastic pollution directly comparable. This thesis concludes with an investigation of a previously unexplored and more personal source of plastic pollution, namely the disposal of single-use contact lenses and an assessment of the magnitude of this emerging source of environmental pollution. Using an online survey aimed at quantifying trends with the disposal of lenses in the US, it was discovered that 20 ± 0.8% of contact lens wearers flushed their used lenses down the drain, amounting to 44,000 ± 1,700 kg y-1 of lens dry mass discharged into US wastewater. From the results it is concluded that conventional and medical microplastics represent a significant global source of pollution and a long-term threat to ecosystems around the world. Recommendations are provided on how to limit the entry of medical microplastics into the built water environment to limit damage to ecosystems worldwide. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Biology 2020

To be successful citizen science projects need to do two key things: (1) they need to meaningfully engage the public and they must also provide people with the tools, expertise, and/or training needed to participate in rigorous research that can be used by the scientific community. In some ways, these requirements are potentially at odds. Emphasis on rigor and expertise risks excluding members of the public who do not feel qualified to participate in esoteric or technically difficult scientific research. Conversely, projects that eschew rigorous methods in favor of wider participation might lead to bad data that cannot be used to draw any meaningful conclusions to expand scientific understanding. How then do those who are aiming to design successful citizen science programs create tools and processes that facilitate both active engagement and meaningful scientific results for perceived non-expert researchers? This paper uses a case study of the Outsmart Invasive Species Project (Outsmart) to explore how visual media shape the experiences of citizen scientists participating in a data collection project. Outsmart uses visual media such as photographs and videos to train users in identifying invasive species, and asks them to submit their own location-tagged pictures to a central database for review by a trained research team. Using ethnographic field observation, we focused on how visual media serve to improve engagement in non-expert Outsmart users by building confidence and expertise. Our work can provide guidance to other citizen science projects in how to best use visual media to empower citizens and improve scientific outcomes.

No description available.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are growing fields in both global job markets and educational spaces. The problem related to this study was the lack of understanding of how gender and ethnicity might relate to differences in the science self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and task interest of students who have participated in STEM intervention programs at the middle school level. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the extent to which there were differences between the dependent variables of science self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and task interest in U.S. middle school students based on the independent variables of gender and ethnicity after participating in a citizen science STEM intervention program. Social cognitive career theory was the theoretical framework for the study. This study was a nonexperimental comparative investigation based on survey responses from students who had participated in a water quality, citizen science STEM intervention from 2017-2019. The participating students’ school district has a history of multiple, systemic STEM learning experiences. The results of two-way MANOVA indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in career choice variables between male and female students and between non-Hispanic and Hispanic students after participating in a citizen science intervention program. This study has the potential to help students from underrepresented populations to envision success in their STEM educational and career pathways by seeing other students experience success in those areas. Educators may also be better able to design programs that address the specific needs of underrepresented student populations, which may lead to better student outcomes for those groups.

L'expansion des surfaces urbaines a de fortes conséquences sur la composition des communautés de plantes et de pollinisateurs. Néanmoins, les effets de l'urbanisation sur l’interdépendance entre ces deux communautés et leurs conséquences évolutives restent peu étudiés. Premièrement, nous avons cherché à identifier le long d'un gradient d'urbanisation les facteurs affectant les communautés de plantes et de pollinisateurs. Deuxièmement, nous avons testé l'existence de divergences évolutives intra-spécifiques pour les caractéristiques reproductives de plantes d'origine urbaine et rurale. Dans ce but, nous avons combiné l'analyse de données issues de programmes de sciences participatives en région de l'Ile-de-France et nous avons également mis en place une expérience de transplantation réciproque impliquant quatre espèces végétales fréquentes dans cette région. Nos résultats révèlent que la morphologie florale est le facteur le plus souvent impliqué dans l'observation des familles d'insectes sur les fleurs le long du gradient. Les familles d'insectes ayant une affinité positive aux surfaces imperméables préfèrent les corolles tubulaires, tandis que les familles ayant une affinité négative préfèrent les corolles évasées. L'urbanisation modifie la composition des communautés végétales, en sélectionnant notamment des espèces autogames et non-entomophiles. Nos résultats indiquent une perte fonctionnelle de pollinisateurs en milieu urbain. Une analyse détaillée de l’espèce Cymbalaria muralis suggère que les plantes auraient un plus grand bénéfice reproductif à allouer plus de ressources à la production de fleurs sur les sites de plantation urbain. En conséquence, les plantes d'origine urbaine ont tendance à produire plus de fleurs que celles d’origine rurale, au détriment de la production d'ovules par fleur et de la coloration des corolles. Cette divergence évolutive pourrait s'expliquer par des changements dans le comportement des pollinisateurs induits par une fragmentation accrue de l'habitat dans les zones urbaines. Cette thèse révèle que les changements induits par l'urbanisation dans l'abondance, le comportement ou les affinités florales fonctionnelles des pollinisateurs peuvent servir d'agents de sélection sur les espèces végétales spontanées. / The expansion of urban areas is known to impact the composition of plant and pollinator communities. However, the effects of urbanization on the interdependency between both communities, and the subsequent evolutionary consequences, are still poorly studied. First, we tried to identify along an urbanization gradient which factors shape plant and pollinator communities. Second, we tested the existence of intra-specific evolutionary divergences of plant reproductive characteristics between populations from urban and rural origins. For these purposes, we combined the analysis of data collected in the Ile-de-France region originating from citizen science projects, and we set up a reciprocal transplantation experiment involving four plant species commonly found in this region. We found that floral morphology was the most frequently implicated factor in the observation of insect families along the gradient. Insect families with positive affinity to impervious areas prefer tubular corollas, while families with negative affinity prefer non-tubular (open) corollas. Urbanization modifies the composition of plant communities, by selecting in particular autogamous and non-entomophilous species. Altogether, our results point towards a functional loss of pollinators along with urbanization. A detailed analysis of the species Cymbalaria muralis suggests a greater reproductive benefit in allocating more resources to flower production in urban plantation sites. As a consequence, plants from urban origin tend to produce more flowers compared to plants from rural origin, at the expense of ovule production per flower and flower coloration. This evolutionary divergence could be explained by shifts in pollinator behaviour induced by higher habitat fragmentation in urban areas. This thesis reveals that shifts in the abundance, in the behaviour or in the functional floral affinities of pollinators, induced by urbanization, could act as selection agents on spontaneous plant species.