Citizen scientist and researcher produced similar environmental niche to larger and nonendangered Felidae species

Abstract

Knowledge of species' geographic distribution and climatic tolerances is essential in conservation biology research. In this context, data provided by both researchers and citizen scientists are crucial for biodiversity conservation plans. However, the similarity between data collected by citizen scientists and researchers may be influenced by species traits. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the environmental niche similarity of felid species detected by professional scientists and citizen scientists, and to investigate whether this similarity could be explained by habitat type, body size, or species threat level. We found that larger and nonendangered species exhibited environmental niches identified by citizen scientists that were similar to those recorded by researchers. Larger and nonendangered species are more accessible to both researchers and citizen scientists; therefore, structured citizen science projects could focus research efforts on smaller and more geographically restricted species. However, special attention must be given to endangered species, as unstructured or poorly planned structured projects may negatively affect local populations, potentially leading to population decline.