Using opportunistic citizen science data to estimate avian population trends

Horns, Joshua J.; Adler, Frederick R.; Şekercioğlu, Çağan H.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2018.02.027

Cited by 124 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…, Horns et al. ). Nevertheless, particular caution is warranted where data are known to be noisy and where the monitoring protocol has strong sampling biases, as this will only increase error rates and reduce statistical power compared to data collected using more structured methods (Strayer , Isaac et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The development of analytical approaches to minimize the effects of such biases when estimating population trends has been the focus of considerable research (K ery et al 2009, Szabo et al 2010, Isaac et al 2014, Johnston et al 2018. With appropriate treatment, including the explicit modeling of the data collection process, reliable trend estimates can be produced even from unstructured data (K ery et al 2010, Van Strien et al 2013, Horns et al 2018. Nevertheless, particular caution is warranted where data are known to be noisy and where the monitoring protocol has strong sampling biases, as this will only increase error rates and reduce statistical power compared to data collected using more structured methods (Strayer 2008, Isaac et al 2014, Kamp et al 2016.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The power to detect regional declines in common bird populations using continental monitoring data

Baker

Clarke

McGeoch

2019

Ecological Applications

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Anthropogenic environmental change is driving the rapid loss of biodiversity. Large declines in the abundance of historically common species are now emerging as a major concern. Identifying declining populations through long‐term biodiversity monitoring is vital for implementing timely conservation measures. It is, therefore, critical to evaluate the likelihood that persistent long‐term population trends of a given size could be detected using existing monitoring data and methods. Here, we test the power to detect declines in Australia's common landbirds using long‐term citizen science monitoring. We use spatially explicit simulations of occupancy dynamics and virtual sampling, designed to mimic bird monitoring in better‐sampled regions of Australia, to assess likely power in these data to detect trends relevant for conservation. We predict the statistical power for 326 common species that meet minimum requirements for monitoring data across 10 regions of Australia, estimating the number of species for which we would have a high (≥80%) chance of detecting declines of different sizes. The power to detect declines of ≥30% per decade was predicted to be high for at least one‐third of the common species in 7 of 10 regions, with a total of 103 (32% of 326) unique species sufficiently monitored in at least one region. These species spanned 12 taxonomic orders, four orders of magnitude in body mass, and a broad diversity of dietary guilds, suggesting the current species pool will likely serve as robust indicators for a broad range of environmental states and pressures. Power was strongly affected by species' detectability, and power to detect even large declines was negligible when species are detected on ≤50% of visits to an occupied site. Predicted power for many species fell just short of the 80% threshold in one or more regions, which suggests an increase in effort targeting these species could greatly enhance the species and regional representation of these data. Against the backdrop of unprecedented biodiversity losses, this study shows how critical evaluation of existing monitoring schemes is valuable both for assessing the contribution of citizen science schemes to biodiversity monitoring and for designing strategic monitoring to significantly improve the knowledge these schemes provide.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The power to detect regional declines in common bird populations using continental monitoring data

Baker

Clarke

McGeoch

2019

Ecological Applications

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“…Recent efforts to estimate species' distributions (K ery et al 2010), abundance (Johnston et al 2015), and trends (Horns et al 2018, Baker et al 2019, and Meehan et al 2019) across broad spatial extents have turned to the use of less structured survey data collected by citizen scientists. Citizen science projects have been very successful at collecting species observation data with high spatial and temporal resolution across broad extents throughout the year (Dickinson et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling avian full annual cycle distribution and population trends with citizen science data

Fink

Auer

Johnston

et al. 2020

Ecological Applications

156

176

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Information on species’ distributions, abundances, and how they change over time is central to the study of the ecology and conservation of animal populations. This information is challenging to obtain at landscape scales across range‐wide extents for two main reasons. First, landscape‐scale processes that affect populations vary throughout the year and across species’ ranges, requiring high‐resolution, year‐round data across broad, sometimes hemispheric, spatial extents. Second, while citizen science projects can collect data at these resolutions and extents, using these data requires appropriate analysis to address known sources of bias. Here, we present an analytical framework to address these challenges and generate year‐round, range‐wide distributional information using citizen science data. To illustrate this approach, we apply the framework to Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), a long‐distance Neotropical migrant and species of conservation concern, using data from the citizen science project eBird. We estimate occurrence and abundance across a range of spatial scales throughout the annual cycle. Additionally, we generate intra‐annual estimates of the range, intra‐annual estimates of the associations between species and characteristics of the landscape, and interannual trends in abundance for breeding and non‐breeding seasons. The range‐wide population trajectories for Wood Thrush show a close correspondence between breeding and non‐breeding seasons with steep declines between 2010 and 2013 followed by shallower rates of decline from 2013 to 2016. The breeding season range‐wide population trajectory based on the independently collected and analyzed North American Breeding Bird Survey data also shows this pattern. The information provided here fills important knowledge gaps for Wood Thrush, especially during the less studied migration and non‐breeding periods. More generally, the modeling framework presented here can be used to accurately capture landscape scale intra‐ and interannual distributional dynamics for broadly distributed, highly mobile species.

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“…Previous studies of other organisms have found that research using data from citizen scientists produced results that were comparable with researcher‐generated data (Aceves‐Bueno et al, 2017; Horns et al, 2018a, 2018b; Schuttler et al, 2019). Small apes typically travel in the middle or upper forest canopy, and most small apes in Malaysia have a dark pelage, making them quite difficult to photograph.…”

Section: Comparison and Critiquementioning

confidence: 75%

“…Research on the distribution of wild animals across large geographic areas that use direct observations by scientists can require enormous time and resource investments (Bonney et al, 2009). However, this problem can sometimes be worked around by enlisting members of the public to gather scientific information, a practice broadly referred to as “citizen science” (Bhattacharjee, 2005; Dickinson, Zuckerberg, & Bonter, 2010; Horns, Adler, & Şekercioğlu, 2018a; Kullenberg & Kasperowski, 2016). The specific meaning, practice, and value of citizen science can differ significantly across academic disciplines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are social media reports useful for assessing small ape occurrence? A pilot study from Peninsular Malaysia

Rameli

Lappan

Bartlett

et al. 2020

American J Primatol

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Citizen science‐based research has been used effectively to estimate animal abundance and breeding patterns, to monitor animal movement, and for biodiversity conservation and education. Here, we evaluate the feasibility of using social media observations to assess the distribution of small apes in Peninsular Malaysia. We searched for reports of small ape observations in Peninsular Malaysia on social media (e.g., blogs, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, iNaturalist, etc.), and also used online, radio, print messaging, and word of mouth to invite citizen scientists such as birders, amateur naturalists, hikers, and other members of the public to provide information about small ape observations made during their activities. These reports provided new information about the occurrence of all three species of small apes (Hylobates agilis, Hylobates lar, and Symphalangus syndactylus) in Peninsular Malaysia. Social media users reported observations of small apes in almost every state. Despite the fact that small apes are believed to occur primarily in the interior of large forested areas, most observations were from fairly small (<100 km2) forests near areas of high traffic and high human population (roads and urban areas). This suggests that most outdoor enthusiasts primarily visit well‐traveled and easily accessible areas, which results in biased sampling if only incidental observations reported on social media are used. A more targeted approach specifically soliciting reports from citizen scientists visiting large, less‐accessible forests may result in better sampling in these habitats. Social media reports indicated the presence of small apes in at least six habitats where they had not been previously reported. We verified the reported data based on whether reports included a date, location, and uploaded photographs, videos and/or audio recordings. Well‐publicized citizen science programs may also build awareness and enthusiasm about the conservation of vulnerable wildlife species.

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Using opportunistic citizen science data to estimate avian population trends

Cited by 124 publications

References 26 publications

The power to detect regional declines in common bird populations using continental monitoring data

The power to detect regional declines in common bird populations using continental monitoring data

Modeling avian full annual cycle distribution and population trends with citizen science data

Are social media reports useful for assessing small ape occurrence? A pilot study from Peninsular Malaysia

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