There are endless questions that could be investigated using iNaturalist data and field observations. Today, we will investigate the following questions:

  • How do the number of observations and number of species change over different geographic scales?
  • What inferences can be made from the primary observations about changes in biodiversity composition and richness?

Explore Data
We will investigate observation data from three different geographic scales in iNaturalist.

  1. First, search for the 2016 Brandeis Bioliteracy Challenge project. Click the “observation” tab on the left-hand side of the project page. Filter for the number of observations and the number of species for plants by clicking the plant icon and ensuring the “verifiable” box on left-hand side is selected. Click “Update Search” and record numbers in the table provided.
  2. Repeat for the following taxa: fungi, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fishes, and insects. You can also search other taxa by either clicking additional icons (mollusks, arachnids, Chromista) or using the “search” bar outside of Filter.
  3. Go to the observations tab in iNaturalist (outside of the project), which should take you to a world map filled with observations. Click the “Filter” button next to the search bar and click the “More Filters” link on the bottom left corner to display additional fields. Type in “Middlesex County, MA” in the Place field and select from the drop-down menu. This will limit observations to within the county. Assure that the “verifiable” box is selected. Click the plant icon and “Update Search” to display the number of observations and species for that taxon in Middlesex County. Record numbers in table. Repeat for all taxa.
  4. Repeat this at larger geographic scale: Massachusetts.
  5. Address the following questions:
    • What inferences did you draw from primary observations about changes in biodiversity composition and richness across geographic scale?
    • What do you think may be the causes for observational differences at different scales?
    • What are the opportunities and limitations of using data from iNaturalist vs. data from research to answer questions?

Adapted from http://eddev.eol.org/lesson_plans/9-12_ScienceSkills_iNaturalistDataAnalysis.pdf