Author:
Alan D. McIntyre- NH
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Date Posted: 05:52:25 09/22/03 Mon
At the Alliance retreat our group discussing Citizen science pointed out a need/desire to share methods and protocols of doing different citizen science projects.
Below is an article from the NH Audubon Society's Biodiversity (biodiva) coordinator - Pamela Hunt overviewing the basic methods and protocol to bioinventories.
I have specific protocols and summaries on the following subjects: trees, frogs, plants, salamanders, birds and butterflies. If you have a need for these I will send them to you personally - not through the message board... Just reply to me directly to let me know. OR contact Pam Hunt (her info is below).
I had a great time at the Alliance -thanks to all!
Alan
The Audubon Society of New Hampshire’s
Biodiversity Conservation Project:
Biodiversity on Conserved Lands
Summary of Inventory Methodologies
One goal of the Biodiversity Conservation Project is to train volunteers (including teachers and their students!) in simple methods for assessing biological diversity. These volunteers can them conduct inventories on conservation lands across the state in an effort to better understand what we have already preserved and how best to manage it if needed. To date, survey methods have been devised for six taxonomic groups, and overviews of these are presented below.
For more details on any of these methodologies, contact Pam Hunt at 224-9909 extension 328, or phunt@nhaudubon.org.
For additional teacher workshops, contact Denise Turcotte at 224-9909 (Silk Farm Audubon Center, Concord) or 668-2045 (Massabesic Audubon Center, Auburn), or by email at dturcotte@nhaudubon.org.
A Word on Sampling
Scientists develop standardized sampling methodologies for two reasons. It allows them to repeat a given survey multiple times with the assurance that it will be done the same way each time. In addition, it allows for different scientists to compare data from different study areas much more easily than if each used her own particular technique. Thus, to make the data collected through the Biodiversity Project useful to the greatest variety of people (students, teachers, scientists, and the general public), we have devised the following techniques. Discussion of the benefits of standardized sampling is an important piece of a scientific education, and it can be much clearer if such techniques are actually incorporated into the classroom experience.
Mammals
1) The best way to sample most mammals is by looking for their tracks or other sign. In the case of small mammals, you can even create a situation that encourages them to make tracks. This methodology uses track tubes, which are baited and contain ink pads and contact paper that records the tracks of visiting mammals. The track-covered paper can then be removed from the tube and the tracks identified and counted. Teacher workshops in the construction and use of these tubes have been presented, and will likely be offered on a fairly regular basis.
2) For larger mammals, tracks can be recorded along transects through a study area. To use a field transect, it is important to follow the same route each time, conduct the survey when tracks are more likely to be visible, and thoroughly search the area along each transect. Larger mammals, and some small ones, will also occasionally be seen or heard when you visit a site, and these observations should be part of what you record when studying mammals.
Birds
Birds are something of a problematic group, since much bird identification relies on song, and even when seen, not all species can be easily identified except by experts. As a result, bird surveys are not conducive to classroom use unless they are modified to fit a particular site or project. More details on potential modifications will be available at a special “birds and bugs” workshop in the fall.
1) That said, a brief word on the methodology is in order. Most bird surveys use what are called point counts, during which an observer looks and listens for birds from a specific point for a fixed period of time (usually 3-10 minutes). All species detected are identified as closely as possible and counted. Point counts are usually distributed fairly evenly throughout a study site at a fixed minimum distance (thus reducing the chance of counting the same bird twice).
2) A simpler methodology involves casually walking through a site and looking for birds, then recording their general location and behaviors. One benefit of this method is that you are free to track down unfamiliar birds or calls to identify them, thus making this approach better for inexperienced birders. In addition, data on behavior can often allow us to better understand how birds are using the area, such as whether they are breeding and if they were successful at doing so. Shortcomings include the lack of standardization and the inherent bias that will result from such “directed” searches.
Amphibians
Amphibians are a good group for classes to work with because there are relatively few species and most are easy to identify. Separate techniques have been developed for two groups in New Hampshire: terrestrial salamanders and frogs. Methodologies for stream salamanders will be available at a later date.
1) In the case of terrestrial salamanders, a simple technique known as cover boards involves placing boards in part of a site and investigating them later to see what organisms have taken up refuge underneath. Once boards are made and placed, they are checked a few times each spring and fall, and data are recorded. Although this method will not work for the larger mole salamanders (the spotted salamander is the most familiar of these), it should turn up things like the very common red-backed salamander, as well as a variety of invertebrates and even the occasional small snake.
2) There are only ten species of frog and toad in New Hampshire, and all have distinct vocalizations. This method requires night visits to wetlands during the spring breeding period, during which observers conduct point counts to estimate frog abundance by the intensity of calling activity. The only problem with this method for classroom use is that it must be done at night. Although many frogs continue to call during the day, the intensity is much lower, and you run the risk of not getting accurate data. Note that this would not preclude conducting daytime surveys as a teaching tool, but the data would not be comparable to other surveys.
Butterflies and Dragonflies
Insects are such a large and diverse group that a general insect survey methodology would be impossible. And even if one were devised, the real problem would be one of identification. There are some 15,000 species of insects in New Hampshire alone, and most require both a microscope and expert to identify them. For this reason, we have chosen to focus on the relatively large, often colorful, and conspicuous groups of butterflies and dragonflies. These insects can be observed in binoculars or caught unharmed in a net, and identified (in many cases, anyway) with a field guide. The “official” survey method is thus quite simple, and involves merely walking through a study area looking for and identifying as many large flying insects as possible. The only “catch” is that the survey should be conducted several times, in order to capture both daily and seasonal variation in species abundance and composition.
Terrestrial Plants
In many ways, plants are the easiest group to survey, if for no other reason than they don’t move around. The methodology used in this project is a simplified/streamlined version of techniques used by botanists, and is intended to collect data in a consistent manner without driving volunteers completely insane. There are two parts to the plant method, and each can actually stand alone if one or the other is better suited for a site or class.
1) The tree and shrub section is better for groups with less time and/or expertise. It involves counting all trees within a circle of fixed diameter, and all shrubs along two transects that bisect this circle. This section of the plant methodology requires less identification expertise and is less time consuming.
2) Ground cover, which includes grasses, wildflowers, ferns, and other perennials, is measured using smaller plots within the large tree circle mentioned above. All plants within each plot are identified as specifically as possible, and their relative abundance estimated on a categorical scale. For rarer species, actual numbers can be counted.
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