Final Assignment for BIOL3340, Turtle Tally Assignment PDF

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The final project for BIOL3340 had to collect metadata and create hypotheses for two variables on the topic of turtles using databases...

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Jordan Gilder 0665817 – Lab Group 2 D105 2019-11-20 3340H-A-F03

Using Citizen Science to Distinguish the Preferred Habitat for Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys geographica) Executive Summary

Citizen science is used in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge through public participation. Volunteers share and contribute data for specific programs that range from small to large scale projects. This cost-effect method for collecting data is completed by amateur people who lack the knowledge of proper scientific methodology and identification skills. Due to this lack of knowledge, it is important to be aware if data being collected can be considered a valuable recourse or if the number of factors affecting the data is too many. Using online databases, the most observed habitat preference for northern map turtles (Graptemys geographica) will be assessed and compared to other studies to determine if citizen science is a valuable resource. This is extremely important to know to understand where these sensitive creatures are located to be able to properly avoid their habitats, especially during seasons when recreational water activities are at their peak. Introduction The use of citizen sciences allows for non-professionals to engage in authentic scientific research that can range from large scale projects to smaller-scaled ones. Using a combination of historical data and large teams of observers creates more opportunities for ecological research

(Dickinson, et al. 2012). Citizen science allows individuals to volunteer to participate in scientific research by collecting data and monitoring sites. This form of data collection has gained immense popularity due to an increase in public awareness and scientists realizing the benefits of engaging volunteers (Bueno, et al. 2017). Citizen science is cost-effective as well, which allows scientists to conduct research on large and temporal scales with projects today spanning a wide range of research topics that concern the preservation of marine and terrestrial environments, invasive species monitoring, ecological restoration, and even research to identify local indicators of climate change (Bueno, et al. 2017). Although there is a large increase in the use and understanding of citizen science projects, there are still many scientists who remain concerned regarding the accuracy and precision of data collected by volunteers due to their lack of knowledge (Bueno, et al 2017). Most large-scale citizen science projects are primarily based on bird census because amateur naturalists find them relatively easy to monitor and identify, and many people want to contribute because of their personal interests to this taxonomic group (Devictor, et al. 2010). Although many projects focus on birds, several projects are still being designed for other taxonomic groups, including plants, insects, worms, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. In fact, the Toronto Zoo has established a Turtle Tally monitoring project that allows volunteers to collect, record and store locations and species information on Ontario turtles in an online database that is shared with the Natural Heritage Information Centre and the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas at Ontario Nature. This turtle monitoring project has over 3400 participants that submitted records for viewing over 6900 turtles and in 2017, the Ontario Turtle Tally program received over 1700 observation reports of individual turtles, as well as saving 430 from potential road mortality (Toronto Zoo, 2017). Even though there is a lack of

confidence in the observations made by volunteers, these submissions into the database are extremely useful for scientists to increase the understanding of turtle distribution and ranges as well as identifying areas of concern and threats to turtles. the Turtle Tally database will be used to determine if citizen science can be considered a valuable resource for collecting information regarding species at risk. The hypothesis derived using this data is: are northern map turtles less likely to be observed close to lakes or rivers during the summer’s months from June through August? This is important to know because we wish to avoid certain habitats used by these sensitive reptiles during their most vulnerable times. The prediction for this hypothesis is that northern map turtles will be less likely observed close to lakes during the summer months of July to August, due to high water current and increased recreational activity driving them towards rivers where less recreational activity takes place. Methods Using the online database provided by the Ontario Turtle Tally, data was culminated in an Excel spreadsheet to organize certain categories by sorting specific variables to meet the criteria to answer the hypothesis from above. The species chosen for this report is the northern map turtle (Graptemys geographica), and the variables chosen are habitat type, date and the number observed. The species, habitat and date categories were sorted to only show the species chosen, the date in which species were observed (June to August), and the habitat type specified to only show northern map turtles that were observed in lakes or rivers. Once the desired data was organized, two graphs were created to see the trend between the number of northern map turtles observed and the habitat in which they were seen (lake or river), and the difference in turtles observed in lakes or rivers during June, July and August. The distinction of

habitat type is important due to the increase in recreational activity in and around the nesting sites of this species during the selected time of year. Wetlands are among the most threatened habitats in the world and they’re declining at a rate of 1% every year, posing a threat to habitat dependent species like turtles (Tran, et al. 2007). The importance of accurate citizen science is highlighted by the decline of this species habitat. We must know where these sensitive creatures are located to be able to properly avoid their habitats, especially during seasons like summer when recreational water activities are most popular, and most destructive. The standard deviation, standard error and averages of the number of northern map turtles observed in lakes and rivers were calculated separately and put into one table. A second table was made for the number of northern map turtles observed in rivers or lakes during the separate months of June, July and August. Finally, a third table was made to represent a T-test that was ran using Excel’s Data Analysis Tool Pak to see if there is a significant difference between rivers or lakes, where the northern map turtles were observed by volunteers. Results

The tests completed using Excel shows that northern Map Turtles were more frequently observed by volunteers in rivers, with an average number of 180 individuals being documented, compared to an average of 44 northern map turtles being observed in lakes (see Figure 1). The standard deviation for the number of individuals observed in rivers is 68.98, compared to lakes

which were 24.38 (see Table 1). Out of the three months chosen from 2014 to 2015, July had the highest amount of northern map turtle observations in rivers with a documented 338 turtles being observed in rivers and 72 in lakes (see Figure 2). June had the lowest amount of northern map turtle observations with volunteers documenting 153 turtles in lakes and 35 in rivers (see Table 2). A two-tailed t-Test was ran using Excel that produced results seen in Table 3 that show p=0.252 > p=0.05 and t stat=1 .59 > t critical=4.30, indicating that observations in lakes and rivers are not significantly different. This indicates a failure to reject the null hypothesis, allowing the alternate to be accepted. This p-value highlights that 25% of the variation is not explained, this could cause bias in the results of the tests and conclusions due to a lack of accuracy. Discussion Citizen science data accuracy is often evaluated by comparing observations from volunteers to those recorded by skilled professionals (Specht and Lewandowski, 2003). The large degree of variation throughout studies that compare citizen science projects to professionals evaluate the quality of data and have found that most often the volunteers lack experience with the methods of many procedures (Specht and Lewandowski, 2003). Many variables affect studies, including the age and methods used by citizen science participants. These factors make it difficult to assess the differences between citizen science and professional projects (Specht and Lewandowski, 2003). A journal published by the Ecological Society of America states that its important to only compare the accuracy and precision of citizen science and professional data when both projects have data collected and accessed in the same fashion (Specht and Lewandowski, 2003). Regarding this, an article published in the Journal of

Herpetology, found that Graptemys geographica were most observed at sites within small creeks and streams, with bare shoreline and low amounts of emergent or submerged vegetation (Fuselier and Edds, 1994). Northern map turtles prefer low basking site habitats that are found within their range and consider food availability as a limiting factor rather than habitat quality (Fuselier and Edds, 1994). The northern map turtle is a species that has overlapping characteristics with other species of turtles, such as the Midland Painted turtle, causing interspecific competition that influences their habitat use. Although these two species compete for resources, Graptemys geographica prefers larger bodies of water and are found most often avoiding rapid currents (Tran et al, 2007). This conflicts with the results above that indicate northern map turtles are most often observed by citizen science volunteers in rivers. The reason for this confliction could be due to high amounts of recreational water activities drawing a higher amount of people into larger bodies of water (lakes) where northern map turtles prefer, causing this sensitive species to retreat to less disturbed habitats (rivers). This theory is further expressed by Figure 2 above that shows the highest amount of northern map turtle observations during 2014-2015 was in July when most people are enjoying summer activities in lakes. According to the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission (ORRRC), approximately 38% of people fish regularly, 45% participate in swimming activities and 28% participate in boating (Stroud, 1966). Freshwater turtles that are considered highly aquatic, such as Graptemys geographica have a reduced risk of terrestrial mortality, however, due to this species highly aquatic nature, they are found to have increased rates of mortality from boat propeller collisions and fishing equipment during the peak seasons of the summer (Bennett and Litzgus, 2014). A study published by the Journal of Herpetology examined habitat fragmentation

in the Trent-Severn Waterway (TSW), would result in increased rates of a boat propeller and predation injuries due to the increase in human impact and interaction (Bennett and Litzgus, 2014). They found that northern map turtles, in general, had higher rates of injury, calculated at 48.5% compared to stinkpot turtles (Sternotherus odoratus), calculated at 20% (Bennett and Litzgus, 2014). All turtles documented in this study showed evidence of boat propeller injuries. These results suggest that conservation strategies for aquatic turtles must consider restricting boat access and speed limits, especially in areas that are known to have high turtle densities (Bennett and Litzgus, 2014). The data collected from the Ontario Turtle Tally database allows us to present these analysis-related challenges that would otherwise not be addressed. The results calculated using the database shows that citizen science can be a valuable resource for collecting information regarding certain species at risk. The trends produced from the data highlight how northern map turtles are pushed away from their common habitats to less suitable ones due to human interaction causing a disturbance in their daily activities. The data collected by volunteers is not completely accurate due to the publics lack of knowledge, however, using this database still allowed for a conclusion to be formed. It is our responsibility to participate in citizen science projects to reduce as much disturbance as possible for these species, as certain habitats used by these sensitive reptiles are disturbed during their most vulnerable times; when they are nesting, which unfortunately spans the same time period in which humans use water bodies for recreational activities.

References 1. Bennett, A., Litzgus, D. (2014): Injury Rates of Freshwater Turtles on a Recreational Waterway in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Herpetology 48:2 pp. 262-266. 2. Bueno, A. E., Adeleye, S. A., Yuxiong, F. M., Tao, M., Yang, Y., and Anderson E. S. (2017): The Accuracy of Citizen Science Data: A Quantitative Review. Journal of Ecological Society of America. 98:4 pp. 278-290. 3. Devictor, V., Whittaker J. R., and Beltrame, C. (2010): Beyond scarcity: citizen science programmes as useful tools for conservation biogeography. 16:3 pp. 354-362. 4. Dickinson, J. L., Shirk, J., Bonter, D., Bonney, R., Crain, J. M., Phillips, T., and Purcell, K. (2012): The current state of citizen science as a tool for ecological research and public engagement. Journal of Ecology and Environment. 10:6 pp. 291- 297. 5. Fuselier, L., Edds, D. (1994): Habitat Partitioning among Three Sympatric Species of Map Turtles, Genus Graptemys. Journal of Herpetology 28:2 pp. 154-158. 6. Specht, H., and Lewandowski, E. (2018): Biased Assumptions and Oversimplifications in Evaluations of Citizen Science Data Quality. 99:2 pp. 251-256. 7. Stroud. (1966): Conservationist’s View. Journal of American Water Works Association. 58:10 pp. 1263-1270. 8. Toronto Zoo (2017): Ontario Turtle Tally. Toronto Zoo, Ontario, Canada. 9. Tran, S. L., Moorhead D. L., and McKenna K. C. (2007): Habitat Selection by Native Turtles in a Lake Erie Wetland, USA. The American Midland Naturalist. 158:1 pp. 16-28....