1,720,977 research outputs found
Natural Places & Digital Spaces: Challenges and Opportunities for Instagram in Biodiversity Conservation
Get PDFScience communication through social media is an area of research that has gained much international interest. Yet there lacks robust information of environmental education on Instagram specifically, as well as its relationship to the fields of conservation biology and conservation management, which is where this research is most meaningful. This paper explores the proliferation of the social media platform, Instagram, into the field of conservation science by examining the opportunities and challenges in three case studies.
Chapter 1 investigates how Instagram has influenced protected areas and protected area management. Primary data is offered to demonstrate the influence that parks have over its visitors along with an outline of the current and future state of its use by parks.
Chapter 2 uses empirical and observational data to analyze the perspectives of 18 Science Communicators on the emergence of scientific engagement on Instagram. Concentrating on its impacts for wildlife biology and conservation, guidelines for ethical and effective science communication are offered.
Chapter 3 assesses the usability and reception of Instagram as a tool for environmental education based on experimentation, analysis and survey results. The dichotomy between humans and nature caused by technology (Kesebir and Kesebir, 2017) is challenged in this case study, through disseminating engaging environmental information on Instagram.
The 2018 IPCC special report revealed that the next 11 years are most crucial in maintaining global temperature increase below 1.5 degrees (IPCC, 2018) which requires implementing drastic changes to all levels of society. To address this need, this research will identify new opportunities and challenges for conservation biology from bringing environmental awareness and education to Instagram
Understanding honey bee forage requirements and the impacts of urban hives on wild bees
Get PDFThere is limited knowledge of the impacts of honey bee hives on wild bees and the amount of floral resources honey bees require, which are both needed for addressing whether landscapes have enough resources for all bees. I developed a model to calculate the number of flowers and area a honey bee hive requires using information compiled from published literature (Chapter 1), and I performed a field study to assess the impacts of urban beehives on wild bees (Chapter 2). My models output is highly variable due to the limited amount of available peer-reviewed literature on needed parameters, but it serves as a starting point to assess how much floral resources honey bee hives require. My field studys main findings were that increasing honey bee abundance was associated with decreases in the abundance and body size of certain bee species, as well as reduced species richness and functional diversity
The Effects of Supplemental and Substitutional Bee Food on the Common Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus impatiens)
Get PDFThis study was undertaken to determine the effect of supplemental and substitution bee food on the common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) compared to what is most commonly fed to captive bumblebees now, which is honeybee pollen. There is not an extensive amount of knowledge about the effects of supplemental or substitutional bee food and whether or not what is fed to bumblebees can have an effect on their overall success and health. Three different test groups of micro-colonies of bumblebee each with ten replicants were set up in order to test this; each were fed a different bee food: (i) 100% honeybee pollen (P), (ii) a supplemental bee food (GP) and (iii) a substitutional bee food (BP). Over the test period it was discovered that bumblebees which were fed 100% honeybee pollen consumed between 63-73% more food than those fed a supplemental or substitutional food. It was also found that there was a relationship between what is fed to bumblebees and their success, in this case the amount of eggs they laid. Those bumblebees which were fed 100% honeybee pollen (P) and those that were fed a supplemental food (GP) had comparable amounts of eggs laid; P laid 121 eggs and GP laid 112 eggs). This is despite the fact that the bees in test group GP ate 66% less food than those bees which ate 100% honeybee pollen and yet they produced a comparable amount of eggs over the course of the experiment. The amount of supplemental food eaten by GP could be compared to the amount that was eaten by those bees fed a substitutional bee food (BP) as the two test groups ate a similar amount of food. GP only ate 16% more food compared to BP. However, the amount of eggs that each of the groups laid was vastly different with bumblebees that ate a supplemental diet (GP) laying 112 eggs in total and bees fed a substitutional bee food (BP) only laying 2 eggs in total over the experimental period. These findings suggested that supplemental food may be a comparable alternative food to be fed to captive bumblebees instead of what is most commonly fed to them which is honeybee pollen
The Conservation Management and Ecology of Northeastern North American Bumble Bees
Get PDFBumble bees (Bombus spp.; Apidae) are among the pollinators most in decline globally with a main cause being habitat loss. Habitat requirements for bumble bees are poorly understood presenting a research gap.
The purpose of my dissertation is to characterize the habitat of bumble bees at different spatial scales using: a systematic literature review of bumble bee nesting and overwintering habitat globally (Chapter 1); surveys of local and landcover variables for two at-risk bumble bee species (Bombus terricola, and B. pensylvanicus) in southern Ontario (Chapter 2); identification of conservation priority areas for bumble bee species in Canada (Chapter 3); and an analysis of the methodology for locating bumble bee nests using detection dogs (Chapter 4).
The main findings were: current literature on bumble bee nesting and overwintering habitat is limited and biased towards the United Kingdom and agricultural habitats (Ch.1). Bumble bees overwinter underground, often on shaded banks or near trees. Nests were mostly underground and found in many landscapes (Ch.1). B. terricola and B. pensylvanicus have distinct habitat characteristics (Ch.2). Landscape predictors explained more variation in the species data than local or floral resources (Ch.2). Among local variables, floral resources were consistently important throughout the season (Ch.2). Most bumble bee conservation priority areas are in western Canada, southern Ontario, southern Quebec and across the Maritimes and are most often located within woody savannas (Ch.3). Climate change is predicted to shift priority areas to more northerly latitudes and to higher elevations (Ch.3). These priority areas do not overlap highly with current protected areas (Ch.3). Using detection dogs to locate the scent of bumble bee nests was more nuanced than expected (Ch.4). The detection distance for nests was short, so dogs needed to conduct detailed searches for nests (Ch.4). Nests may also have multiple entrances which complicates confirming detections made by dogs (Ch.4). The challenges with deploying detection dogs to locate bumble bee nests could be mitigated with careful study design should be carefully considered in future research.
This research addresses many gaps in our understanding of bumble bee habitats and will be valuable in informing conservation policy
Assessing the Benefits, Challenges and Scientific Value of Community Science Programs: A Case Study Using Bumble Bee Watch
Get PDFWe are experiencing a biodiversity crisis but resources to help species are limited. Scientists are turning to community science to complement traditional scientific methods. Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) are important pollinators in temperate regions, but many are in decline, and more information is needed to conserve them. The Bumble Bee Watch (BBW) program collects this through photos submitted by volunteers and identified by experts. Yet many community science programs struggle. Chapter 2 reviews common successes and challenges, offering best practices for developing and running programs.
To determine whether BBW is filling knowledge gaps, Chapter 3 compares its data to the Bumble Bees of North America database (BBNA) over all years and 2010-2020. BBW recorded 41 species (BBNA had 48) from all parts of the continental US and Canada, confirmed persistence, and provided novel locations for species outside of and within the known extent of occurrence. BBW showed its greatest impact from 2010-2020 by contributing 25% of all records, 28% of all unique locations, and 32% new plant forage genera.
BBW does not replace traditional surveys, but does complement them. Chapter 4 shows that B. pensylvanicus is critically endangered in Canada according to IUCN Red List criteria. BBW provided 20% of all B. pensylvanicus records and 36% of its sites over the 2007-2016 period assessed, and thus provided important information on its current abundance and distribution.
No experience is required to participate in BBW, but having participants able to accurately identify species is beneficial. Chapter 5 explores the percent agreement and veracity of participant species identifications compared to experts, with the average being 53% and 56%, respectively. With better educational resources, participants may be better trained to identify species more accurately.
Understanding the motivations and insights of community science participants is important. Chapter 6 discusses the results of a BBW user and expert survey: participants want to contribute to science and save the bees, and report an increase in knowledge and skills after participating. Although areas for improvement are noted, BBW is an important tool for Bombus researchers, and demonstrates the value that community science has for species conservation
At-risk and common bumble bees (Bombus spp.) forage differently in protected areas where they co-occur
Get PDFBumble bees are important pollinators in wild and managed ecosystems. In recent decades, some species of bumble bees have declined globally, including across North America. Declines have been reported in certain species of bumble bees historically present in southern Ontario, including: Yellow bumble bee (B. fervidus) (Fabricus, 1798), American bumble bee (B. pensylvanicus) (DeGeer, 1773), and Yellow-banded bumble bee (B. terricola) (Kirby, 1837). Various threats contributing to bumble bee population declines include: land-use changes, habitat loss, climate change, pathogen spillover from managed bumble bee colonies, and pesticide use. A general response to the need for action on pollinator preservation in North America has been to encourage planting “bee-friendly” plants. Previous studies show differences in common and at-risk bumble bee foraging; however, similar data are unavailable for Ontario. Our main research questions are: 1. Is there a difference in at-risk and common bumble bee (Bombus spp.) floral use in protected areas in southern Ontario? 2. Do at-risk and common bumble bees exhibit differences in pollen and nectar collection? We hypothesize that common and at-risk species forage differently, predicting that at-risk species forage on a limited selection of host plants. The results of a redundancy analysis show a difference in foraging between common and at-risk bumblebee species. This would have implications for the planting of appropriate forage as a conservation strategy for at-risk bumble bees in Ontario
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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