Search results for "citizen science"
showing 10 items of 64 documents
Tracking the invasion of the red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852) (Decapoda Cambaridae) in Sicily: a “citizen science” approach
2017
Author(s): Faraone, Francesco Paolo; Giacalone, Gabriele; Canale, Domenica Emanuela; D'Angelo, Stefania; Favaccio, Giorgio; Garozzo, Vincenzo; Giancontieri, Giacoma Lidia; Isgro, Carmelo; Melfi, Raffaella; Morello, Bruno; Navarria, Federica; Russo, Giuseppe; Tinnirello, Viviana; Torre, Antonio; Torre, Daniele; Torre, Giancarlo; Urso, Giuseppe; Vinci, Pierluigi; Zizzo, Maria Grazia; Marrone, Federico | Abstract: The first record of the red swamp crayfish in Sicily dates back to 2003 and, since then, the species seemed to be confined to a few localities in western Sicily. A small “citizen science” project carried out from November 2016 onwards led to the creation of the “Sicilian Procambarus …
Sicilians are not easily hooked! first assessment of the impact of recreational fishing on the endemic sicilian pond turtle emys trinacris (Testudine…
2020
The possible impact of recreational fishing on the Sicilian pond turtle Emys trinacris was investigated in two permanent water bodies in western Sicily (Italy). Overall, 120 specimens were temporarily captured and X-rayed in order to determine the possible presence of fishhooks in their mouth, throat, or gastrointestinal tract. At the studied sites, none of the Xrayed turtles showed any evidence of ingested fishhooks or other fishing gears, thus suggesting limited impact of recreational fishing. However, the occasional but not negligible findings of E. trinacris specimens injured by fishhooks or entangled in abandoned fishing lines prove the actual existence of such impact, raising some con…
Citizen science projects for monitoring alien macrophytes
2016
To understand the invasive potential and the spread dynamics of an alien species, any newly colonized area needs to be quickly detected. Therefore, regular monitoring programs and public awareness campaigns are essential. Since intensive monitoring activities involving scientists are expensive, the occurrence and spread of marine species could remain undetected or could be detected only years after the initial colonization. Citizen Science initiatives, a potential solution to this problem providing supplemental information that would otherwise be lost, are able to involve different groups of volunteers: students, tourists, divers, underwater photographers, amateurs and fishermen. Volunteers…
BiodiverCity: a first investigation on bird communities in two urban green areas of Palermo, Sicily
2019
Since the 1980s, there has been a growing worldwide interest on urban bird diversity. The avifauna of Mediterranean cities has been however poorly investigated with standardized methods. Accordingly, our investigation aimed to record breeding and migrating species in two XVIII-century green areas of Palermo town: Villa Trabia (8 ha) and the Botanical Garden (10 ha). Starting from spring 2019, we carried 15 census sessions by point-counts, during the morning hours (10 points at Villa Trabia and 11 at the Botanical Garden, set with a minimum distance of 50 m) by recording, in each point, all the birds seen or heard within 10 min. Our preliminary results show that the study sites are mainly vi…
The Project “Caulerpa cylindracea in the Egadi Islands”: citizens and scientists working together to monitor marine alien species
2016
The creation of early-warning systems is crucial for preventing and reducing the risk of invasive species introduction. In this respect, the contribution of citizen-scientists (tourists, students, teachers, divers and fishermen) in providing information and data (validated by taxonomic experts) on the occurrence of marine invasive species that would otherwise be impossible to collect, is crucial in understanding the phenomenon of biological invasions. The Citizen Science Project “Caulerpa cylindracea - Egadi Islands”, launched in 2014 and ended in 2016, aimed at creating a database on the spread dynamics and the levels of threat of the invasive green alga Caulerpa cylindracea within the Ega…
Citizen Science: Sicilian Naturalistic News. 1. Natula averni (Orthoptera, Gryllidae) ; 2. Lindenia tetraphylla (Odonata, Gomphidae).
2019
The 2nd and the 3rd record in Sicily for Natula averni; the 1st was at Belice mouth (ODÉ et al., 2011). The 2nd site record in Sicily for Lindenia tetraphylla; the 1st was at lake “Lago della Trinità” (Castelvetrano,Trapani) (SURDO, 2017).
Piccoli Cittadini per una grande Scienza. Un esperimento alternativo di Citizen Science.
2017
Technoscientific Citizenship in Citizen Science. Assembling Crowds for Biomedical Research
2020
This chapter explores “citizen science” as a contemporary variant of participatory citizenship. It analyzes how two biomedical online citizen science projects address potential participants. What does it mean to enact citizenship in these citizen science projects according to the self-descriptions of the projects? How do their web interfaces regulate participation?
Titmice are a better indicator of bird density in Northern European than in Western European forests
2022
Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Population sizes of many birds are declining alarmingly and methods for estimating fluctuations in species’ abundances at a large spatial scale are needed. The possibility to derive indicators from the tendency of specific species to co-occur with others has been overlooked. Here, we tested whether the abundance of resident titmice can act as a general ecological indicator of forest bird density in European forests. Titmice species are easily identifiable and have a wide distribution, which makes them potentially useful ecological indicators. Migratory birds often use information on the densit…
Scientific response to the 2021 eruption of Nyiragongo based on the implementation of a participatory monitoring system
2022
AbstractThe development of a resilient society is a major challenge for growing human population faced with abundant natural hazards. During and after the May 22, 2021 eruption of Nyiragongo, the local population was surprised and scared by the subsequent seismicity and associated surface fracturing, coupled with the alert of a possible new eruptive vent opening in Goma (Democratic Republic of Congo) and/or Gisenyi (Rwanda). The creation of a toll-free phone number enabled the population to record fractures and gas/thermal anomalies affecting the area. Such work was fundamental in enabling scientists and authorities to assess the associated risks. Crucially, gas data showed that the degassi…