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We Are All Scientists:
Student Participation in Insect Ecology Research

Overview
The recent expansion of high speed internet access into millions of homes and
classrooms has enabled school students, nature enthusiasts, and professional
scientists to collaborate on large science projects.
The benefits of these projects are immense. The participation of so many people
in diverse geographic locations are able to create comprehensive datasets that would
be impossible for few scientists to assemble. Students and non-professional scientists
are able to learn about, and contribute significantly to research on some of the most
important issues society is grappling with. This gives individuals, especially students,
the chance to learn and participate in societally relevant research. By being part of a
nationwide collaboration with other university, nonprofit, and citizen researchers,
citizen science projects teach how to participate in the scientific process, through
collaboration, scientific observation, data recording, data formatting, and open access
data deposition. These data are then deposited it in the same format in one public,
central repository.
Here, I present several ongoing citizen science projects that classroom students
can contribute to. One of the longest established of these projects, the Lost Ladybug
Project http://www.lostladybug.org/, records changes in population levels of native
and invasive lady beetles. Lady beetles are hold a unique place in the public
imagination, yet their native populations have been decimated by habitat alteration
and the introduction of invasive species. This project seeks to involve the public to
document changes in beetle population numbers, with the goal of better promoting
the recovery of native species.
The goal of this project is to give students hands – on experience with an
important insect ecology project that ties into teaching many important ecological
concepts, such as trophic structure, the role of natural enemies, ecological services
provided by insects, and the potentially disruptive roles of introduced species.
Additional citizen science projects that may be useful for classroom participation
can be found here: http://scistarter.com/finder
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Materials
1. Butterfly/sweep nets
2. Beat sheet and stick (ie, http://www.sciencefriday.com/blogs/06/14/2012/diyinsect-collecting-beat-sheet.html?interest=5&audience=2&series=17)
3. Plastic vials for temporarily storing insects
4. Black light
5. Camera (cell phone cameras are fine)
6. Pens and pencils
7. Insect diversity and anatomy lesson materials
8. Freezer or cooler with ice to BRIEFLY chill insects, just long enough so they
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can be photographed
9. Key to insect identification (using Discover Life and Lost Ladybug Project)
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Methods
Classroom Lesson
1. Overview of insect diversity, emphasizing that insects are the most abundant and
speciose class of organisms in the world
2. Discussion of the essential contributions of many insects in many ecological
settings, such as predators in agro-ecosystems, pollinators, decomposers, and
roles in aquatic systems
a. There are a number of videos that can be used to make this section more
interesting and engaging
i. A movie called Microcosmos
ii. Clips from David Attenborough nature documentaries
3. Overview of the most prominent insect orders students are likely to encounter, as
well as the distinguishing morphologic features
a. Introduce Coleoptera, Hymentopera, Lepidoptera, Hemiptera
i. For this lesson, it is important to make a specific point about the
difference between ‘true bugs’ and beetles/lady beetles
ii. NCState maintains a website with good order-level descriptions
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/library/compendium/
4. There are several open access tools for insect identification
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5. Specific introduction to ladybug diversity, habitats, and their ecological roles in
natural and agricultural systems
a. Distribute lady beetle field guides, nets, paper and pen, and collection
vials
b. Discuss different techniques of insect collection
c. Emphasize the importance of field notes
Field Collections
1. Go to the forest, fields, personal gardens, or agricultural production areas
2. Collect insects with sweep nets
a. Carefully observe which insects have been caught
b. Place lady beetles into plastic vials for photography
c. Record ALL metadata: Time, place (latitude/longitude), habitat, method of
collection
d. Photograph beetles if they are slow enough; otherwise place on ice or in
freezer briefly, to obtain a good photograph
e. At the end of the collection period, return to the lab
i. Upload photos to Lost Ladybug project
ii. Have all groups record metadata in the same place
iii. Discuss approach for the statistical analysis
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Special considerations
This project should be safe and fun for all ages! Caution should be taken against
potentially abrasive or poisonous plants (poison ivy, stinging nettles)
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Analysis
Students can gain experience with introductory statistics by analyzing the total numbers
and averages of each species they collect.
Species abundance data can be summarized using basic statistics:
1. Add up the total number of lady beetles
a. Make charts that show totals
2. Calculate the average and standard deviation of insects per species collected
at each habitat, day, site, etc.
a. Make graphs showing means and standard deviations, and compare these
charts to the raw species counts
3. Discuss the meaning of these data!
a. Which species are most abundant in which habitat?
b. Were there similar numbers of native and exotic species?
c. Do the native and exotic lady beetle species perform similar ecological
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roles?
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Documentation
The summaries created during the statistical analysis will document the results of the
project. Insects will also be photographed, and images uploaded as vouchers to the Lost
Ladybug website.
Another possible deliverable: Collaborative work towards a Ladybugs of Massachusetts
Poster, similar to what has been produced by other states (displayed on the website
http://lostladybug.org/identification-tools-1083.php)
Optional Additional Activities
1. DNA barcoding: Connecting Genetic and Morphological Diversity
Materials
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Specimens collected during citizen science (NOT the native ladybugs!)
DNA extraction
Classroom miniPCR kit
Methods
Publishing a Scientific Paper
Summarizing the results of our scientific inquiry in a clear and concise way in a
journal article is one of the ways scientists share our progress and advances. There are
several free journals that accept submissions from high school students for publication.
There are several journals that we recommend:
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One we DO NOT recommend:
Resources and Additional Related Ideas
Project summarized in this lesson plan:
http://www.lostladybug.org/
Clearinghouse for citizen science projects in all fields: http://scistarter.com/finder
Other insect ecology projects:
Another local project tracking population dynamics of a popular insect:
https://legacy.mos.org/fireflywatch/
Two more general projects documenting insect diversity related to plant diversity:
http://www.greatsunflower.org/
http://www.naba.org/butter_counts.html
Discover life can be used for identification, and to record siting data:
http://www.discoverlife.org/
Work towards meeting the qualifications of a ‘green school’:
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/07/pennsylvania-schools-leading-the-way-to-asustainable-future-2/
Insect anatomy: A basic diagram is below, and this website is also helpful
http://www.earthlife.net/insects/anatomy.html