Date of Award
Fall 11-25-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Biological Sciences
First Advisor
Tony Gamble
Second Advisor
Jennifer Zaspel
Third Advisor
Chelsea Cook
Abstract
At the current rate of species loss, Earth appears to have entered the sixth mass extinction event. The urgency to monitor biodiversity amidst rapid population declines requires a coordinated effort to assemble expertise, resources, and effort across large scales. Public participation in this process can ensure long-term sustainability of efforts to track and mitigate changes in biodiversity and ecosystem function. Community science projects can be effective in contributing data to long-term monitoring and restoration, although specific use cases remain limited to few taxa and often involve participants representing similar demographic groups. Increased representation of people from many backgrounds into biodiversity conservation will both broaden and deepen geographic coverage while building capacity for this work in the future. My dissertation research addresses gaps in knowledge in how to utilize the variety of tools necessary to characterize biodiversity, guide more sustainable conservation and land management actions, and increase representation and access to community science in Wisconsin. First, I conducted a systematic literature review and analysis of participant data, including identity and demographics, evaluation metrics, and tools provided for insect related community science projects in North America. Second, I created a pipeline that describes a method for synthesizing and maintaining taxonomic lists for downstream users. Third, I engaged community scientists to collect biodiversity data to determine how insect pollinator diversity is changing across space and time throughout Wisconsin. I investigated modified butterfly transect survey protocols designed for community members with varying access requirements. These can be implemented alongside traditional monitoring surveys conducted by professionals to maximize temporal and spatial data collection for insects. Fourth, I synthesized a comprehensive dataset for butterflies of Wisconsin that includes community science observations, natural history collections, standardized surveys, and historical checklists. I modelled ecological changes in occupancy using this dataset of structured and unstructured surveys to assess the impact of climate, habitat, biotic interactions, and data collection methods on detection across Wisconsin over the past century. Through my dissertation work I have promoted community engagement in biodiversity research by supporting tool development and showing direct applications of community data in conservation and science.
Comments
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)