Pixelated Entomology: Analyzing Beetles’ Flower Use Through Digital Samples
With the continuing growth of community-driven, digital nature observations on platforms like iNaturalist, entomologists and other scientists are tapping into that store of knowledge to make new discoveries. A new study shows the potential for photo observations to answer species-specific behavior and ecological questions.
International Cooperation Boosts Prep for Invasive Insects Before They Arrive
New research shows how emphasizing collaboration and local knowledge in China can advance preparation for responding to invasive insects that could threaten North American tree species.
Tick Blitz: How Community Science is Helping New York State Monitor Ticks
With a little bit of training, 59 citizen scientists in New York collected more than 3,700 ticks across 15 counties in a two-week period in the summer of 2021, greatly expanding the reach of professional tick researchers at the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases. The "New York State Tick Blitz" is now an annual project and a model that tick-surveillance programs elsewhere can follow.
Spider Solidarity: Scientists Discover New Species With Unprecedented Social Behavior
Sociality in spiders is quite rare, but a new species found in Madagascar takes it a step further. Isoxya manangona kite spiders build large colonies of webs, all connected by a central silk line where multiple adult males gather harmoniously. Researchers suggest the males could be "lekking," gathering in a group to perform mating displays for females, a behavior never before seen in spiders.