iNaturalist_Critical_Thinking

Name: ___Ritaj El Ghissassi____ Critical Thinking Assignment Instructions: Using your own personal observations that you submitted to iNaturalist, think about, and answer the following questions. Questions must be answered in a short essay format, using complete sentences. Citations must be provided when external sources are used. 1. URL to your iNaturalist profile: https://www.inaturalist.org/people/6096501 2. Complete the table below. I. On the left side of the table, list the species (or genus, etc.) you observed and list the total number of observations in Florida for each species. To find the total number of observations in Florida for each species, first select one of your observations. On the observation page, click on the species name at the top of the page. This will take you to the species description page. On the description page, click "filter by place" on the top right. Type "Florida" into the search bar and select "Florida, US (state)" Total observations will be listed in the top right corner of the page. Complete this for all five of your observations. II. On the right side of the table, list the species most observed in Florida for each taxonomic group (for example, what is the most observed seed plant in Florida.) To find the most observed species in Florida, go to the main menu at the top and tap “Explore”. Then click on the “Species” tab. In the "location" box at the top, type "Florida", and select "Florida, USA. Species are listed in order of their observation frequency. Observation frequency is noted on each picture. List the corresponding observation frequency in the table below. Complete this for all five taxonomic groups. Your observed species Most observed species in Florida Taxonomic group Species name Total # observed in FL Species name Total # observed in FL seedless plant Pleopeltis michauxiana – Resurrection fern 5925 Bidens alba - White Beggarticks 13382 seed plant Ixora coccinea - Jungle Flame 47 Bidens alba - White Beggarticks 13382 fungus/lichen Class Lecanoromycetes - Common Lichens 17,740 Herpothallon rubrocinctum – Christmas Lichen 4703 protostome Papilio cresphontes - Eastern Giant 2788 Dione vanilla – Guld Fritillary 10857

Swallowtail deuterostome Anolis sagrei - Brown Anole 47829 Anolis sagrei - Brown Anole 47829 3. For each taxonomic group, divide the number observations of the most observed species in Florida by the number of observations in Florida for your personal observation. This will tell you how many times greater the number of observations is for the most observed species compared to your species. Round this number to two decimal places and report it below for each pair-wise comparison. seedless plant 0 .44 seed plant 0 .004 fungus/lichen 3 .77 protostome 0 .26 deuterostome 1 .00 In the table for question 2, your personally observed species may be the same as the most observed species in Florida. For questions 4 through 6, choose one taxonomic group for which this is not the case, AND your personal observation is marked "research grade". Answer the questions comparing your observation for that group to the most observed species in Florida in that group. If all your observations are the same as the most observed species in Florida, contact your instructor. 4. Describe the differences and similarities in physical traits (color, size, etc.) between your observation and the most observed species in Florida (for you chosen taxonomic group). How might these differences/similarities account for the differences/similarities in number of observations in each pair of organisms? Both of these organisms are hexapods, therefore they consist of 3 body segments, antennae, and wings. Although the overall shape of the wings of both are relatively similar, the wings of the Gulf Fritillary are much more rounded out than the Eastern giant Swallowtail, which has “scooped” details along its wings and a more angular shape to them in general. The Gulf Fritillary is a medium-sized butterfly while, Eastern Giant Swallowtails are larger. Finally, while the Gulf Fritillary has an orange body and orange wings with some black spot patterns, the Eastern Giant Swallowtail has a yellow body with a black back and black wings with orange- yellow spots in a pattern. Although Gulf Fritillary is observed around 5 times more than the Swallowtail, the fact that both these organisms are butterflies and have similar behaviors and needs contributes to some form of similarity, even though the frequency is not terribly consistent between them. More significantly, however, the Gulf Fritillary’s greater abundance can be accounted for by the brightness of color of its wings, as opposed to the Swallowtail’s black wings. This may leave observers more likely to see it (lack of camouflage in certain

observations or even be in a place that’s inconvenient or potentially dangerous/out of the observer’s comfort zone. In terms of mobility, more stationary organisms may be more likely to be observed as compared to organisms that move very fast, as they will allow the observer time to actual make an observation. Finally, color can either emphasize an organism’s presence in contrast to its surroudnings or help it blend in, to the point that it’s indistinguishable. 8. Describe how observer bias or observation methods might account for the variance in the number of observations among the species (or genus, etc.) you observed. How might your ID specificity skew one’s interpretation of abundance? Do you think iNaturalist data provide an accurate reflection of natural abundance in FL? Describe why or why not. Observer methods that emphasize convenience and take safety and comfort in certain environments into account (which is important of course) may exclude a variety of organisms that exist in these unreachable areas. Additionally, observers may seek or b more likely to post about organisms that are more interesting to them and something that they do not always see which is observer bias. Also, many academic settings use this site and assign activities revolving around it (as in this lab) so many observations may not be to the fullest extent and people may only be observed for the sake of a class grade. Therefore, I think my ID along with those of others, within the grand scheme of things, should be taken with a grain of salt, as it is not always an accurate reflection of the natural abundance of Florida. Perhaps in the larger picture, such biases may even each other out to provide a better understanding of things, however its also likely that such biases and methods amplify the skewed perception of abundance. For questions 9 through 11, consider your personal observations. All animals have their own role and provide ecological services/benefits to the environment. Spend some time researching and understanding the following ecological terms: Keystone Species , Endemic Species , Invasive Species , Native Species . 9. List the native status (endemic, native, non-native, invasive, etc.) of each of your observations. Include references for each observation status. Do the non-native or invasive species you identified provide ecological services, and if so, are these services equivalent to the services provided by native species? If you did not observe an organism that is classified as a non-native or invasive species, discuss one that can be found in Florida. 1. Pleopeltis michauxiana – Resurrection fern: native a. https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/resurrection-fern.html 2. Ixora coccinea - Jungle Flame: non-native a. https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/133309-Ixora-coccinea 3. Class Lecanoromycetes- Common Lichens: native a. https://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/biota/lichens.php 4. Papilio cresphontes - Eastern Giant Swallowtail; native a. https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/citrus/giantswallowtail.htm#:~:text=The %20giant%20swallowtail%20is%20very,except%20in%20January%20and %20February. 5. Anolis sagrei - Brown Anole: non-native

a. https://www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/brown-anole-cuban-anole#:~:text=The %20Brown%20Anole%20is%20a,most%20abundant%20lizards%20in %20Florida . 10. The ecological services that keystone species provide is disproportionally large relative to their abundance or biomass. This is because keystone species play a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community, affecting many other organisms in an ecosystem, and helping to determine the types and numbers of various other species in the community. Are any of your observations keystone species? If not, provide an example of a keystone species found in Florida. What ecological services do they provide? Include a reference listing your observation or example as a keystone species and listing the ecological services they provide. 11. List any symbiotic relationships (parasitic, mutualistic, etc.) that your observations may form with other species. What does your organism gain or lose in this relationship? If your observation was not able to form this symbiotic relationship, would it still provide the same ecological services? If you did not observe an organism that forms a symbiotic relationship, discuss one that can be found in Florida. Include a reference listing your observation or example as a part of a symbiotic relationship and listing the ecological services they provide. The Class Lecanoromycetes of common lichens consists of fungi that form mutualistic symbiotic relationships with photosynthetic organisms, including plants, green algae, and cyanobacteria. The fungus provides the photosynthetic organism with water and minerals while the photosynthetic organism provides organic molecules for the fungus. Both the fungus and the photosynthetic organism gain something. Since lichens are the product of a mutualistic relationship, I don’t think they could provide the same ecological services without its presence. References: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/citrus/giantswallowtail.htm https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/gulf_fritillary.htm https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/learning/what-is-a-lichen