iNaturalist_Critical_Thinking

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Dec 6, 2023

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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

environments) and then more likely to take a picture and upload it as something they find to be noteworthy. 5. Compare and describe the distribution (range) in Florida of your species and the most frequently observed species. (Click on the map tab on the species description page and zoom to Florida.) Could this account for the differences in the total numbers of observations? Why or why not? The maps of both of these organisms revealed very similar results. The observations made in Florida are scattered but are mostly condensed around coastal areas and a band that passes through central-south Florida, crossing from coast to coast. Since they are observed in very similar locations throughout Florida, it seems that this factor is more neutral and emphasizes the fact that other factors that are distinct between these species are more dominant in accounting for the differences in observations. 6. Of the habitat types discussed in the previous iNaturalist assignment (forest, coastal, urban, etc.) what type of habitat was your organism found in? What type of environment would you expect to find the most observed organism? How might habitat account for differences/similarities in number of observations between the pair of species? I observed this organism in a somewhat preserved natural area near my neighborhood which I would consider to be disturbed habitat. Since the most observed organism is also a butterfly, I could expect that it could also be found in a similar environment to the Swallowtail. Since butterflies feed off of the nectar of plants and are a major pollinator population, it would make sense for the environment they are found in, whether disturbed or prairie, to have a substantial enough amount of flowering plants to provide an incentive to the insect to reside there for a certain amount of time. However, since these butterflies are different sizes, they may be attracted to flowers that accommodate for their different sizes, and the swallowtail, may, therefore, be seeking flowers that are less abundant in this area, accounting for the differences in their observations. For questions 7 and 8, think generally about all organisms observed for iNaturalist, don't limit your responses to your personal observations. 7. Describe how differences in physical and behavioral traits can account for the differences in the number of observations among organisms on iNaturalist. Give an example of a behavioral or physical trait that would result in more observations. Give another example of a behavioral or physical trait that would result in fewer observations. Various things apart from bias on the observer’s end including size, habitat, mobility, and color in relation to the surrounding environment can affect the access to organisms. For size, this means that very small organisms will likely not be as noticed as those which are larger and easier to spot. In terms of habitat, it can be impractical and unlikely that an individual will seek out

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