Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science, The University of Nevada Reno, Reno, Nevada, United States of America.
Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2018 Jul 5;13(7):e0198997. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198997. eCollection 2018.
Though citizen science programs have been broadly successful in diverse scientific fields, their adoption has lagged in some disciplines, including soil science and ecosystem ecology. Collaborations with citizen scientists may be viewed as a conundrum in these disciplines, which often require substantial labor and technical experience; citizen scientists could improve sampling capacity but may reduce sample quality or require training and oversight prior to and while performing specialized tasks. To demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating citizen scientists into soil biogeochemistry research, we conducted a proof-of-concept study in high-elevation meadows of the Sierra Nevada in California. A collaboration between university researchers and citizen scientists allowed us to assess spatial and diel patterns of soil greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes with an intensity and frequency that would otherwise be beyond the capacity of a typical research laboratory. This collaboration with citizen scientists increased our sampling intensity by over 700% while only doubling the sampling error relative to that of full-time researchers. With training and support from project scientists, citizen scientists collected data that demonstrate spatial independence of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide at scales between 1 m and 175 m. Additionally, we found a lack of temporal variation over a 24-h period for all three GHGs. Citizen scientists participating in this one-day event reported levels of satisfaction commensurate with longer-term, immersive campaigns. The place-based event also proved an effective tool for teaching intangible concepts of soil biogeochemistry and promoting local conservation. Despite perceived barriers to entry, this study demonstrates the mutual benefits of citizen science collaborations in soil science and ecosystem ecology, encouraging adoption by disciplines that have been slow to take advantage of such collaborations. Short-term, local citizen science events can provide meaningful experiences for area residents and teach global biogeochemical cycles in a place-based context.
尽管公民科学计划在不同的科学领域取得了广泛的成功，但在一些学科中，如土壤科学和生态系统生态学，其采用率一直滞后。在这些学科中，与公民科学家合作可能被视为一个难题，因为这些学科通常需要大量的劳动和技术经验；公民科学家可以提高采样能力，但可能会降低样品质量，或者在执行专门任务之前和期间需要培训和监督。为了证明将公民科学家纳入土壤生物地球化学研究的可行性，我们在加利福尼亚内华达山脉的高海拔草地进行了一项概念验证研究。大学研究人员和公民科学家之间的合作使我们能够评估土壤温室气体（GHG）通量的空间和昼夜模式，其强度和频率否则将超出典型研究实验室的能力。与公民科学家的这种合作使我们的采样强度增加了 700%以上，而相对于全职研究人员而言，采样误差仅增加了一倍。在项目科学家的培训和支持下，公民科学家收集的数据表明，在 1 米至 175 米的尺度上，二氧化碳、甲烷和氧化亚氮具有空间独立性。此外，我们发现所有三种 GHG 在 24 小时内没有时间变化。参与这一天活动的公民科学家报告的满意度与长期沉浸式活动相当。基于地点的活动也被证明是教授土壤生物地球化学无形概念和促进当地保护的有效工具。尽管存在进入的障碍，但这项研究表明了公民科学合作在土壤科学和生态系统生态学中的互惠互利，鼓励那些一直缓慢利用这种合作的学科采用这种合作。短期的、地方性的公民科学活动可以为当地居民提供有意义的体验，并在基于地点的背景下教授全球生物地球化学循环。
