A little bit about data collection

The data collected by this study will be used to compare the projected geographic range of morphological characteristics with a genetic study that suggests four diverging geographic lineages within the species complex of Linanthus dichotomus. Presence-only distribution models (also known as ecological niche models) for both studies will be compared for goodness of fit and resolution of appropriate characteristics for identification.

I will be using photo recognition software, satellite imagery, and climate and soil data to better understand what is going on in this extremely complex and genuinely adorable system.

What I am looking for:
Photos of flowers straight on (if flower is open) to see aperture (opening where pollinators feed from), color, and petal morphology.
Photos of petal margins (side shot if flower is closed, underneath if flower is open) to see color.
Photos of soil (whole plant profile is fine if I can see the ground).
Photos of habitat (to see population size as well as other species coexisting).
Time of day photos are taken (looking for photos from 2019, although photos with good data from past seasons are welcome).
See a pollinator foraging? Take a photo and let me know! I will slowly be adding taxa to my study as they show up.

This project is set up to automatically aggregate all photos taken within the locality range of California, Nevada, and Arizona; all you need to do is upload each plant as a separate observation, OR leave comments on iNat/identifying markers on the photos. Best practice would be picture sets from at least 5 different individual plants; more if the population is huge, less if the population is tiny... no pressure though! No great photo will be ignored! Also, soil photos are obviously only needed once unless you see something interesting you would like to share with me.

As localities start heating up, I will be posting spotlights on floristic regions and giving more details on specific localities I am interested in getting data from. However! Do not let this deter your wanderlust. I will also be posting on excellent plant databases and ways to find new wonderful areas to explore, in case you're up for a nature challenge!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to message me via iNaturalist (@enemjee ) or send me an email: ngraham@calacademy.org

Happy Hunting!

Posted on March 15, 2019 04:46 AM by enemjee