PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Bastien Castagneyrol
AU  - Elena Valdés-Correcher
AU  - Audrey Bourdin
AU  - Luc Barbaro
AU  - Olivier Bouriaud
AU  - Manuela Branco
AU  - György Csóka
AU  - Mihai-Leonard Duduman
AU  - Anne-Maïmiti Dulaurent
AU  - Csaba B. Eötvös
AU  - Marco Ferrante
AU  - Ágnes Fürjes-Mikó
AU  - Andrea Galman
AU  - Martin M. Gossner
AU  - Deborah Harvey
AU  - Andy G. Howe
AU  - Michèle Kaennel-Dobbertin
AU  - Julia Koricheva
AU  - Gábor L. Löveï
AU  - Daniela Lupaștean
AU  - Slobodan Milanović
AU  - Anna Mrazova
AU  - Lars Opgennoorth
AU  - Juha-Matti Pitkänen
AU  - Marija Popović
AU  - Tomas V. Roslin
AU  - Michael Scherer-Lorenzen
AU  - Katerina Sam
AU  - Marketa Tahadlova
AU  - Rebecca Thomas
AU  - Ayco J. M. Tack
TI  - Can school children support ecological research? Lessons from the <em>‘Oak bodyguard’</em> citizen science project
AID  - 10.1101/712638
DP  - 2019 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 712638
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/08/04/712638.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/08/04/712638.full
AB  - Scientific knowledge in the field of ecology is increasingly enriched by data acquired by the general public participating in citizen science (CS) programs. Yet, doubts remain about the reliability of such data, in particular when acquired by school children. We built upon an ongoing CS program - Oak bodyguards - to assess the ability of European schoolchildren to accurately estimate the strength of biotic interactions in terrestrial ecosystems. We used standardized protocols to estimate predation rates on artificial caterpillars and insect herbivory on oak leaves and compared estimates made by school children, trained and untrained professional scientists (with no or limited expertise in predation or herbivory assessment). Compared to trained scientists, both schoolchildren and untrained professional scientists overestimated predation rates, but assessments made by the latter were more consistent. School children overestimated insect herbivory, as did untrained professional scientists. Thus, raw data acquired by school children participating in CS programs cannot be used and require several quality checks. However, such data are of no less value than data collected by untrained professional scientists and can be calibrated for bias.