@alexwild
How do you teach ethical collecting? I ask because a new guy started at my old job and every one kept saying I really needed to meet him. An engineer who took entomology, so no understanding or interest in conservation. He proceeded to tell me that he just saw the rarest butterfly he’d ever seen, crept out on a ledge to snap it up and now it was in his freezer. I quit talking to him after that.
While collections are invaluable, especially for trends over time, my honest question is how are students taught to be respectful collectors in regards to conservation & biodiversity?
@MarianneDenton @alexwild first and foremost collection must be done legally. Some species are protected by state and/or federal laws. Other properties may prohibit collection without special permits — even for common species.
@fieldecology @MarianneDenton @alexwild Given the ability to capture without harming and then photographing up close with the specimen asleep from CO2 or similar, and then released, shouldn’t that be favoured? And for students, wouldn’t one want to replace the butterfly net and the sticky pads with a camera? Has the plus of then uploading the observations to online databases like #iNaturalist and others.
#entomology
@alexwild @fieldecology @MarianneDenton Can they at least be brought to the genus level? I know with parasitoid wasps is quite hopeless to even do that from photographs, at least as per experience at #iNaturalist.
@albertcardona @fieldecology @MarianneDenton yes, but that is besides the point, This is a small upper division university class, specimens remain essential for some kinds of research, and we teach basic skills required in the field.
@albertcardona @fieldecology @MarianneDenton people vastly overestimate the number of insect species that are identifiable by photographs. It is less than half.