Questions about the Example Data

[JCGiron]

I would like to learn more about the Example Data images to become more familiar with the process of NEON samples, so I'm tagging @sydnerecord here:

My understanding is that the beetles in one image belong to one sample and the intended use is for ecological studies.

Here are some questions:

• Have the specimens in one sample been sorted so that one tube contains only one morphospecies?
• Are there instances of multiple morphospecies of ground beetles in one sample or one image?
• How are these beetles identified and what taxonomic level of ID is desired?
• What is the goal of generating this kind of images? Are these for species identifications, or are there additional images generated for species ID?
• Perhaps this (the workflow) could be covered in the introductions of the first day, so that we are all in the same page, especially about goals?

Since these images are linked to the sample data in the NEON Biorepository A00000033619. I suggest including that link somewhere with the images in the Example Data.

Thanks in advance for clarifying.

[isafluck]

Hi Jennifer! I have taken the pictures, so I can answer your questions. 1) Have the specimens in one sample been sorted so that one tube contains only one morphospecies? Each tube represents one species collected in a certain plot on a certain day. This information is tied to the bar code in the tube. The individuals are not arranged in any order.

2)Are there instances of multiple morphospecies of ground beetles in one sample or one image? Each sample has its own picture and one unique species. Species are not mixed together in the same tube, so there are no images with two samples.

3) What is the goal of generating this kind of images? Are these for species identifications, or are there additional images generated for species ID? The species have already been identified by NEON staff before being stored in the tubes. These images were taken for us to measure elytra length and width in the zooniverse platform (online computer tools of measurement).

4)Perhaps this (the workflow) could be covered in the introductions of the first day, so that we are all in the same page, especially about goals? For sure. I will be talking about how the images were taken and how we used them to extract trait data.

I hope it helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. Best, Isa

[JCGiron]

Thank you, @isafluck!

That definitely helps. What I see now is that we might need some sort of glossary with specific definitions to make sure that we are all on the same page and applying the same terminology.

So, for each collecting event (a sample of multiple species of beetles taken in a certain plot on a certain day), there may be several tubes, each with one particular species and one particular sample barcode number. Correct? Do you know how multiple barcoded tubes are associated with the same collecting event on the NEON Biorepository? Perhaps that's a question for @isabetabug.

As far as identification goes, there is specialized personnel with access to examining the actual specimens (not just photos). Right?

Could you please share the link to the Zooniverse project? I tried searching for it by "NEON" and "beetles" and going through the projects under the biology category and I could not find it.

[sydnerecord]

Thanks for fielding this question @isafluck! @JCGiron , you might want to check out the documentation on the beetle collection and species identification done by NEON. There are various documents on their protocols and the taxonomic experts they have help them with species identifications here. Regarding your question about the identification of the specimens, the taxonomic specialist examines the actual specimens (not just photos).

[isabetabug]

@JCGiron To my knowledge, they are associated by checking the collection dates in the portal. However, there is an EventID field too.

[JCGiron]

So, the Event ID for A00000033619 is BART.2018.30 How can I find other samples of beetles of the same event? The options under "Collecting Event" do not have an EventID option

and the "Select Field Name" menu in the advanced search does not have EventID option either. I tried searching it as "Other Catalog Number" and it did not recover any data. @isabetabug, do you know how to find all the samples of the same EventID?

[sydnerecord]

Would a boot camp on how to write some code to do this be helpful? I'm not sure if you'll be able to access all this information from the GUI, but @isabetabug should know

[sydnerecord]

@isabetabug & @Nagelle Would you be willing to run a bootcamp to familiarize participants about the NEON beetle data collections (both in the field and how metadata are linked to specimens in the biorepository)? These bootcamps will take place Monday afternoon