Identifying Errors Helping Scientists Learn About Water Quality
Some insects can only live in the freshest and purest water. The rest are happy in any old muddy swamp. Scientists can use insects in a water source as an indicator of water quality, and you can do this in various civil science projects as well .
But you have to know which water bugs are which, and that’s the goal of a new and incredibly detailed website called Atlas of Common Freshwater Macroinvertebrates of North America . (Do not click on this link if you do not like to view the error images.)
The website has an ID key so you can answer a few quick questions and quickly find the group of creatures you want – for example, if it has three tails, they are in stubborn order . And then you can explore the different types in detail; every creature has been photographed thousands of times, so you won’t miss a thing. (Again, don’t click on these links unless you really enjoy viewing the error images.)
The website highlights and explains the differences between similar species, making it easier to use than traditional field guides. Only the most common species are included, so this is not an exhaustive list, but it is intended for use by students and citizen scientists – or anyone who finds a bug in the stream and wants to know what it is.