Astonishing Diversity – Issue #103

Hello Explorer,
Over the last few weeks I have been working hard on 2024’s ant calendar and as I have been working through all the ant photos, I took during 2023 I saw astonishing diversity. I realised that I have seen and photographed a lot more species than what I think I did. You might find it strange that it was surprising for me to see how many species I saw during the year. The truth of the matter is that while we are busy, we often forget and misjudge how much we have done and have seen.
A couple of thousand of photos of ants, and many specimens photographed one would think that I have a plethora of photos to choose from for the calendar, but the problem in this equation is my personal human bias. The bias that caused me to photograph some common and abundant species multiple times over and other common and abundant species that I see almost daily I did not photograph once.
Human bias is defined as the tendency for individuals or groups of people to perceive and interpret information based on personal experience, beliefs, and values, rather than objectively. This leads to an inaccurate representation of situations and information, just like what happened to me with this year’s specimens in BugMan’s Ant Project. I have a lot over species overrepresented in the collection and other not represented at all, even though they are all equally common and abundant.
Human bias, also known as observer bias, can occur in scientific research and must be investigated and explained in data analysis to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the results.
Another reason why the importance of observer bias is so prominent to me over the last few weeks are the numerous reports I’ve seen in the news about species that were believed to be extinct which were spotted after many years. Every time I see an article like that, the question that comes to mind is, was the species just not observed, or was it just not observed by someone who knows what it is? Because if it is spotted by someone who doesn't know what it is, it means that observer bias is occurring due to a lack of knowledge. If this is the case, the articles would be more accurate to state that the species have been spotted by someone who knows what it is, rather than saying it was spotted for the first time in many years. Because someone could have observed the species but had no clue what it was and thus didn’t report the sighting.
After I saw my own bias with BugMan’s Ant Project, I am making a conscious effort to overcome this bias by creating a checklist of ant species in my region and making sure to photograph a few specimens of each species. I am also seeking out new ant species to photograph, so that I can represent the full diversity of the ant world.
I believe that it is important to be aware of our own biases and to take steps to overcome them. In the case of scientific research, this is especially important, as bias can lead to inaccurate results. By being aware of our biases, we can make more objective observations and conclusions.
Have you noticed observation biases of your own in the past? What is one thing you've noticed about nature that most people don't seem to appreciate? What are the chances that you have encountered something that is thought to be extinct, but you didn’t even know it?

If you would like to send me a message with your answers, feel free to do so on Instagram or Twitter @abugmanslife or via email to [email protected].

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