Citizen science data from iNaturalist helped uncover the evolution of parental guarding behaviour in harvestmen, more than doubling the number of documented cases of parental care.

How this affects you

This research highlights the significant contribution of citizen science platforms like iNaturalist in expanding scientific datasets rapidly and affordably, transforming traditional research, and making large-scale studies accessible to scientists globally. It also underscores the continuing critical role of taxonomists in validating and identifying species for accurate research.