FAQ
What is the purpose of sorting and identifying photographs?
The work of species identification and photograph sorting is essential for understanding the relationships between biodiversity and the presence of ticks in parks. The sorting process will be used to train an artificial intelligence system capable of analyzing the thousands of images collected for this research project.
The cameras capturing these images are installed at specific locations (referred to as “sites”) within the parks, where the research team conducts tick sampling three times per year. By identifying species, this work helps to better understand how the ecosystem functions, including the interactions between animal species and the presence of ticks.In fact, the scientific literature indicates that the abundance of the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) is linked to the abundance of certain species, such as white-tailed deer, which is its preferred host for reproduction. However, little is yet known about the potential influence of other species on tick abundance or the prevalence of certain diseases, such as Lyme disease. Thus, identifying all these species will help Jessica Hainault determine whether there are links between the relative abundance of certain animal species, the presence of ticks (which she collects at the photographed sites), and the prevalence of diseases.
Which parks are being sampled?
The photographs come from four parks in Quebec: Michel-Chartrand Park, Pointe-aux-Prairies Nature Park, Bois-de-l’Île-Bizard Nature Park, and Mont-Saint-Bruno National Park.