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University of Coimbra launches Portuguese version of the FITCount application

to monitor plant-pollinator interactions

The Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC) launched the Portuguese version of the FITCount application (from the English acronym Flower-Insect Timed Count), an innovative tool that allows citizens to monitor plant-pollinator interactions simply.

Initially developed within the scope of the United Kingdom Pollinator Monitoring Plan (UK PoMS), the FITCount application is now available in Portuguese as an integral part of the Polinização project – Action Plan for the Conservation and Sustainability of Pollinators, coordinated by Sílvia Castro and João Loureiro, both teachers and researchers at the Functional Ecology Center (CFE) of the Department of Life Sciences (DCV) at FCTUC.

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aplicação FITCount

Data regarding wild pollinators in Portugal is scarce and it is crucial to obtain a greater volume of data to monitor the abundance and diversity of these insects throughout the country, as well as the pollination services that these organisms provide to plants. The FITCount application appears as a tool to help fill this knowledge gap, involving citizens in the process.

This application allows any interested citizen, whether in rural or urban areas, to contribute to the collection of data on the number and diversity of pollinating insects that visit flowers.

«Participants can select a flowering plant, delimit an area of 50×50 cm that includes the respective target flower and count all pollinators that interact with flowers of that plant for 10 minutes», explains Sílvia Castro, adding that counts can be carried out throughout the year, at any time of the day, as long as the weather conditions are hot and dry.

«Participants don’t need to identify the insects to the species level, simply categorize them into broad groups, such as bees, hoverflies, butterflies, wasps, and beetles, among other groups of insects, using the guide identification fully adapted for Portugal by our team, available in the application», details João Loureiro.

Furthermore, adds the researcher, that «additional information is requested, such as the type of habitat, the number and type of target flower, the weather conditions and the quantity of flowers in the chosen square. This information is crucial to help scientists interpret the data collected by participants,» he believes.

Citizen science is a growing concept, and FITCount provides a unique opportunity to engage citizens in the scientific process. «Having data collected throughout Portugal, throughout the year, is extremely valuable and something that we, scientists, alone would not be able to collect promptly. Citizens’ help is crucial», concluded the researchers.

The FITCount application is now available for free download on the Google Play Store for Android devices and on the App Store for iOS devices (iPhone/iPad). For more information on how to participate and use the application, please visit this link.

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