The primary focus of our lab is to understand and conserve biodiversity in a rapidly changing world, with a particular emphasis on insects. Our research leverages cutting-edge computational tools, geospatial analysis, and field work to address critical gaps in biodiversity knowledge and conservation planning.
Minimising the global biodiversity data shortfall
Our understanding of global biodiversity distribution is vastly limited. While citizen science applications (e.g., iNaturalist) are leading to a dramatic increase in biodiversity data, we know very little about the distribution of tropical biodiversity. Our lab is interested in understanding why this is happening, especially why citizen science applications are failing for insects, and how to improve the situation using novel technologies. Earlier, we showed that many people share their biodiversity observations on social media, which can be used to reduce the biodiversity shortfall [Chowdhury et al., BioScience], better understand the dynamics of range shifts of a novel species [Chowdhury et al., In review], and improve conservation assessments [Chowdhury et al., Conservation Biology]. We are interested in further exploring the importance of citizen science and social media data on both local and global scales. We regularly work with the iEcology team to improve our understanding.
Causes and consequences of insect migration
Migration is widespread in animals. Approximately 12% of vertebrate species show evidence of migratory movements; however, our understanding of insect migration is vastly limited, except for some pollinating and economically important species. Our research revealed that 3.3% of butterfly species (568 species) show evidence of migratory movements, and the discovery rate suggests that there may be many more undocumented species [Chowdhury et al., Biological Reviews]. In addition, unlike bird migrants, the seasonal variation in habitat suitability of migratory butterflies peaks at lower latitudes (in the tropics) [Chowdhury et al., Ecology Letters]. However, ~75% of the studies on migratory butterflies are focused on either monarch or painted lady butterflies, and our knowledge is scarce from the tropics [Chowdhury et al., Integrative Conservation]. As a next step, we are interested in understanding how they respond to global change drivers, the extent and cost of migration in insects, the origin of migratory individuals, and their conservation implications.
Language barrier and biodiversity conservation
English has become the lingua franca of science. As a result, many assume that the majority of researchers publish their work in English, and the rate of publishing research in non-English languages is slowing down. However, this is not the case! We demonstrated that thousands of studies on biodiversity conservation are being published in non-English languages, with a publication rate similar to that of English in several non-English languages. However, these non-English language studies are vastly underrepresented in international search systems [Chowdhury et al., Conservation Biology]. Even in popular fields like butterfly migration, nearly 40% of the studies are in non-English languages [Chowdhury et al., Integrative Conservation]. Yet, almost all evidence synthesis relies on English-language studies and fails to provide an accurate picture. We are interested in assessing the importance of non-English language studies in biodiversity conservation.
Our previous research has demonstrated that non-native English speakers require more effort than native English speakers in conducting scientific activities, ranging from reading and writing papers and preparing presentations in English to disseminating research in multiple languages [Amano et al., PLoS Biology]. Combining this with the social structure, we are interested in understanding the cost of being a non-native science speaker in the field of science and improving the situation. We regularly work with Dr Tatsuya Amano from the University of Queensland on several language-barrier projects.
Understanding the impact of global change on insects
The unprecedented growth of the human population is having a severe impact on biodiversity in multiple ways. Primarily, human-induced land-use change and climate change are leading to species redistribution (range change) and even extinctions. Our previous research indicates that thousands of butterfly species are experiencing range changes [Chowdhury et al., In prep], some butterflies are expanding at hundreds of kilometres annually [Chowdhury et al., Diversity and Distributions], and many species are dramatically declining in both the tropics [Chowdhury et al., Journal of Urban Ecology] and temperate [Chowdhury et al., In review] regions. We are interested in assessing the impact of environmental changes on biodiversity for both tropical and temperate species, as well as migratory and non-migratory species. We aim to understand the causes of changes in species community structure (species redistribution or long-term trends) and how to minimise their impact.
Insect conservation in the Anthropocene
Insects are the most speciose animal group on earth. Like other animal groups, many insects are experiencing existential crises, yet they are often neglected in large-scale conservation assessments [Chowdhury et al., Trends in Ecology & Evolution]. In recent decades, protected areas have become a central part of biodiversity conservation, safeguarding biodiversity from diverse threats. However, when designating new protected areas, insects have been rarely considered as a focal group [Chowdhury et al., Trends in Ecology & Evolution], > 75% of insect species are inadequately represented in the current protected area system [Chowdhury et al., One Earth], and protected areas fail to cover the full annual cycle of 84% of migratory butterflies [Chowdhury et al., Conservation Biology]. The aim of our lab is to improve the situation by assessing the reasons behind this massive gap and identifying what needs to be done to address it. We are especially interested in developing efficient conservation plans to minimise the impact of global change.
Overall, we aim to advance biodiversity conservation through interdisciplinary approaches, fostering collaborations, and training the next generation of conservation scientists.
