iNaturalist is a widely-utilized platform for data collection and sharing among non-professional volunteers and is widely employed in citizen science. This platform's data are also used in scientific studies for a wide range of purposes, including tracking changes in species distribution, monitoring the spread of alien-invasive species, and assessing the impacts of urbanization and land-use change on biodiversity. Lichens, due to their year-round presence on trees, soil and rocks, and their diverse shapes and colours, have captured the attention of iNaturalist users, and lichen records are widely represented on the platform. However, due to the complexity of lichen identification, the use of data collected by untrained, or poorly trained volunteers in scientific investigation poses concerns among lichenologists. To address these concerns, this study assessed the reliability of lichen identification by iNaturalist users by comparing records on the platform with identifications carried out by experts (experienced lichenologists) in three cities where citizen science projects were developed. Results of this study caution against the use of unchecked data obtained from the platform in lichenology, demonstrating substantial inconsistency between results gathered by iNaturalist users and experts.

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我们可以相信 iNaturalist 的地衣学吗？评估人工智能在地衣识别中的有效性和可靠性

iNaturalist 是一个广泛使用的平台，用于非专业志愿者之间的数据收集和共享，并广泛应用于公民科学领域。该平台的数据还用于多种目的的科学研究，包括跟踪物种分布的变化、监测外来入侵物种的传播以及评估城市化和土地利用变化对生物多样性的影响。地衣由于常年存在于树木、土壤和岩石上，且形状和颜色多样，吸引了 iNaturalist 用户的注意，地衣记录在该平台上得到广泛展示。然而，由于地衣识别的复杂性，在科学研究中使用未经训练或训练不足的志愿者收集的数据引起了地衣学家的担忧。为了解决这些问题，这项研究通过将平台上的记录与开展公民科学项目的三个城市的专家（经验丰富的地衣学家）进行的识别进行比较，评估了 iNaturalist 用户进行地衣识别的可靠性。这项研究的结果警告不要在地衣学中使用从该平台获得的未经检查的数据，这表明 iNaturalist 用户和专家收集的结果之间存在很大的不一致。