What do early engagement patterns reveal about community scientists? Assessing behavior and interests among Great Lakes Budburst users

Abstract Community science promotes scientific literacy and informs conservation. Several studies examine biases in community science, but fewer focus on participants themselves, leaving gaps in our understanding of their preferences. We examine behaviors during the first year of engagement of 1973 Budburst participants in the Great Lakes region, United States. We form three clusters of users with similar observation frequency, consistency, taxonomic interests, and spatial scope. Collector users focused on less common species, which they observed infrequently. Casual users recorded more observations than collectors and more frequently, contributing data to compare phenological responses across environmental gradients. Enthusiast users recorded observations more frequently, in more locations, and of more species, providing data to evaluate plant responses to climate change. Other community science programs can leverage our approach to examine user interests and inform recruitment and retention. Combining bioblitzes with more sustained participation through projects might bring users with distinct yet complementary contributions.