Work with my colleagues studying the joro spider resulted in this analysis of user behavior on iNaturalist. We show that the joro spider stands out among other large orbweavers, due to its size, patterning, and coloration. It highly engages users, leading to many observations and identifications and serves as a “gateway species” into community science. Important insights into biases in community science datasets are highlighted, providing advice for scientists interested in contributing data to or extracting data from these sources.

Though I now live in New York, I continue to collaborate with colleagues from the South. We used ground surveys, community science data, and habitat models to predict where the joro spider will likely spread and what impacts it may have on other spiders. It has not been documented here yet, but the joro spider may eventually make its way to me in New York!

Chuang et al. 2022 Biological Invasions

Research interests at Clayton State University were focused on the joro spider (Trichonephila clavata), which has recently been introduced to the U.S. in the greater Atlanta area. My coauthors and I published a review of its biology, and we are currently working on mapping its distribution and understanding how it may impact native spiders.