Who Eats Whom Platform Has Mapped Global Food Webs
Researchers have launched a new data platform to document species interactions using citizen-submitted imagery.
Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in Environmental
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Scientists have debuted the Who Eats Whom platform, a global initiative that aggregates citizen-contributed photos from iNaturalist to map predator-prey relationships. The project leverages crowdsourced data to track shifts in animal feeding patterns and biodiversity.
Why it matters
Understanding how ecosystems adapt to a warming climate is essential for global conservation. By monitoring species interactions in real time, the platform provides critical insights into how environmental changes impact native wildlife and the spread of invasive species.
The database currently hosts 17,000 documented interactions involving 5,700 distinct species. This information is derived from geotagged photos uploaded by users across more than 100 countries to the iNaturalist network.
The players
iNaturalist
This is a nonprofit social network that allows users to record and share observations of biodiversity for scientific and conservation research.
North Carolina State University
This public research university serves as a primary institutional origin for the development of the Who Eats Whom platform.
Colorado State University
This public research institution currently hosts the lead researchers responsible for managing the platform and its scientific outputs.
The details
The platform utilizes an interactive food web visualizer to identify and map species connections based on user-uploaded, geotagged photographs. Researchers from institutions including North Carolina State University and Colorado State University use this repository to analyze wildlife behavior in diverse sites, ranging from Ottawa to San Luis Obispo County.
Timeline
The project was featured in an article published on September 22, 2026.
The Big Picture
This project builds upon the established framework of the iNaturalist social network to create a specialized tool for ecological mapping. By formalizing citizen observations into food webs, the initiative shifts scientific methodology toward large-scale, crowdsourced environmental monitoring.
Citizen scientists can contribute directly to global ecological research by uploading and geotagging images of species interactions to the network. This crowdsourced approach allows for a broader, more granular understanding of environmental changes than isolated, local studies could provide.
The takeaway
The Who Eats Whom platform transforms casual nature observations into a powerful database for monitoring ecosystem health. Users are encouraged to continue documenting wildlife encounters to help researchers build a more comprehensive map of global food webs.
Further reading
For more information on global conservation efforts, visit the /science/environmental/ section.
Live Poll
Do you believe participating in citizen science platforms is an effective way to help local ecosystems?
