Dr Brian Brown, Curator of Entomology and the Natural History Museum (NHM) of Los Angeles County, has extensive experience with insect biodiversity in places like Costa Rica. A NHM Trustee, however, made a bet with him that he could not find a new species in urban Los Angeles. Brown took the bet.
In a new paper scheduled for publication in Zootaxa on April 6, 2015, Brown and his colleagues describe 30 different species in a single genus (Magaselia) of the fly family Phoridae.
The discoveries were made in backyards across Los Angeles as part of the Biodiversity Science: City and Nature (BioSCAN) project at the NHM. The three year project is an investigation of biodiversity patters in and around Los Angeles based on a sampling of insect populations.
Sampling continuously operating insect traps and microclimate weather stations were set up in the back yards of 30 volunteer households and each households sample set yielded one of the 30 new species.
Emily Hartop, an entomologist at NMH and lead author of the paper, examined more than 10,000 species of phoned flies from three months worth of samples to find the new species. According to the researchers, the results demonstrate an extraordinary level of biodiversity in urban areas.
Most of the Earths 7 billion plus people now live in urban areas and the ecosystems within those cities has become an increasing focus of research. The Los Angeles study is the most recent to show that urban centers can yield remarkable discoveries. Another recent example is the mosquito found in London. The new species lives exclusively in the London Underground subway system. This video from MinuteEarth looks at why some animals thrive in urban settings.
“I always thought we had the potential to discover new species wherever we sample—urban, tropical, anywhere. But 30 new species from a heavily urbanized area is really astounding,” said Dr Brown of the NHM in a statement.
The researchers behind the BioSCAN project believe that a deeper understanding of urban ecosystems and biodiversity is going to become increasingly important as cities plan for the future.
“Right now we’re finding out what’s here—and it’s more than we ever expected. By linking these biodiversity results with the physical data we’re collecting at these sites, we’ll be able to contribute directly to the policy discussion of how best to plan and manage urban biodiversity,” said Hartop.
The NHM team says that a key component of the project has been the enthusiastic support of the volunteers who hosted the sampling sites.
Gaining a thorough understanding of urban plant and animal populations can be difficult for biologists who can have their work interrupted by a “no trespassing” sign or a locked gate.
The BioSCAN researchers report that Angelenos helped turn problems into advantages by providing long-term sampling sites and becoming an active part of the project.
“For us, it seemed like a no-brainer. We have two young bug-crazy children, a bug-crazy dad, and very patient mom in our household. We have ample space in our backyard and plan to stay in our home for at least another 3 years, if not longer. Even so, we were still a bit shy to commit, but with one visit from NHM staff, a mock-up of the trap, and we were sold,” said site host Walter Renwick.
Additional information about the project is available in the article “Why bother with urban biodiversity?” on the NMH web site.
