Arthropod Diversity

Jamie Christie, an undergraduate student, compares arthropod diversity on the Schoonover green roof to one of Ohio University's Native Plant Gardens. He followed a standard ecological method, using pit traps to collect mostly ground dwelling arthropods. This phylum includes insects and other invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton. Arthropods are the largest and most diverse group of animals on the planet with important ecological functions. Local green spaces may contribute to diversity of arthropods on a green roof (Dromgold et al. 2020). Collections at both sites, on the ground and roof, will inform our understanding of this dynamic at a small scale, but we are also interested in how diversity changes over time. The pit traps were set in July 2020, before plant growth was well-developed on the green roof but where the native plants garden was already well established. Jamie also built a bee house to attract solitary bees that may pollinate flowers on the green roof.

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