Oakland University’s Ecology Club, along with faculty and staff from the Biology Department, will host a “Bioblitz” at 9 a.m. May 20 at the OU Biological Preserve in an effort to document its biodiversity.
“A ‘Bioblitz’ is when a group of people with different specialties gather together to document the species present in an area,” said Kennedy Phillips, who served as the immediate past president of the university’s Ecology Club.
“They are important because they provide us with an idea of how an area is doing. In the long run, if we conduct a Bioblitz regularly over time, we can monitor the health of an area as conditions change.”
According to Scott Tiegs, Ph.D., an associate professor of biology at Oakland University, the Oakland University Biological Preserve supports many different habitat types, including deciduous forests, grasslands, vernal pools, and streams.
“Students, faculty and staff use the Oakland University Biological Preserve for research and teaching, but we really don’t have a good handle on the levels of biodiversity that the Preserve harbors,” Tiegs said. “The same is true of other natural areas on campus. The Bioblitz will help remedy this problem.”
According to Tiegs, participants in the Bioblitz will be assisting with locating and identifying as many species as possible throughout the day.
“The Bioblitz is a great way for faculty and students to get together and help quantify the levels of biodiversity that we have on campus,” he said. “Our faculty and staff have expertise in identifying aquatic insects, amphibians, birds, plans and fungi, and this is a great way to share this knowledge with students.”
For more information, visit www.oakland.edu/biology/preserve.