TL;DR
Scientists set up insect traps in Central Park and Prospect Park to collect flying insects and potentially discover new species in New York City, where an estimated 90% of all species remain undiscovered.
Key Takeaways
- 1Approximately 90% of all species on Earth have not been discovered yet, even in well-explored urban areas like NYC
- 2Insect traps were deployed in Central Park and Prospect Park from summer through August to collect flying insects like wasps and flies
- 3Understanding which animals share our urban environment is crucial for conservation efforts, especially as many insect populations decline
- 4Insects are essential for pollination and other ecosystem services, making species discovery important for environmental protection
- 5Collected insect samples will be analyzed at a lab in Canada to determine if any new species have been identified
Notable Quotes
“Scientists estimate that like as much as 90% of all species have not been discovered yet, which is just a crazy fact.”
“It's important to know what animals we share our home with, but also it's really hard to conserve species if we don't know that they exist.”
Chapters
1. Giant Bug Traps in Central Park
Scientists explain their plan to set up large-scale insect traps in Central Park and Brooklyn's Prospect Park to collect flying insects like wasps and flies as part of a partnership with local conservation organizations.
2. Why Discovery Matters
Despite being in the largest, most well-explored city in the country, scientists note that approximately 90% of all species remain undiscovered, highlighting the need for biodiversity research even in urban environments.
3. Conservation Through Discovery
The project emphasizes that knowing which species exist is a critical first step in conservation, especially as insect populations decline and their pollination services become increasingly important.
4. Lab Analysis and Results
The collected insect samples will be sent to a lab in Canada in about a month for analysis to determine if any new species have been discovered.
Key People & Entities
- Central Park Conservancy
- Organization partnering on the insect collection project
- Prospect Park Alliance
- Organization partnering on the insect collection project
- New York City Parks Department
- Government partner in the insect collection initiative
- Vox
- Media organization producing and documenting the species discovery project
Glossary
- Biodiversity
- The variety of all living species and organisms in a particular environment or on Earth
- Pollination
- The process by which insects and other animals transfer pollen between flowers, enabling plant reproduction and food production