Meeting Abstract
P1.22 Friday, Jan. 4 Species Richness in Our Urban Backyard SAMUNI-BLANK, M*; WEINSTEIN , A; Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa; Insectour blog, insectour.blogspot.com michal.samuni@gmail.com
Urban ecosystems are subject to intensive development, population growth and thus loss of biodiversity. Therefore, achievement of a sustainable solution in order to maintain biodiversity is crucial. In addition, extensive knowledge about species richness under human pressure can contribute to conservation decisions. The main role of this project is to explore the species richness that surrounds us in our urban backyard. The yard is 0.25 acres of an old farm located on the northern fringe of Binyamina (32°31’ N, 34°56’ E), a rural settlement in Israel. The area receives ~600 mm rainfall annually. The dominant vegetation is semi-natural dwarf-shrubland. The yard was under minimal human intervention (e.g. minimal gardening and no pesticides). Over a period of 2.5 years, we have performed series of species richness surveys: twice a month, three days at a time, using light-traps and flashlights during night time. Individuals from each species were documented using macro photography. In order to identify the species we used professional field guides and consulted with specialist taxonomists. We documented 2 species of amphibians out of 7 species known in Israel; 7 reptilian species and 23 avian species. We found 414 insect species representing 16 different orders out of 30 known in the world, 67 spider species representing 23 different families out of ~50 known in Israel and 12 species of butterflies representing 6 families out of 7 known in Israel. The yard successfully supports species richness although no resources were invested in it. Our results illustrate the potential in private yards in the urban environment as a retaining unit for habitats under ongoing human pressure. We recommend applying this model of species richness survey as an educational tool that raises the awareness of the general public to the richness of organisms that can be found in their own backyards.
