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Mother Nature vs. Father Time: Scientists catalog area wildlife in 2nd annual 24-hour biodiversity survey

By: Casey Phillips
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Anna George

For 24 hours this weekend, teams of scientists armed with trap lines, electrodes and mist nets will scour land, water and sky for plant and animal life to determine the richness of the region’s biodiversity as part of the second annual Chattanooga BioBlitz.

The Tennessee Aquarium, the Chattanooga Nature Center and the Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden are collaborating on the event. Teams of scientists will work to identify as many species as possible on Reflection Riding’s 300-acre property, organizers said.

“It’s part festival, part scientific endeavor and part public educational effort,” said Kyle Waggener, the Nature Center’s lead naturalist and director of education. “A big part of it (is) so people can see the biodiversity, the number of living things, that are right around them.”

The survey teams are led by scientists and naturalists specializing in the study of different taxonomic groups such as mammals, vascular plants, fungi and amphibians, said Anna George, the director and chief research scientist with the Tennessee Aquarium Research Institute who is the blitz’s team coordinator.

A number of educational programs are scheduled, both in the field and in the Nature Center’s buildings. Live animal demonstrations will be given, and visitors will see methods scientists use in the field such as blacklighting sheets at night to attract flying insects or creating mist netting stations to survey birds.

During last year’s survey, about 85 scientists found nearly 700 species ranging from white-tailed deer to blue corporal dragonflies, Mr. Waggener said.

BioBlitzs have been conducted in major cities around the country since the first was held in Connecticut 10 years ago. During a survey of New York City’s Central Park, surveyors found a new species of millipede.

While no new species were discovered during last year’s BioBlitz, anything could happen in the future, Mr. Waggener said.

“I don’t expect a new species this year, but maybe one of these years we might if we get the right specialist in here,” he said.

The first Chattanooga BioBlitz was in April last year but was shifted to late summer this year because the season limited the number of species experts could find, said Julia Gregory, a senior educator at the aquarium who coordinated the blitz’s educational programming.

The difference in season should yield different species with some taxa seeing significant differences, Ms. Gregory said.

“I’ll bet we’ll find fewer aquatic invertebrates because they’ve emerged and are in their adult forms now, so if there’s anything in the water, it’s eggs,” she said. “I’m also guessing we’ll see fewer songbirds because in April, they were revving up to breed so they were easier to hear and see, but by now, they’re hot and tired and have raised a couple of broods, so they’re ready for their vacation in South America.

“On the other hand, we might do much better with the reptiles simply because the temperature will be higher.”

Because legitimate survey data is dependent on consistent timing, the BioBlitz will alternate between spring and summer in a two-year cycle to provide dual data streams, Ms. Gregory said.

Since the survey is like a snapshot of an area’s biodiversity, it will take many years before trends start to show, said Dr. Mark Schorr, a professor in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s department of biological and environmental sciences who will be co-leading the team surveying fish in Lookout Creek.

Last year, Dr. Schorr’s team, which included several UTC students, cataloged 28 species, which is far fewer than the 40 or so that should eventually be found after several more surveys have been conducted, Dr. Schorr said.

“The value of this is that we’re going to do this over a long period of time,” he said. “We’ll be able to compile a better, more representative picture of biodiversity in the Lookout Creek watershed.”

Eventually, the BioBlitzes should catalog even more species to reflect the Southeast’s abundant biodiversity, he added.

“The Southern Appalachian region, which includes Chattanooga, is recognized as one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world,” he said. “For example, aquatic biodiversity in the southern Appalachians exceeds that of any other temperate region on the planet.”

Although the BioBlitz serves an significant scientific purpose as a catalog of living things in the area, its impact on the public’s mindset is equally important, Ms. Gregory said.

“It’s an unprecedented opportunity to get a little glimpse into field science,” she said. “(Last year), I think people really had a good time because it’s real, it’s not lions and cheetahs; these are things they could see while lounging on the deck.”

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