Illinois Natural History Survey Reports

              1
I LLINOIS
NATURAL
HI STORY
S U R V E Y R e p o r t s
Autumn 2001
No. 369
I N S I D E
Effects of Exotic Plants
on Bird Nesting Success
2
Land-cover Classifi ca-tion
for Forests
3
Biotic Inventory of
Kyrgyz Grasslands
4
The Endangered
Hine’s Emerald Drag-onfl
y
5
Species Spotlight:
Firefl ies
6
Naturalist's Apprentice:
Communicate With
Light
7
Continued on back page
Bio Blitz Collects 2000+ Species in 24 Hours
During June 29–30, the Survey
undertook a unique exercise—a
24-hour, all-taxa survey of a
designated site in central Illi-nois—
the Biodiversity Blitz. The
Survey has been in the biological
inventory business for over
140 years, amassing
enormous collec-tions
and data
centered
around
Illinois
biodi-ver-sity,
but
this event presented several chal-lenges.
Exactly what does it take
to do an all-species inventory in a
defi ned time slot? The answer is
not so simple.
First, a suitable site is needed,
in this case, the University of Il-linois’
Robert Allerton Park near
Monticello, IL. Allerton was
chosen because it has a diversity of
habitats, is virtually an island sur-rounded
by agricultural lands, and
was large enough to be challenging
yet small enough to be doable.
Second, it takes a cadre of
scientists with a great variety of
knowledge and skills—everything
from protozoology to mammalogy.
For the Blitz, over 160 scientists
participated. The entomologists
had the most scientists, 47, but
other groups were well represented.
The list included 16 botanists, 8
ornithologists, 7 mam-mologists,
5 herpetologists, and even a lone
sponge specialist! Scientists were
divided into two groups. Level
One scientists were leaders of
groups and were responsible
for the identifi cation of the
organisms they found.
Level Two scientists
served as collec-tors,
curators,
and other types
of fi eld as-sistants.
Third, it takes dedication and
organization. The Illinois Natural
History Survey, with help from
the Illinois Department of Natural
Resources and the University of
Illinois, provided that. A Survey
committee organized the event