What are we trying to learn? 

We want to determine what beetles are on SERC’s campus, how many there are, and what role they play in SERC’s various ecosystems. 

Why do we care about beetles? 

Beetles are a type of insect, and insects are important! While many folks are raised to think of insects as pests, insects are vital to our ecosystems and ultimately human well-being.

Insects are found in every conceivable habitat and have many different functions important in sustaining the balance of ecosystem processes. Insects play all sorts of roles and in the United States, so much so that Losey and Vaughan found that insects contribute ecological services that amount to $57 billion dollars (learn more in their BioScience article)! Plus, insects can help be environmental indicators, helping us assess whether or not an ecosystem is working and is balanced, or is broken. 

Because there are so many beetle species, they can be great indicators of what is going on in the environment. Understanding which beetle species are and are not on SERC’s Edgewater campus, where they are, how many there are, and what they are doing can help us better understand the greater environment. 

Ultimately, understanding beetles can help us better understand ourselves, our impacts on the environment around us, and help us see where we need to restore and steward.