Bugs thrive in urban Los Angeles – volunteers’ traps reveal biodiversity hot spots for city insects and spiders

Volunteers tend to an insect trap in Los Angeles. Deniz Durmus, courtesy of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, CC BY-SA

The most significant predictors of bug biodiversity in Los Angeles are proximity to the mountains and temperature stability throughout the year, according to a study we co-authored with Brian V. Brown of the Los Angeles Natural History Museum and colleagues at the University of Southern California and California State University.

The project used data from the museum’s BioSCAN project, where volunteers across Los Angeles allowed insect traps to be installed on their property between 2014 and 2018.