The University of Tennessee facilitated its very first biological survey Thursday, challenging students to explore campus to document different species.
Kimberly Sheldon is an assistant professor in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She said the campus has a lot to offer along with the rest of the city.
"A lot of times we don't think of cities as places with biodiversity, but we actually do have a lot of biodiversity in urban environments." Shelson said.
The event was called the Rocky Top BioBlitz and was hosted by the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, as well as the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with Discover Life in America.
Students used the iNaturalist app to take pictures and document different plants, animals and insects they found.
Sarah Shelley is a student at UT and said while some findings might not have been the most interesting, all of them play an important role in the ecosystem.
“They might not be all native species, they might not all be pristine, but nothing is pristine... so I think it’s very important to appreciate these little bubbles," Shelley said.
Next year facilitators are hoping to invite elementary and middle school students to come and take advantage of the opportunity, too.