SEEDS BioBlitz Event Brings Students, Citizen Scientists Together to Document Local Species

How does science meet adventure? Imagine a day-long race to discover plants, animals, fungi and insects—all while exploring the outdoors and learning together. During a high-energy nature scavenger hunt called BioBlitz, scientists, students and nature lovers from the community teamed up on April 8 to find and identify as many plant and animal species as possible in just a few hours. This fast-paced, annual event is hosted by Florida Atlantic’s SEEDS student organization. 

More than 20 science lovers scoured Florida Atlantic’s Tortuga Trail and the University’s Conservation Area, which is a forested natural space next to the Flagler Credit Union Stadium, formerly known as FAU Stadium, on the Boca Raton campus. Participants used iNaturalist, a free app and website that allows anyone to upload photos of living organisms. The platform then uses AI and community input to help identify species and contribute to global biodiversity data.  

This year, SEEDS students, their faculty mentors Joshua Scholl, Ph.D., and Evelyn Marques Frazier, Ph.D., both Schmidt College of Science biological sciences instructors, Jasmine Coyle, research coordinator, A.D. Henderson University School and FAU High School, along with community members, documented 122 species with cameras. Some of the animal sightings included a cardinal, six-lined racerunner and a cottontail rabbit. 

“Thanks to BioBlitz efforts like this, SEEDS is helping track and protect the amazing biodiversity in our own backyard,” said Scholl. 

All observations were uploaded to iNaturalist, which helps build a long-term record of the area's biodiversity. Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations since 2017, the University’s Conservation Area is home to at least 362 unique species. Here is a breakdown of some of the documented diversity taken from this year’s event:  

Group	Number of Species
Amphibians	4
Arachnids	16
Birds	28
Fungi	7
Insects	118
Mammals	4
Plants	169
Reptiles	10

 

To learn more about Florida Atlantic’s SEEDS student organization and upcoming events, click here.