Supporting Urban Ecosystem Research

The 14th Annual Urban Ecology and Conservation Symposium was hosted by Portland State University today. Speakers from all over the world discussed urban environmental issues. Poster presentations were primarily on the practical application of related scientific research in the Portland and Vancouver region. I presented my research project from being McNair scholar, which focused on the biodiversity of parastoid wasps found on green roofs across Portland, OR. Parasitoid wasps (Arthropoda; Hexapoda; Hymenoptera) are valuable control agents against possible insect pests. Pest control is an important factor in the health of green spaces, particularly for fragmented areas such as green roofs. Yet the capability of green roofs to support different invertebrate communities is still largely undetermined.