Tree climbing puts scientists at new frontier

Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com:

Did you know that over 70 species of ants live in Raleigh?

A survey of urban insects, recently conducted by the Museum of Natural Sciences and the biology department at N.C. State University, represents the first effort that engaged citizens to count the wealth of unknown critters who share our cities. The results of this citizen science effort will likely double or triple when the treetop habitats are included. One of the least explored regions of the planet, forest canopies are home to millions of species (predominantly insects), and North Carolina’s treetops are relatively unexplored to date.

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