Scientists by Environmental Issue: Biodiversity In Your Backyard You might think only of rainforests and cloud-covered mountaintops when you think of biodiversity, but in fact, biodiversity is right in your own backyard or neighborhood. Chicago’s oak savannas, tallgrass prairie, and open woodlands are considered some of the world’s most diverse but threatened ecosystems. Recently, many Field Museum scientists, community organizations, and concerned citizens converged on Lake Calumet to conduct an extensive inventory of the surprising biodiversity living within the industrial landscape of landfills, refineries, and abandoned steel mills. In just 24 hours they recorded an astonishing diversity of over 2,200 species, many of which were rare or endangered. Catch how Field Museum scientists are combing other Illinois habitats to document and preserve the surprising variety of plants, fungi, and animals that survive in the remaining natural areas around Chicago. Select which scientist you’d like to meet first: Carol Fialkowski—Ecology of the Chicago Area Jochen Gerber—Snails and Slugs of Illinois Paul Goldstein—Moths and Butterflies of Illinois Mary Hennen—Peregrine Falcons of Chicagoland Jamie Ladonski—Aquatic Biodiversity of Illinois Patric Leacock—Mushrooms of Illinois Greg Mueller—Fungi of Illinois Alfred Newton—Beetles of Illinois Alan Resetar—Amphibians and Reptiles of the Chicago Region Jennifer Shopland—Ecology of the Chicago Area Alexey Solodovnikov—Beetles of Illinois Doug Stotz—Birds of the Chicago Area Margaret Thayer—Beetles of Chicago Gayle Tonkovich—Flowering Plants and Ferns of the Great Lakes Area Alaka Wali—Ethnology of Chicago Philip Willink—Fishes of the Chicago Region   back to Scientist by Environmental Issue >>   continue to Tree of Life >> Introduction | Investigate Biodiversity | YBC | Meet the Scientist | Explore Global Diversity | Events and Programs | Take Action! | Teaching Biodiversity | Biodiversity Exhibition | Credits There are an awful lot of animals in our own backyard that we know virtually nothing about. —Paul Goldstein, Ph.D., Assistant Curator, Insects The Field Museum