LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles is a biodiversity hot spot, meaning there are a lot of different kinds of plants and animals living alongside a large human population. 

This partly explains why researchers at the Natural History Museum of L.A. County are finding new species of insects in peoples’ backyards.

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Research scientist Dr. Max Adams is an insect expert.

“I do often like to characterize what I do as being a professional kindergartner. I spend a lot of time flipping over rocks, poking at things, and going 'Why do you live here?'” said Dr. Adams.

Dr. Adams is part of the Biodiversity Science: City and Nature project, BioSCAN for short. Museum volunteers and professionals set traps to catch bugs in backyards all over Southern California.

The project started in 2012. Already, nearly 50 new species of flies have been discovered.

Dr. Adams compares insects from neighborhood to neighborhood. He’s helped find that the most diverse insect communities were in places where it wasn’t too hot or too cold. 

When temperatures rise, it seems some insect species can’t survive. This could have major ripple effects because insects do some important things, like break down waste and pollinate flowers.

If global climate change raises average temperatures by even just a little, there could be major consequences.

“If you know what’s happening to the insects you probably have a good idea about, or you can make decent predictions about, what’s happening with everything else,” said Dr. Adams.

The project isn’t over yet. Dr. Adams is helping decide where the next batch of traps should be set.