Weather:
We conducted investigations between temperatures 67 - 89 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity ranging from 55-80, with usually minimal cloud covering and a light breeze. These conditions did not affect the majority of our investigations, as it was usually not cold or cloudy enough to prevent airborne insects from appearing.
Presence of water bodies:
The bodies of water we visited were North Village pond, Walking Stick woods wetland, and Eugene park wetland. There were some specific species found around these areas such as dragonflies and other bugs who preferred a more relatively moist environment, but usually the presence of water bodies did not drastically influence the types of arthropods found.
Human presence:
There are a few levels of human presence throughout the locations we sampled our data in. Human presence is relatively high in a couple of areas such as Walking Stick Woods and other parks compared to most natural areas. Whereas compared to other areas in Chicago, it is not extremely frequented, which enabled us to find a myriad of specimens and unique instances of arthropod life. For instance- A Dark Fishing Spider on a decaying log in the middle of a wooded area versus a few ants crawling on the concrete of a downtown building.
Purpose:
We did this project because we wanted to collect data on what arthropod species there are in Chicago and how they affect the habitat and their impact on specific environments. We wanted to learn and observe more about where and how different arthropods live in different areas, like harvestmen and tree hoppers. As a group we investigated the relationship between native and/or non-native arthropods in specific habitats and if they had a positive or negative effect on the area. The main pieces of information we were looking for were the weather patterns, what species are invasive, human and water body presence, and how these may change the way arthropods live.