Lawn biodiversity

Biodiversity is the number of various species of organisms in a given place. Biodiversity ensures that every organism within an ecosystem has a niche in which it can thrive. Generally, the more biodiversity an area has, the more sustainable it is and the more it is able to recover from disaster. With more variation and numbers, an illness for example could infect one species but it would not severely hurt the ecosystem it is in. Lawns have become pervasive with their growing significance in human experiences. Biodiversity is also a feature that accompanies the presence of lawns because various species of flora and fauna exist in these miniature habitats. Plant diversity on lawns is impacted significantly by human disturbances like mowing and use of herbicides which are characteristic of common maintenance practices. These effects have been studied extensively in urban areas but not so much in small towns like Amherst, Massachusetts. In this study, we will investigate the role of these human disturbances here at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and around. We will start by obtaining relevant data about maintenance practices and carrying out sampling experiments in 6 selected lawns. Analysis and comparison of the obtained data will reveal if, in fact, lawn maintenance practices negatively affect plant species diversity. This will provide a framework and resources for future decision-making in terms of biodiversity conservation.