Cataloging UCLA’s Urban Mammal Biodiversity
Urban development is widely recognized as a major driver of biodiversity loss, altering both habitat availability and species distributions across landscapes. Although biodiversity research at UCLA has improved in recent…
Urban development is widely recognized as a major driver of biodiversity loss, altering
both habitat availability and species distributions across landscapes. Although biodiversity
research at UCLA has improved in recent years, mammals remain comparatively understudied at
the campus scale. Here, we evaluate urban mammal biodiversity at UCLA, establishing a
baseline inventory of mammal species and distribution across six sites on campus. Our objectives
are to assess which species are present, determine how their spatial distributions vary, and
understand which habitat associations can be deduced by such distributions. We additionally aim
to offer conservation and management solutions for native mammal biodiversity informed by our
findings.
Our assessment of mammal diversity was conducted primarily with camera-trapping and
bioacoustic monitoring, supplemented by community science records and expert interviews. A
total of 22 mammal species were recorded on campus, 17 of which were observed directly with
our field methodology. The sampling site with the most recorded mammal diversity was Sage
Hill, with a total of 13 mammal species observed over the course of our study, including 3 bat
species recorded with ultrasonic detectors. Our data reflect a general pattern of native species
presence in less disturbed habitats and higher numbers of urban-tolerant species in developed
areas. The findings presented here offer a deeper understanding of species presence and habitat
usage at UCLA, and will help inform conservation and management strategies that support the
campus’s mammal biodiversity moving forward.
Stakeholder: Dr. Andy Kleinhesselink, Managing Director of Sage Hill
Team Leads: Avery Bourne and Vasilisa Kellogg
Team Members: Leah Acosta, Danielle Burnside, Rebecca Finley, Sydney Quan, Yuri Vasquez