Roly-polies on the move: Terrestrial isopod diversity in Maryland

Depending on where you are from, you may identify them as roly-polies, doodle bugs, pill/sow bugs, or woodlice. These terrestrial isopods in the suborder Oniscidea are decomposers that influence leaf litter disappearance, nutrient cycling, and other ecosystem functions. The distribution and diversity of the isopod fauna in North America is poorly studied. Dr. Szlavecz, a soil ecologist and research professor with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, will present results from the first ecological atlas from Maryland and Washington, D.C., based on literature data, museum collections, citizen science data, and a statewide inventory covering over 350 locations.

The inventory found 24 species, of which only five are native. Two specific topics will be covered in more detail: 1) rediscovery of the native Scyphacella arenicola, and 2) spreading of the Mediterranean Chaetophiloscia sicula. NOTE: The isopod pet trade which threatens local isopod diversity will also be discussed.

The presentation is based upon an international collaboration with Dr. Pallieter de Smedt, University of Ghent, Belgium; Nathan Jones, American Isopod and Myriapod Group; and other researchers on isopod taxonomy and ecology.

Katalin Szlavecz is a soil ecologist and Research Professor at the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD. Her research focuses on how past and present human activities affect the soil physical, chemical and biological properties. She conducts field studies in temperate forests, agricultural fields, and the diverse urban landscape. As Research Associate at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, she has been studying the effect of invasive earthworms on forest soils. At JHU she teaches courses on global environmental change, general ecology, and soil ecology.