D3521: Assessing borderlands arthropod biodiversity in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona

National parks and monuments are popular areas for biodiversity studies because their designations cause them to be areas of low human impact. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (OPCNM) is situated on the US/Mexico border and is well known for borderland human migratory activity (both legal and illegal). These facts combined with effects of climate change altering species distributions, make OPCNM an ideal area to detect newly arrived species to the US and to track population changes of currently established species. For the last year we have taken monthly collecting trips to OPCNM to inventory the insects in the park. We completed collections using baited traps, sweep netting, hand collections and blacklighting. To reduce physical collections of the insects in the park detailed photography also occurred. The inclusion of photography has allowed for resources such as iNaturalist to be utilized and increase the applications of citizen scientists to our work. By studying the arthropod communities in the park and comparing with previous work, we can track changes in these communities over time. Additionally, the location of the park is ideal for early detection of species that are shifting their distributions northward due to climate change, including species that may be of economic importance.