Researchers at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg have successfully bred a surprising insect.
Master's student Anne Sawl was studying the rare Florida scrub millipede when she spotted a baby specimen previously unaccounted for.
"I was moving dirt near the roots of the plant and noticed a tiny white speck," Sawl said in a school release. "It caught my eye. I picked it up and realized it was a baby millipede. After so much trial and error in the lab, I was completely flabbergasted that they had reproduced."
The campus lab is now home to roughly 32 newborn Florida scrub millipedes.
The discovery was especially important since the millipede's population has dropped dramatically because of land development. This made gathering them challenging for Sawl; the last time any study on the millipedes was done was over a decade ago. Other researchers have had to plumb the depths of remote caves in order to learn more about obscure millipede species.
Florida scrub millipedes play an important role in Central Florida's Lake Wales Ridge ecosystem. By cycling nutrients, they fertilize the soil there when few other wildlife are able to do so. This puts a lot of responsibility on the millipede to support greenery in the remote habitat.
You can do your part to protect natural spaces by taking local action. By ensuring wild areas are free from human development, delicate ecosystem balances can be maintained and unsung heroes such as the Florida scrub millipede can continue to provide vital ecosystem services.
Sawl's work stands as an important contribution to protecting the millipede, according to her adviser.
"Anne has taken a group of animals most people overlook and produced multiple chapters of publishable research with brand new information," Deby Cassill said in the release. "Millipedes might not be glamorous, but they are ecological champions in these fragile habitats."
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