Huge thanks to the co-authors: Marco Moretti, Océane Inglard, @florianaltermatt.bsky.social, and @laurenmcook.bsky.social

And to the #BGB initiative @eawag.bsky.social @wslresearch.bsky.social

6/6

The good news: small design changes = big ecological impact. In particular, let's favor...

✅ Deeper substrate
✅ Organic-rich soils
✅ Higher vegetation cover

... to benefit species with varying dispersal abilities! 🦋🐞🦗

5/6

As expected, flying invertebrates 🦋🐝 thrived on green roofs. But even ground-dwelling species 🕷️ made it up there!

However, species that live within the soil (e.g., springtails) didn’t do as well, probably due their limited dispersal and challenging environmental conditions ☀️

4/6

Surprising finding: very few species were shared between roofs and ground-level sites.

📍 Spatial isolation didn’t matter much.

🏙️ Instead, green roofs hosted distinct communities, though a bit less species-rich overall.

3/6

We collected soil samples from 50+ pairs of green roofs and ground-level green spaces across Zurich, Switzerland.

Using eDNA metabarcoding 🧬, we identified invertebrates with different dispersal abilities to see who’s living where.

2/6

A collaboration between @eawag.bsky.social and @wslresearch.bsky.social with @laurenmcook.bsky.social, @adietzel.bsky.social & @florianaltermatt.bsky.social!

Thank you so much! It was great to meet you!

Thanks a lot! Could you eventually add me?