Q: Since Liz Baird is working off the SC coast in affiliation with the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, and the Museum focuses on indigenous species, are collections from this area still considered indigenous to North Carolina due to the close proximity?
A: North and South Carolina share a region of the sea known as the South Atlantic Bight. This diverse area is home to many types of vertebrates and invertebrates. Even though we are off of the South Carolina coast, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is interested in what the research team finds out here. The Museum focuses on the non-game fauna of the region. Only by studying the region as a whole can we fully understand the interactions that take place in nature. Plants and animals do not recognize state boundaries!
