Project:

The Effect of Contamination on the Biodiversity of Arachnids along the Forge River

Students:

Matthew Johnson, Annisha Wazed, Alyssa Ramos

School:

Stony Brook University: Science Technology Entry Program (STEP), Suffolk

Mentors:

Anya Swiss

Abstract:

Various understudied species of arachnids live along the Forge River. The Forge River is one of the most highly polluted waterways in New York State. Some species of the arachnids more than others contain large amounts of heavy metals and human waste depending where along the river they stand. This affects their health, as well as the food chain. Every organism of food chain is correlated: once a contamination enters into the food system, it can’t naturally be removed, which may contribute to trophic cascades, at some point, hurting the biodiversity, of which human is part of. An experiment analyzing the biodiversity in the river is being conducted using barcoding. Barcoding is a method used to classify an organism based on a specific gene (COI). The DNA sample of Spiders DNA, from different parts of the Forge River, will be barcoded to identify their species and analyze the impact of pollution on biodiversity.

Poster:

Team samples: