Project:

Leech Biodiversity in Van Cortlandt Park

Students:

Eve Shulman, Naomi Schatz, Dylan Jackson

School:

Ethical Culture Fieldston School, The Bronx

Mentors:

Anne Kloimwieder

Abstract:

Our objective in collecting the DNA of leech samples throughout Van Cortlandt Park is to get an overview of their biodiversity, as well as how the water quality in a given area may factor into where certain species of leeches choose to reside. Samples will be collected from various areas of Van Cortlandt Lake and then brought back to the Fieldston lab to analyze species richness. The DNA of the leeches will be extracted and isolated, and the DNA sequence will be amplified. The water quality of the different locations will also be tested. This will not only enable us to identify the various species of leeches, but will also allow us to draw connections between species richness and water quality in different areas of Van Cortlandt Park.

Poster:

Team samples: