Project:

Biodiversity of Ants in our Backyards

Students:

Megan Martinez, Mariama Wann, Kevin Hill

School:

High School for Health Professions and Human Services, Manhattan

Mentors:

Rocheli Apilan

Abstract:

Ants have a great effect on the environment and their ecosystem. Ants turn and aerate soil, allowing water and oxygen to extend all the way to plant roots. Ants nourish on an extensive selection of organic material and deliver food for many different organisms. It is important to study the biodiversity of ants because they are also natural engineers and without ants many animals will die, trees will be overgrown, some insects will grow in population and become dominant in the food chain leading to the extinction of other animals that benefits other habitats. The main objective of this project is to explore the diversity ants in our backyards using DNA barcoding. This will enable us to understand better about ants and may suggest ways to conserve them.

Poster:

Team samples: