Project:

The Peconic River

Students:

Grace Collins, Samantha Sorrentino, Olivia Maler

School:

Eastport South Manor Junior-Senior High School, Suffolk

Mentors:

Robert Bolen

Abstract:

During our field trip to the Peconic River we analyzed the water quality and the biodiversity of the river. Biodiversity is all the different types of life in one area. It is important to study the biodiversity of the Peconic River because increased biodiversity contributes to a stable ecosystem. As a class we collected species to barcode and study their DNA. We will use an approximately 600 base-pair section of the CO1 mitochondrial gene to identify species and determine the relationships between samples. Some of these species may improve the water quality of the river and might be natural biological controls of mosquitoes and other pest insects. We will also compare our data to what has been collected in the last six years.

Poster:

Team samples: