Project:

Assessing the filtration potential of Waterweed and Water Lettuce in New Jersey Waters

Students:

Kayla Cheng, David Sen

School:

Tenafly High School, Other

Mentors:

Anna Rubenchik

Abstract:

The potential for utilizing natural macrophytes against water pollution has become more prominent as increasing urbanization and artificial pollutants threaten the health of aquatic ecosystems. Through DNA barcoding and controlled experimentation, we will assess the natural filtration properties of macrophytes waterweed (elodea nuttallii) and water lettuce (pistia stratiotes). We will collect water samples from 4 locations in New Jersey: Tenafly Nature Center, Demarest Nature Center, Closter Nature Center, and Cooper Pond and conduct a controlled experiment with the use of added fertilizer and specific macrophytes. Before the experiment, we will first utilize DNA barcoding to identify naturally inhabiting macrophytes and determine if they have any correlation to the current contamination levels. To conduct the experiment, we separately cultivated the macrophytes—bought from a plant vendor—within each sample and measured the nitrate and phosphorus concentrations before and after one

Poster:

Team samples: