Project:

How lichen microenvironment and sunlight effect biodiversity

Students:

Henry Gaberlavage, Matt Irwin, Carter Olenik, Stamati Makrinos

School:

Garden City High School, Nassau

Mentors:

Steven Gordon

Abstract:

Information about Long Island species of Lichen is fairly vague. In our experiment we hope to prove how exposures to micro environmental effects determine the lichens species and growth rate. We plan to DNA barcode lichen to find out the species of lichen that grows in a specific environment and with different environmental factors. The independent variable in this experiment would be the environmental factors sounding the Lichen like exposure to light or area of growth. The dependent variable would be the species and growth rate because of the environmental factors. The design of the experiment is to collect multiple samples of lichen found on Long Island. Then we barcode these samples as groups that can be lichen growing on tree bark exposed to low light lichen on tree bark exposed to high levels of light lichen found on sidewalk pavement exposed to low light lichen found on sidewalk pavement exposed to high levels of light. And when we barcode said samples we learn their species and

Poster:

Team samples: