Project:

The Effect of Pesticides on Mosquito Biodiversity

Students:

Daniel Galvin-Gusmano, Anna Bloch, Avery Orellana, Aleena Abdelhady

School:

Portledge School, Nassau

Mentors:

Carolyn Chiu

Abstract:

Mosquitoes have been a topic of interest for research due to their ability to be a vector for disease. This insect has a wide variety of species all over Long Island, but this biodiversity may vary due to the use of pesticides. Since mosquitoes are disease vectors, pesticides are often released to restrict their population. Depending on the regions of Long Island, pesticides may be used more or less often, which gives the ability to measure the difference between pesticide free and pesticide affected populations. Using the methods of DNA Barcoding, the biodiversity of mosquitoes can be measured by the number of species sequenced. Finding the biodiversity of the mosquitoes will show the effect of pesticides on this population. This varying biodiversity of mosquitoes will give a greater understanding on the effectiveness of pesticides and how pesticides affect targeted populations.

Poster:

Team samples: