Project:

Analyzing Ant Activities in Autumnal Ambients

Students:

Ambar Garcia, Ava Alperin, Anna Kalishman

School:

Marymount School of New York, Manhattan

Mentors:

Anne Kloimwieder

Abstract:

Ants will be collected from along the Bridle Path in Central Park in order to analyze the biodiversity of ants in microenvironments in Central Park. Once the samples are collected, DNA will be extracted from the ants using Chelex, amplified by PCR, and analyzed by gel electrophoresis. Next, the DNA will be sequenced in order to identify the different ant species. This information will allow us to recognize the various ant species along the Bridle Path, therefore learning about the biodiversity of ants in Central Park. We hypothesize that we will find less biodiversity of ants in the collection areas that are subject to more human disruption and pollution.

Poster:

Team samples: