Project:

Comparing Biodiversity of Barnacles in Long Island's South Shore Estuaries With and Without Wastewater Effluent in Bay Park Sewa

Students:

Kelsey Roth, Emily Franklin, Genevieve Dellacona

School:

Lynbrook Senior High School, Nassau

Mentors:

Kathleen McAuley

Abstract:

Barnacles, a vital component to marine biodiversity and measure of bio health, are an uncanny appearing species that potentially have a depleting population in areas with an increased wastewater outflow. It will be investigated if areas on Long Island with wastewater outflow, containing nitrogenic gasses dissolved into the waters ultimately decrease the biodiversity index of Barnacles, as compared to areas without the pollution. Using a modified Simpson’s Diversity index and DNA Barcoding, data will be collected from four locations: Wantagh Park, Jones Beach Fishing Pier, Bay Park Golf Course, and Long Beach Fishing Pier, with the wastewater outflow reduced in two locations and abundant in two locations, respectively. It is hypothesized that the locations with a substantial amount of nitrogenic gases will have a lower biodiversity of Barnacles in comparison to locations where it is suppressed.

Poster:

Team samples: