Project:

Using DNA Barcoding to Evaluate Differences in Biodiversity of Macroalgae from Wastewater Repleted Bay Park Estuaries and Cedar

Students:

Erick Diaz, Stacey Krivitsky

School:

Lynbrook Senior High School, Nassau

Mentors:

Kathleen McAuley

Abstract:

Algae are a wide group of predominantly aquatic, photosynthetic, eukaryotic, and plantlike organisms and are critical to both marine ecosystems and human life. The Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) discharges an average of 50 million gallons of treated sewage into Reynolds Channel and is damaging South Shore estuaries. The Cedar Creek Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCF) discharges treated sewage straight into a location in the Atlantic Ocean. This project aims to determine how the biodiversity of algae differs in wastewater exposed waters in comparison with waters with no wastewater. Higher nitrogen levels contained in wastewater can lead to increases in aquatic plant growth and changes in the type of organisms living in the water. The biodiversity of the algae species will be determined by using a modified Simpson’s Diversity Index over 10 feet long and four feet wide collection sites.

Poster:

Team samples: