Project:

Biodiversity of Plants Near Ponds

Students:

Viaris Ventura, Jazleen Cepeda, Julieth Guzhnay, Sofia Aita

School:

Frank McCourt HS,

Mentors:

Dora Miklos

Abstract:

Biodiversity is the variety of all the different kinds of organisms in the world around us. That includes plants, animals, insects, fungi, and other microorganisms. They all work together to maintain equilibrium in the park's ecosystem. Without biodiversity our entire ecosystem would collapse, “We rely on nature to provide us with food and clean water, for a lot of medicines, and to prevent flooding and other extreme weather effects.”(Heslop) Currently in NYC there are 1,450 plant species native to the five counties (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, and Queens). 826 native plants still have extant populations and 140 plant species with some formal designation of rarity (McPhearson). Ponds and lakes are either man made or naturally occurring. These plant species include different plants like mosses, ferns , grasses, sedges and rushes, wildflowers , trees, shrubs, and vines. Natural ponds include Kissena Lake in Queens, Van Cortlandt Lake in the Bronx, and Brooks and Clove

Poster:

Team samples: