Project:

The Role of Temperature, Relative Humidity, and CO2 Concentrations on the Biodiversity of Lichens at Brookside County Park, Sayv

Students:

Julia Sack, Alana Carpenter, Carly Cangelosi, Paige Manning

School:

Sayville High School, Suffolk

Mentors:

Anthony DeAngelis

Abstract:

Lichens consist of algae and fungus living in a symbiotic relationship.Lichens are found in many different habitats all over the world such as extremely dry or extremely cold conditions, freshwater, marine, deserts, polar climates, and rainforests. Lichen biodiversity is affected by temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. This means that in different areas, the biodiversity of certain lichen species can be reduced if auspicious qualities are not present.The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of temperature,relative humidity and CO2 concentrations on lichen biodiversity. Specimen collection and DNA barcoding of available lichen species will show the biodiversity of lichens in the area and confirm the presence or absence of lichen species from the sampling region. Temperature, Relative Humidity and CO2 testing will be carried out at each lichen sampling site and analyzed for patterns and relationships. ARCGIS Software will be u

Poster:

Team samples: