Project:

Biodiversity of Invasive Plants in Stuyvesant Park, New York City

Students:

Elizabeth Miranda, Sunaya Bhoodai, Alexander Troshin, Ina Chen

School:

High School for Health Professions and Human Services, Manhattan

Mentors:

Rocheli Apilan

Abstract:

Invasive plants have brought global attention for causing ecological damage and having a negative impact on the ecosystem’s balance. However, it is known to be difficult in accurately identifying the plant to be invasive through morphology. Therefore, DNA Barcoding is utilized to accurately identify the species of invasive plants. DNA Barcoding allows scientists to identify the species of wildlife, plants, and fungi by looking at their genetic makeup along with the reference library of species. Moreover, DNA Barcoding will enhance peoples’ understanding on the invasive species of plants in New York. To begin the classification of the species, one must extract DNA from different plants collected from Stuyvesant Park. Then, the DNA must be completely isolated using alcohols and a centrifuge that remove unnecessary materials from the plant’s DNA. Lastly, with the isolated DNA removed and examined the DNA would be uploaded into the database to discover the species name.

Poster:

Team samples: