Project:

How does genetic diversity differ between two adjacent habitats?

Students:

Donovan Skelton, Matthew Como

School:

Wantagh High School, Nassau

Mentors:

Casey Clark

Abstract:

We propose to examine how species diversity differs between a field and a forest that is next to the field. These ants will be collected and then tested to see how they differ biologically. More specifically, the ants will be observed in order to see the differences in their phenotypes including their colors, sizes, shapes. After 20 minutes, both cookies will be checked to see if there are any ants, and if so, how many. The only ants that will be taken for barcoding are the ants that are phenotypically unique for each location. To test the hypothesis, a cookie will be placed on the ground in each location. The cookies will be taken and placed in a container. In order to compare the ants, their legs will be cut off, grinded, and then sent for DNA testing. The result we get back will determine how unique each ant population is in comparison to each other. This will help us understand the overall diversity of both populations.

Poster:

Team samples: