Project:

The effect of light pollution on the biodiversity of moths on Long Island

Students:

Sophia Calderon, Lyla Gaffoor

School:

Lynbrook High School, Nassau

Mentors:

Stoycho Velkovsky

Abstract:

Moths are nocturnal organisms that are sensitive to light during the nighttime hours. Many fields across Long Island use sports lights to illuminate fields. These sports lights cause light pollution which can negatively affect moth’s daily cycles, which could affect the biodiversity of moths on long island. It is hypothesized that if the amount of artificial light is increased, then the biodiversity of moths decreases, based on the principle that artificial light is harmful to the population of moths. Three schools in the Lynbrook School District have varying amounts of light pollution. These three schools, Marion Street, West End, and North Middle, will be used to collect samples of moths. From there, the moths would be photographed, and DNA would be extracted, purified, and sent to the DNA Learning Center. The number of species at each location would be determined and then Simpons’s Diversity Index would be used to determine a conclusion.

Poster:

Team samples: