Project:

Exploring Invertebrate Biodiversity in Lockheed Martin, Fairchild Republic Chemical Contaminated vs. Clean Grasslands on Long Is

Students:

Katrina Giambertone, Jay Madhukar Patel

School:

Dolan DNA Learning Center, Suffolk

Mentors:

Katrina Giambertone

Abstract:

This study investigates the impact of the Lockhead Martin chemical contamination at their Fairchild Republic facility now known as in Farmingdale Long Island Facility and its effect on the biodiversity of Long Island grassland ecosystems. The contamination was due to trichloroethylene (TCE), a solvent used in aircraft manufacturing. The contamination includes other harmful substances that have also seeped into the soil and groundwater creating long term environmental issues in the local grassland ecosystems. To determine the effect of the contamination, I studied the invertebrate biodiversity in two grassland ecosystems. One that was affected by Lockheed Martin contamination, and one that was not affected. Two pitfall traps will be placed in the two ecosystems and the invertebrates from the trap will be analyzed. Unidentifiable invertebrates will be classified using DNA Barcoding which is a process that can identify organisms using sequencing data from specific regions of its DNA.

Poster:

Team samples: