Project:

Applying the C01 Gene to Classify Biodiversity of Ant Samples from Farmingdale State University in a Field and Forest

Students:

Rylee Varian, Karina Rios

School:

Long Beach High School, Nassau

Mentors:

Kristen Conklin

Abstract:

Biodiversity (the variety of all living things and their interactions) is declining in insect communities! Many ecosystem services depend on diverse insect communities to function. Though various studies on the dynamics of insect communities have been done, their causes are still not entirely understood. Several drivers are pushing this devastating decline including climate change, land-use change, and invasive species. We are hoping to catalog ant species using DNA barcoding since it has the potential to detect and identify important indicator species found in various ecosystems. DNA barcoding can be described as a DNA analysis of specific genetic markers to identify species. The gene we are specifically focusing on is the CO1 gene or Cytochrome C as some may call it. COI is a popular marker because it's relatively easy to amplify, only one variant exists, and it's expressed in all animal species.

Poster:

Team samples: