Project:

The Biodiversity of Fungi in Randall's Island

Students:

Monica Nikolova, Megan Orsuwan, Micaela Ramos

School:

Ethical Culture Fieldston School, The Bronx

Mentors:

Abigale Koppa

Abstract:

We will compare the biodiversity of fungi found on Randalls Island. We will collect samples from both on and off-trail habitats. We expect to find samples along the urban woodlands and the meadows. The on-trail sampling area will consist of logs lining a man-made path and the off-trail of stumps and forest floor. We will sample approximately every thirty paces, and we will go at least ten paces from the trail to collect off-trail samples. Once the samples are collected, we will extract the DNA and create copies of the DNA through PCR. We will analyze the DNA through gel electrophoresis. Then, our results will be displayed through a series of graphs where we will compare biodiversity from different habitats.

Poster:

Team samples: