Project:

Mosquito DNA Barcoding

Students:

Courtney Moar, Kristen Moar, Victoria Pawelski

School:

West Babylon Senior High School, Suffolk

Mentors:

Andrea Durbin

Abstract:

This investigation will be using mosquitoes collected by the CDC using traps that uses lure or dry ice to attract female mosquitoes. The collection of mosquitoes is used to help identify the various species that exist on Long Island. Many mosquito species cannot be identified using physical features. Therefore, DNA Barcoding is used to extract, amplify and then sequence the DNA in order to determine what species of mosquitoes were in the light traps. (The CDC trap as a special monitoring tool, n.d.) There are quite a few species of mosquitoes on Long Island. Aedes atlanticus and Aedes tormentor are historically considered very similar. They are both very similar in phenotypically, but their larvae are easily distinguished. They are both brown, medium sized mosquitoes, but the atlanticus mosquitoes larvae have a distinct coloration. These mosquitoes can be found across the south eastern, U.S., in woodland habitats. I think that people moving to places can be related to these mosquitoes'

Poster:

Team samples: