Project:

Connecting the allelopathic effects of invasive garlic mustard on biodiversity of invasiv wisteria in Northern Jersey

Students:

Aiden Bae, Achyut Manoj

School:

Tenafly High School,

Mentors:

Alan Brandstaedter

Abstract:

Wisteria and garlic mustard are two invasive plants prominent in Northern New Jersey. While its allelopathic, or germination inhibition, effects on the biodiversity of surrounding native plants have been somewhat documented, garlic mustard may have an effect on the biodiversity of surrounding invasive wisteria that remains unexplored. This UBP project aims to investigate such effects on wisteria biodiversity, and associate it to any changes in soil conditions, in order to observe the effects of garlic mustard’s released chemicals as a product of its allelopathic capabilities. We will explore this by collecting samples from two different locations, with five sites at each location, sampling wisteria collected around garlic mustard, and wisteria not in the presence of garlic mustard. We will make use of DNA barcoding to identify the species of wisteria we collect, and a soil test kit to analyze any altered soil conditions that wisteria relies on. Our findings from the DNA extraction wi

Poster:

Team samples: