Project:

Ant Biodiversity

Students:

Anya Deshmukh, Katherine Frend, Evelyn Myatt

School:

Marymount School of New York, Manhattan

Mentors:

Robert Getz

Abstract:

We have three main goals for this experiment. Our first is to extract the DNA from ants on various green spaces at Marymount NYC, and identify the different species inhabiting each area. We will accomplish this goal by using the aforementioned methods described in the methods section. Our second goal is to analyze and compare the plant biodiversity of each location. We will measure this by using Simpson’s Diversity Index, and will note the differences in plant and ant diversity between the spaces. This might lead to an augmented perception of the biodiversity at each location, and will help us refine our perspective of the green spaces. Our final goal is to better understand ant biodiversity on garden roofs in urban environments. 54% of people worldwide live in urban landscapes meaning that more than half of the population is affected by ant biodiversity in said environments. Urbanization is rapidly increasing, which will lead to more man-made environments like the one we will study,

Poster:

Team samples: