Project:

Biodiversity of Macroinvertebrates in Forge Pond, Peconic River

Students:

Amelia Grausso, Madalena Ingoglia, Isabella Fiordalisi

School:

Eastport South Manor Junior Senior High School, Suffolk

Mentors:

Rachel Neville

Abstract:

Our research project will focus on the biodiversity of the Peconic River, specifically Forge Pond. Our project is about collecting organisms to barcode their DNA. Barcoding DNA is a reliable and objective way to identify species and allows scientists to distinguish between organisms with different DNA sequences. Measuring and maintaining biodiversity is critical for the health of ecosystems, human well-being and the stability of the planet. To collect data for our project we went to the Forge Pond, Peconic River to catch organisms. We used a seine net and other smaller nets to collect these organisms and separate them into jars or containers. We then brought them into our classroom to store them in vials of ethanol. We expect to identify several species using DNA barcoding, including invasive species, introduced species, and species that do not have DNA sequences identified in a DNA database. The Peconic River is a freshwater river located in Suffolk County, Long Island. Its ecosystem

Poster:

Team samples:

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