Project:

The Effect of Nitrogen Fixation on Biodiversity in Randall's Island

Students:

Lily Rothman, Madelyn Abrams, Zoe Daniel

School:

Ethical Culture Fieldston School, The Bronx

Mentors:

Abigale Koppa

Abstract:

The goal of the experiment is to investigate how the presence of nitrogen-fixing plants and soil nitrogen richness affects the biodiversity of a site. Nitrogen-fixation is a natural process in which bacteria on a nitrogen-fixing plant’s roots convert atmospheric nitrogen into nutrients that can be used by the surrounding plants for photosynthesis and protein production. We will be collecting from five 2 meter by 2 meter sites at Randall’s Island in the freshwater garden and the urban forest taking samples from areas with and without nitrogen-fixing plants. We will aim to collect samples of clovers and black locust trees, as they are nitrogen-fixing plants. The samples will then be analyzed through DNA barcoding. We will isolate sample DNA via silica extraction, then use PCR to amplify the DNA, and gel electrophoresis to analyze our data. We will compare species richness at sites with and without nitrogen-fixing plants. We will also use a soil-testing kit to measure the level of nit

Poster:

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