Project:

DNA Barcoding to Compare the Biodiversity of Flying and Ground-Dwelling Insects across Long Island Habitats

Students:

Ryan Kapoor, Shane Morris, Ziqi Lu

School:

Friends Academy, Nassau

Mentors:

Jennifer Newitt

Abstract:

Insects are the most diverse invertebrates on the planet and live in almost every type of habitat. There are many insects within Long Island's forests and grasslands, but very few of them are well known. Since so many insects look similar to each other, it is hard to tell them based on looks alone. Comparing ground-dwelling and flying insect diversity is challenging because both groups are affected by different, sometimes overlapping, environmental factors. Ground-dwelling insects are mainly influenced by soil conditions, temperature, and habitat structure, while flying insects respond more to light, vegetation, and wind. Flying insects often encounter a wider range of habitats, which can increase their diversity, but ground-dwelling insects can also be highly diverse depending on soil type and habitat complexity. This project will collect insects from Friends Academy Forest School, Bailey Arboretum, and Youngs Farm and identify their species using DNA barcoding and correlating genetic

Poster:

Team samples:

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