Project:

Fern Species as Indicators of Urban Air Quality

Students:

Eleanor Goldfarb, Flora Jakobishvili

School:

The Ramaz School, Manhattan

Mentors:

Rebecca Weisberg

Abstract:

Certain species of ferns can serve as good indicators of air quality because their growth is impacted by air pollution, especially nitrogen dioxide from car exhaust. This project will compare fern species collected from Central Park and more polluted spots in New York City (medium-high pollution) and from rural parks far outside the city (low pollution). We will identify each species using DNA barcoding to see which ferns grow more, or even exclusively, in cleaner areas. Our goal is to find out which fern species are natural indicators of air quality in urban environments.

Poster:

Team samples:

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