Project:

The use of DNA Barcoding for the identification of species of local ants collected in the courtyard of West Babylon Senior High

Students:

Danielle Dosette, Talia Acevedo, Grace Kelly, Lily Boggia

School:

West Babylon Senior High School, Suffolk

Mentors:

Andrea Durbin

Abstract:

The purpose of this project is to identify the species of ants that exist in the West Babylon Senior High School’s courtyard and gain a better understanding of the species that inhabit it. The process includes collecting ants using traps or manual collection, extracting and isolating ant DNA via the Chelex method, conducting PCR to amplify a specific identifying gene while using gel electrophoresis to check for errors, sending the DNA to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory for sequencing, and using BLAST and the DNA Subway to identify the ants’ species. The research will result in a better understanding of the courtyard’s ecosystem and biodiversity, and can potentially yield results suggesting an unidentified species.

Poster:

Team samples:

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