Project:

The use of DNA Barcoding to identify the different types of ants in the WBSHS Courtyard

Students:

Ava Dockery, Sienna Cruz, Samantha Dean, Lucciana Funes

School:

West Babylon Senior High School, Suffolk

Mentors:

Andrea Durbin

Abstract:

The goal of this project is to figure out what types of ants live in the WBSHS courtyard by using DNA barcoding. These ants were caught by setting up different kinds of traps that the ants would either fall into, or would be attracted to a kind of bait. We caught these ants in a courtyard location with lots of plant life and different kinds of organisms such as turtles. Some species that may be found are Carpenter Ants, Flying Ants, Pavement Ants, Odorous House Ants, Cornfield Ants, False Honey Ants, and Little Black Ants which are the most popular kinds of ants. The motivation behind this investigation is to possibly find a new species of ant, and figure out which ants we have in our courtyard’s ecosystem. To achieve these goals the purified extracted DNA from these ants have a specific gene to look at in order to identify the species. From there, PCR will amplify the gene and gel electrophoresis will ensure that DNA was extracted and enough copied to be sequenced. Sequenced DNA wil

Poster:

Team samples:

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