Project:

Findings the species of ants with help of DNA Barcoding within the courtyard at the West Babylon Senior High School in Long Isla

Students:

Kylah Hicklin, Gabriel Abreu, Andrew Graham, Christopher Hurst

School:

West Babylon Senior High School, Suffolk

Mentors:

Andrea Durbin

Abstract:

This project was conducted to see what new species, specifically with what is seen as ants, may lie within the courtyard at the West Babylon Senior High School on Long Island, New York. In order to do this lab firstly several ants must be collected. Tubes were placed as traps by students in different areas around the garden overnight to see what they may catch. Ants were also collected by hand if none were found in traps. By collecting and analyzing the DNA of the ants in the courtyard the biodiversity within this area can be discovered. The ant DNA was extracted and purified to then be PCR’d to be sequenced. The polymerase chain reaction used a specific gene (COI) in order to identify the species of the ants. Gel electrophoresis is used to determine if DNA was extracted and enough copied in the PCR process to be sequenced. This DNA must now be brought to a professional laboratory like Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to be sequenced. Programs like BLAST and DNA Subway will be used in f

Poster:

Team samples:

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