Project:

Factors affecting avian biodiversity in a Long Island saltmarsh

Students:

Kat van der Meer, Philijoy Li, Rae Lin

Institution:

self,

Mentors:

Michael Friedman

Abstract:

Using data from this year, previous UBRP years, and eBird, our group plans to assess what prevalent bird species are in the Oceanside, Long Island, Marine Nature Study Area during the fall migration period and make inferences as to how these species' migratory patterns have changed over time. First, using feathers collected from the salt marsh, wooded, and dune areas of the Oceanside, NY Marine Nature Study Area, we will learn how to understand different forms of DNA extraction for bird feathers, which can be more difficult than the past extractions we've done. Then, we will isolate the feather DNA using a PCR extraction method, check if our PCR was successful using gel electrophoresis, and send the DNA for sequencing. After receiving our sequenced DNA, we will search for our collected bird species using DNA Subway. Once our group has determined a list of species, we will look at past data involving migratory birds in the Marine Nature Study Area during the fall to early winter period.

Poster: