Project:

The Impact of Soil Composition on Ant Species Richness Across Long Island

Students:

Connor Ackerman, Michael Ford, Lilly DeNatale, Molly Nadler

School:

St. Dominic High School,

Mentors:

Pamela Shanley

Abstract:

Ants are an extremely biodiverse species, with over 15,000 known species across the world. Long Island, New York is the home to some of these species, where they are typically found in sidewalk cracks, moist wood, and soil. Long Island gives the opportunity to study the relationship between ants and the diverse soils they live in. The North Shore of Long Island typically has rocky, dry soils, with the South Shore having sandy soils. The Mid-Island Region has glacial soils, made up of sand, silt, large rocks, and clay. The different types of soil attract different species of ants, which we will collect and analyze. The research objective is to compare ant population, diversity, and habitat across the island and how soil properties affect these communities.

Poster:

Team samples:

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