Project:

Barcoding the Invasive Kudzu Vine Pueraria montana

Students:

Kylie Mawn, Tanay Karnik

School:

Sachem East, Suffolk

Mentors:

Stephen Wefer

Abstract:

Invasive species are a worldwide problem that is shared as a result of modern travel and technology. Pueraria montana, commonly known as Kudzu is an invasive species that is known to have made negative impacts in many areas, including Long Island. As Kudzu becomes more prevalent in areas such as Long Island, it is important to track and research it, in hopes of discovering not only a method of control, but also new hybrid species that may develop. After samples were collected, the DNA was extracted and amplified with a Polymerase Chain Reaction. We used the instructions and equipment provided for us by Cold Spring Harbor in order to extract the DNA for sequencing. Unfortunately, the results that we were able to collect in this short time did not prove to be useful, instead the samples that we collected seem to be closely related to the Celastrus genus, not the Pueraria genus.

Poster:

Team samples: