Project:

Mosquito Diversity

Students:

Jewel Joseph, Allen Thomas

School:

Herricks High School, Nassau

Mentors:

Laura Russo

Abstract:

Biodiversity is essential for the development of species, because of its resilient skills to adapt to new environmental changes, and would contribute to the stabilization of individual ecosystems. In certain parts of Long Island there are increasing intensity of aerial spraying of pesticides against mosquito larvae, specifically on the south shore of Nassau and Suffolk County.(Vector/Mosquito Control) These treatments of different locations, usually concentrated with small shrubs or bushes, are the causes of the substantial decrease of genetic diversity of mosquitoes in these locations. One of these locations that have been treated for many years includes Mastic Beach, with its abundance of marshes and stagnant water makes it a fertile location for mosquito breeding and a target of continuous pesticide treatment. By taking mosquito samples from a location in Mid-Nassau County where there is relatively low amounts of pesticides, and comparing them to mosquitos of Mastic Beach can more e

Poster:

Team samples: