Project:

Identification of Zooxanthellae Based on Fluroesence

Students:

Natalie Chinchilla, Lauren Breaton

School:

Walt Whitman High School, Suffolk

Mentors:

fred feraco

Abstract:

The purpose of the project is to identify the species of zooxanthellae in the same coral species. My hypothesis is that the same type of zooxanthellae will be found in all of the coral samples.. Coral polyps, which are animals, zooxanthellae, along with the plant cells that live within them, have a mutualistic relationship. In addition, the Zooxanthellae are the principal for corals to live. So identifying the zooxanthellae in corals would be even more salient as well because then you would know what type of zooxanthellae is necessary for each kind of coral to thrive theoretically. So what if a coral in the same species does not have the same zooxanthellae, the different zooxanthellae would need more of a modification than another type of zooxanthellae. This could help the understanding of coral health more than existing knowledge. The main importance of this project is to be able to help specific corals with specific needs get the specific care that is catered to them and try to ident

Poster:

Team samples: