Project:

Invertebrate Biodiversity Relative to Road Proximity at Randall's Island

Students:

Alexa Friedman, Sarah Gallen, Rafael Kaissar

School:

Ethical Culture Fieldston School, The Bronx

Mentors:

Howard Waldman

Abstract:

Randall’s Island has multiple biomes such as a salt marsh, freshwater wetlands, and wildflower meadows. Within each ecosystem of Randall’s Island is a diverse network of animals; within these networks are rich populations of invertebrates. Invertebrates in urban environments are highly susceptible to habitat disruption and extermination. This experiment focuses on a singular threat to invertebrate diversity- busy roads. Regular cars utilize the burning of gasoline and diesel to create energy which releases harmful gasses into the atmosphere. Polluted air has been shown to have direct effects on plant health and photosynthetic patterns. We predict that as we collect invertebrates incrementally further away from the road that the invertebrate biodiversity will increase and there will be a wider variety of species found.

Poster:

Team samples: