Project:

Effect of Human Activity Upon Ant Diversity at The Stony Brook School

Students:

Jun Chen (Jason) Qian, Jason Cho

School:

The Stony Brook School, Suffolk

Mentors:

Erol Altug

Abstract:

Certain species of ants act as decomposers by helping to stabilize the ecosystem. They also have an indirect impact on the water and nutrient intake of plants from soil. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of dining halls on the biodiversity of ants at the Stony Brook School. The authors hypothesize that areas near dining halls are characterized by a higher biodiversity in the species of ants in comparison to the area in a more natural setting due to their attraction to the smell of food originating from the dining hall. To test this, the authors have marked two collection locations where they will perform sample collection simultaneously at randomized times. The first location is Kanas, the school’s cafeteria that provides lunch from Monday to Friday for more than 400 students and faculty, and breakfast/dinner daily for more than 200 students and faculty members. The other collection location is located in a grove with close proximity to the outer school boundaries, a

Poster:

Team samples: