Project:

Determining the Preferred Orientation of Phototropic Bryophytes and Lichens in Cold Spring Harbor Using DNA Barcoding

Students:

Saami Ali, Desmond Mehta

School:

Cold Spring Harbor High School, Suffolk

Mentors:

Jaak Raudsepp

Abstract:

It is known that certain species of moss tend to be found on the side of trails facing away from the sun, but is this trait shown for other flora or for other directions? This paper seeks to document the concentration and directional distribution of clusters of flora around trees within the environment of Cold Spring Harbor. The observed locations of moss trend towards the edge of the tree facing away from the sun. This is so that they can have reduced absorption of sunlight due to the fact that excessive sunlight can destroy their tissue. The phenomena of plants orienting themselves in certain positions regarding their access to sunlight is referred to as phototropism. However, our group intends to ascertain as to whether such trends apply to other species of plants that grow on trees, such as lichens and bryophytes, and whether such trends could be proved to have a causal relationship with their biological trends.

Poster:

Team samples: