Project:

New York's Web of Biodiversity

Students:

James Knox, Andrea Pennisi, Antoine Vandewiele, Dominic Seward

School:

Dwight School, Manhattan

Mentors:

Michael Paul

Abstract:

New York has a large insect population, especially in the city’s many parks. One group of organisms that is especially prevalent across the city is the class arachnid. There are roughly 80 different species of arachnids in New York. Due to their function as an indicator species, monitoring the population of spiders provides a deeper understanding of the ecosystem as a whole. In this study, we will primarily investigate parks across New York City. We will search for specimens to the side of paths and other less visited areas. This data can also help us understand the impact that a city environment has had on spiders as a whole. We hypothesize that we will collect a wide range of different spider species throughout the entire city. The aim of our project is to determine the variety of spiders in the metropolis of New York. In order to reflect the geographic diversity of New York, we will collect data samples from several locations. These locations are throughout Central Park, Riverside

Poster:

Team samples: