Project:

Biodiversity of Ferns on Long Island

Students:

Sophia Sherman, Paige Bzdyk, Frederick Nocella

School:

Babylon Jr/Sr High School, Suffolk

Mentors:

Andrew Sheltz

Abstract:

The barcoding project is a sampling of ferns from various locations on Long Island to study their biodiversity and determine whether or not there are potential variations in species and their location. Ferns will be collected from the Hamptons, Sunken Meadow State Park, and Southard's Pond. This is being conducted as ferns from a variety of species, both native and invasive, exist on Long Island, and they cannot all be identified through physical characteristics. Barcoding will allow the differences between the ferns to be recognized and studied with clarity as the biodiversity should vary. Ferns are bioindicators for the overall health of the forest due to their sensitivity to soil pH and light. To process the fern's DNA, standard DNA extraction techniques and equipment given for use by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) will be used. Following DNA extraction and PCR analysis, samples will be sequenced according to CSHL protocols. The rbcL gene will be amplified during the PCR ampli

Poster:

Team samples: