Project:

The Effect on Biodiversity and Marine Epiphytes on Zostera

Students:

Vanessa Schoen, Ericka Patterson, Liani Idlett

School:

Stony Brook University: Science Technology Entry Program (STEP), Suffolk

Mentors:

Anya Swiss

Abstract:

Marine epiphytes are commonly found on the leaves of seagrass plants. In a terrestrial system, epiphytes can be defined as organisms that live on plants. Unlike a terrestrial system, in marine ecosystems, these “organisms” are not necessarily plants. Epiphytes in marine ecosystems often include: algae (micro and macro), bacteria, fungi, sponges, bryozoans, tunicates, protozoa, hydroids, crustaceans and mollusks. For this proposal, populations of epiphytes will be analyzed on the Zostera plant and barcoded to determine the number of different species on each leaf.

Poster:

Team samples: