Project:

Microhabitat of Zostera marina

Students:

Angela Ochoa, Elizabeth Scianno, Phil Oriuwa

School:

William Floyd High School, Suffolk

Mentors:

Victoria D'Ambrosia

Abstract:

Zostera marina is a foundational species of submerged aquatic vegetation that increases habitat complexity and serves as a nursery for juvenile shellfish, such as scallops. Due to a decrease spatially in Zostera in the past decade(Barnes, H., 2009), current research studies have been attempting to replant this foundational species. It was believed that microbiomes residing in Zostera marina root systems and surrounding sediments have created an impact on Zostera marina growth. In this study, the microorganisms were examined using 16S ribosomal RNA (rDNA) extraction and amplification protocols. Qiime analyses were utilized from the associated laboratory, to observe if there is a relationship between microorganisms in sparsely populated Zostera beds and densely populated beds and the microorganisms living within the surrounding sediments of each bed.It was hypothesized that sparsely populated Zostera beds would contain a notably larger amount of harmful bacteria within the roots and sedi

Poster:

Team samples: