Project:

Long Island Barcode Proposal 2017-18

Students:

Blake Waszmer, Kaylie Barrett, Jenna Johnson, Claudia Kwasiborski

School:

Lindenhurst Senior High School, Suffolk

Mentors:

Christine Sanfratello

Abstract:

Within an ecosystem, mushrooms have the ability to change the composition of the surrounding soil. Mushrooms are fungi, which aid in the decomposition of organic matter and return nutrients back to the soil (Carris, L. M). Through a series of complex decompositional processes, known as the nitrogen cycle, mushrooms become essential to the survival of plants, as well as humans and other organisms who consume these plants (Nilsson, L. O.). Mushrooms are also important in terms of ecological relationships with other organisms, specifically plants. Plants and fungi live in symbiotic relationships with one another. The fungi supplement nutrients into the soil, that the plants require to stay healthy and maintain a diversity of species in the environment (Stricherz, Vince). These symbiotic relationships are referred to as mycorrhizae or having a fungus-root association. Certain mycorrhizal relationships are expected to exist between plants and fungi but have yet to be fully understand. Estab

Poster:

Team samples: