Project:

A Tale of Two Schools: Ant Biodiversity of Urban and Suburban School Campuses: An Analysis of Sacred Heart Greenwich and Sacred

Students:

Grace Flanagan, Katelin Ulmer

School:

Sacred Heart Greenwich, Other

Mentors:

Mary Musolino

Abstract:

In this study, the research aim involves studying how urbanization affects ant biodiversity. More specifically, are different species of ants found at Sacred Heart, New York City than those found at Sacred Heart, Greenwich? To address this question, species of ants that inhabit both urban and suburban school campuses will be identified. The specific aim of the experiment is to create a holistic comparison of the biodiversity of ants at a suburban school campus and an urban school campus to conclude how urbanization affects ant biodiversity. In regards to scientific approach, the identification of species diversity of the ants will be made possible through the process of DNA barcoding; this taxonomic method uses short genetic markers in an organism's DNA to identify it as belonging to a particular species. It is hypothesized that the urban school campus, Sacred Heart, New York, will have less biodiversity than the suburban school campus, Sacred Heart, Greenwich, due to the disturbance o

Poster:

Team samples: