Project:

Differences in Biodiversity Between Man-Made and Natural Bodies of Freshwater in Hempstead Lake State Park

Students:

Erin Cooper, Maliah Peters, Mary Menger, Sherae Nalica

School:

Sacred Heart Academy, Nassau

Mentors:

Karen Kuntz

Abstract:

There a lot of human activity in Hempstead Lake State Park around both McDonald Pond, which is man-made, and Hempstead Lake, which is a natural lake. We would like to compare the biodiversity of the aquatic (freshwater) macroinvertebrates in the man-made pond to that in a natural lake. Since humans are able to eat the fish that they catch at both locations, we would like to explore the differences in biodiversity that could impact human health between the two locations.

Poster:

Team samples: