Urban Barcode Research Project Team Ego William
Program:
Urban Barcode Research Project
Year:
2017-18
Research Topic:
Biodiversity & trade
Taxonomic Group Studied:

Project:

The Effect of Urbanization on Soil Microbial Community
Students:
William Kim, Ego Wong
Institution:
Queensborough Community College, Queens
Mentors:
Nidhi Gadura

Abstract:

Urbanization is the gradual increase of people living in urban areas. It is the movement of people from rural areas to urban areas. The impact this movement has caused is not only evident throughout humanities but also within the bacterial community. In fact, there is a constant interaction between the urban population and the environment. Urban ecological pollution in terms has influenced the population of microorganism in the soil through the consumption of food, energy, water, and the use of the surrounded environment. To prove this effect, we collected 20 separate soil samples from four boroughs of New York City—Queens, Manhattan, Bronx, and Brooklyn—are sampled. Through the use of polymerase chain reaction alongside a metagenomic method, we were able to study the genetic material extracted from the samples. We hypothesize that we will find differences in the microbial community of the soil samples collected.

Poster:

Team samples: