Project:

Project Proposal

Students:

Eric Szydlowski, Conor Brew, William Maher

School:

St Dominic's High School, Nassau

Mentors:

Melissa Cipriano

Abstract:

Research has found that ants actively contribute to nutrient levels in soil, raising potassium and phosphorus levels while reducing the concentration of carbon, nitrogen, calcium ions, and magnesium ions. (Dotstál 1) Ants store food and excrement in their nests, which alter nutrient levels when they decompose. They also effect aphids, fungi, and plants inhabiting the surrounding soil, which also influence soil nutrient levels. (Frouz 191) Soil nutrients are used by plants to grow and synthesize necessary materials; such plants are integral to agriculture and the human economy. The question being examined is whether or not different species of ant have different impacts on soil nutrient levels, which would then alter the ability of soils to support plants important to society, namely crops. To test this, soil will be sampled from ant nests and from the soil near the nest but not a part of the nest. Ants will be collected from these nests and identified through DNA barcoding, while the s

Poster:

Team samples: