Barcode Long Island Team Connetquot Macroinvertebrates
Program:
Barcode Long Island
Year:
2018-19
Research Topic:
Wildlife & health
Taxonomic Group Studied:
Animals: Invertebrate

Project:

Macroinvertebrates and Water Quality
Students:
Emily Picchiello, Jenna Marcotte
School:
Connetquot HighSchool, Suffolk
Mentors:
John Halloran

Abstract:

Evident by previous studies, the types and abundances of macroinvertebrates in a given body of water can give insight on the water quality of that area. This is due to the fact that certain macroinvertebrates have different tolerances for living conditions which they can survive in. The purpose of this experiment is meant to use new data and data from previous student collections in the Connetquot River will as a comparison to determine if the water quality has become worse over time. Within this experiment, samples will be taken from the river using a sand and silt/bottom dredger. The samples will be searched in order to obtain macroinvertebrates. Twenty unique specimens will be chosen with the help of charts, and those specimens will be sent for barcoding. The resulting sequences will tell exactly which species of macroinvertebrates live in the area and therefore show if the water quality has declined, improved, or remained relatively the same.

Poster:

DNA Barcoding Poster
View team poster (PDF/PowerPoint)

Team samples: