WHAT: High school students and other citizen scientists collecting and helping analyze American cockroaches using DNA barcoding.
WHY: Genetic diversity is a window into evolution and patterns of migration. American cockroaches originated in Africa and hitchhiked around the world on commercial goods. This project asks:
1. Do American cockroaches differ genetically between cities?
2. Do US genetic types match those in other parts of the world?
3. Are there genetic types that represent undiscovered look-alike species?
