2. Key Area 1- Field Techniques for Biologists Flashcards
Define a hazard
A hazard is a source of potential harm danger
What is a risk assessment?
A risk assessment involves identifying control measures to minimise risk
What are the different hazards field work may present?
- adverse weather conditions
- difficult terrain
- problems associated with isolation
- contact with harmful organisms
What are the control measures to minimise hazards?
- appropriate equipment
- clothing
- footwear
- means of communication
How should sampling be carried out?
Sampling should be carried out in a manner than minimises impact on wild species and habitats
What types of species must be given special consideration when carrying out fieldwork?
Rare and vulnerable species
What are the different types of sampling technique?
- point count
- transect
- remote detection
What is point count?
Point count involves the observer recording all individuals seen from a fixed point count location. It can be compared to other point count locations or with data from the same location gathered at other times
What equipment is used to carry out point counts?
Camera, binoculars and telescopes
What is a transect?
A transect is a line along which different samples can be taken. Often used in areas where the terrain or abiotic factors are changeable
What abiotic factors can be sampled in transect studies?
Light intensity, pH and salinity
What can be measured in transect studies? apart from abiotic factors
Plant abundance, abundance of sessile (immobile) slow moving organisms
What is a point count sampling technique?
Where the observer records all individuals seen from a fixed point count location. Counts are recorded by recording all species seen from a stationary point
What does the remote detection sampling technique involve?
Uses camera traps that are triggered when wildlife is present
What is an advantage of remote detection?
More elusive species (species that are difficult to find) can be observed without the observer being present
What is another indirect method of sampling organisms?
Scat sampling where animal droppings are collected in particular areas, providing information about species abundance and diet
What are the 3 types of sampling techniques?
- random sampling
- stratified sampling
- systematic sampling
What are the 3 types of sampling techniques?
- random sampling
- stratified sampling
- systematic sampling
What is random sampling?
Individuals are selected from the larger population must be chosen by chance
What is stratified sampling?
One large population may be divided up into smaller sub-populations first and individuals are randomly selected from the sub populations
What is systematic sampling?
Taken at regular intervals e.g every 2 metres along a transect
What can identification of an organism sample be made using?
- classification guides
- biological keys
- analysis of DNA or protein
What are two ways organisms can be classified?
taxonomy and phylogenetics
What is taxonomy?
Taxonomy is where organisms are identified and named by classification groups determined by their shared characteristics
What is phylogenetics?
Is the study of evolutionary history and relationships among groups and individuals
What heritable traits does phylogenetics use?
- Morphology
- DNA sequences
- protein structure
What are better known organisms that cana be easily studied or have been studied extensively?
Model organisms
What are 5 examples of model organisms?
- Bacterium: E. coli
- Flowring plant: Arabidopilis Thaliana
- Nematode: C. elegans
- Arthropod: D. melanogaster
- Chordates: mice, rats and zebrafish
What can genetic evidence in phylogenetics reveal?
Relatedness obscured by divergent and convergent evolution
What is divergent evolution?
The accumulation of differences as species from a common ancestor undergo changes over time e.g changes to the pentadactyl limb
What is convergent evolution?
Similar structures that have evolved from different ancestries e.g wings in bats and birds
What does familiarity with taxonomic groupings allow?
Predictions and inferences to be made about the biology of an organism from better known model organisms
What are the 3 domains of life?
- archaea
- bacteria
- eukaryota
What are indicator species? What information do they give with their presence/ lack of presence?
Presence, absence or abundance of indicator species can give information of environmental qualities such as presence of a pollutant (e.g sulfur dioxide in the air or human species in water). Susceptible and favoured species can be used to monitor and ecosystem
What does absence or reduced population of a species indicate?
Indicates that a species is susceptible to some factor in the environment
What does abundance or increased population of a species indicate?
Indicates it is favoured by the conditions
What is an example of an indicator species? and what does it indicate?
Lichen
Good indicator of air quality. Its absence indicates that sulfur dioxide pollution is in the air
How is a population size estimated? (3 processes)
- sampling
- direction count of the population within a set area can be used to estimate the total population size
- a mark and recapture technique can give an estimate of total population size
What is the formula for the total estimated population
N = MC/ R
N- total population that is estimated
M- sample population is captured, marked and released
C- After an interval of time, the second sample is captured
R- number of sample recaptured from the first sample population
What does the mark and recapture method assume?
- All individuals have an equal chance of capture
- That there is no immigration or emigration
- That individuals that are marked and released can mix fully and randomly with the population
What does it mean if the R (recaptured number of animals that are marked) is too low?
This may be due to errors in marking, the population may be overestimated
What does it mean if the R (recaptured number of animals that are marked) is too high?
This may be due to the inadequate dispersal from the release site, the population will be underestimated
What are the 5 methods of marking animals?
- Banding
- tagging
- Surgical implantation
- Painting
-Hairclipping
What is important to remember when marking animals?
The method of marking and subsequent observation must minimise the impact on the study species or affect the survival chance pf the study species
What is the study of animal behaviour?
Ethology
Why do we of animal behaviour?
- Informs us about the evolution of how we think, act and interact
- Understanding why animals behave the way they do
- Understand when an animal has a need and uses this information to make changes to benefit an animals welfare
What are the different measurements used to quantify animal behaviour?
- Latency
- Frequency
- Duration
What is latency?
The time between the stimulus occurring and the response behaviour
What is frequency?
The number of times a behaviour occurs within the observation period
What is duration?
The length of time each behaviour occurs during an observation period
What is the list of species specific behaviours to be ordered and recorded through observation?
Ethogram
What do ethograms allow the construction of?
The construction of time budgets
What is a time budget?
Allocated time frame for particular behaviours to occur
What is anthropomorphism?
The attribution of human characteristics or behaviours or emotions to an animals behaviour
Why is it important to avoid anthropomorphism?
It can lead to invalid conclusions/ data recorded because the researcher thinks a behaviour is being exhibited when it is not
