2.1 Flashcards
What hazards are associated with field work?
- terrain
- weather conditions
- isolation
- contact with harmful organisms
What is risk?
the likelihood of harm arising from hazard exposure
What does a risk assessment involve?
it involves identifying control measures to minimise risk
What are control measure examples?
- appropriate equipment
- clothing
- footwear
- means of communication
What is the risk of terrain?
relates to ground conditions, uneven ground can be dangerous, risk of falling must be assessed
What is the risk of weather conditions?
can affect quality/reliability of study, pose as significant hazard, forecast checking and awareness of weather change essential
What is the risk of isolation?
more of a threat for lone researcher, work with at least one other person, always inform someone of an emergency plan
What is the risk of harmful organisms?
must be fully aware of harmful organisms within ecosystem being sampled, minimise contact and have safety measures in place
What should be considered when sampling wild organisms?
study should minimise impact on wild organisms and their habitat, consider rare or vulnerable species or habitats (protected by legislation)
What are some examples of sampling methods and how should they be carried out?
point counts, transects, remote detection, quadrats, capture techniques, camera traps and scat sampling.
must be appropriate to sample species and should be random, stratified and systematic
Describe point counts…
- observer stands at fixed point, records everything seen/heard at time
- used for data comparison from other locations/times
Describe a transect study…
- distribution of species along fixed line
- moving along line and measuring biotic and abiotic factors can show how they affect species diversity
Describe remote detection…
- captures animal presence when researcher not present
- for rare/nocturnal species difficult to locate/catch
Describe quadrats…
- suitable shape, size, marks of exact area so organisms identified/counted
- for sessile and slow moving creatures
Describe capture techniques…
traps and nets for mobile species
Describe camera traps…
observing individual species in natural habitat, for elusive species
Describe scat sampling…
using droppings to estimate number of an individual species
Name some methods of identification…
methods of identifying a living sample are biological keys, classification guides and DNA or Protein analysis
How can organisms be classified?
by taxonomy and phylogenetics
What is phylogenetics?
the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among individuals or groups of organisms
How does phylogenetics work?
it uses heritable traits (morphology, DNA sequences and protein structure) to make inferences about an organisms evolutionary history and create phylogenetic tree t show relationships with other organisms
What does genetic evidence reveal?
relatedness obscured by divergent or convergent evolution
What is divergent evolution?
two different species share same ancestral origins but evolved differently
What is convergent evolution?
species with different ancestral origins have developed similar features
