2.1 Field Techniques Flashcards
Hazards in fieldwork include
adverse weather
conditions, difficult terrain, problems
associated with isolation, and contact with
harmful organisms.
Define a risk
Risk is the likelihood of harm arising from
exposure to a hazard.
Define a risk asessment
Risk assessment involves identifying control
measures to minimise risk.
Control measures of risk for fieldwork
Control measures include appropriate
equipment, clothing, footwear, and means of
communication.
Sampling should be carried out in a way that…..
minimises impact on wild species and
habitats
and
Consideration must be given to rare and
vulnerable species and habitats that are
protected by legislation
Describe a point count
A point count involves the observer recording
all individuals seen from a fixed point count
location. This can be compared to other point
count locations or with data from the same
location gathered at other times.
Describe remote detection and transect sampling
remote detection - uses sensors e.g. satellites
transect - a line along which samples can be taken
Quadrats, of suitable size and shape, or
transects are used for
plants and other
sessile or slow-moving organisms
Mobile species are sampled using
capture techniques such as traps or nets.
How to sample elusive species
Elusive species can be sampled directly
using camera traps or an indirect method,
such as scat (droppings) sampling
Identification of an organism in a sample can
be made using….
classification guides,
biological keys, or analysis of DNA or protein
Organisms can be classified by both
taxonomy and phylogenetics
Define Taxonomy
Taxonomy involves the identification and
naming of organisms and their classification
into groups based on shared characteristics
Classic taxonomy classification is based on….
morphology (study of forms/shapes)
Define Phylogenetics
Phylogenetics is the study of the evolutionary
history and relationships among individuals
or groups of organisms
Phylogenetics is changing the traditional
classification of many organisms
Describe how phylogenetics helps classify organisms
Phylogenetics uses heritable traits such as morphology, DNA sequences, and protein structure to make inferences about an organism’s evolutionary history and create a phylogeny (or phylogenetic tree) — a diagrammatic hypothesis of its relationships to other organisms. Genetic evidence can reveal relatedness obscured by divergent or convergent evolution.
Familiarity with taxonomic groupings allows…..
predictions and inferences to be made about
the biology of an organism from better-known
(model) organisms
Nematodes
Round Worms which show great variety. Some parasitic
arthropods
Joint-legged invertabrites which are identified by their segmented bodies e.g. wasps, butterflies, spiders and crabs
chordates
Sea squirts and all vertabrites (birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish)
Define model organisms
Model organisms are those that are either
easily studied or have been well studied
examples of model organisms
- Bacterium E. coli
- Flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana
- Nematode C. elegans
- Arthropod Drosophila melanogaster (a fruit
fly) - Mice, rats and zebrafish, which are all chordates
Benefits of using model organisms
Information obtained from them can be applied to other species that are more difficult
to study directly
Describe indicator species
Presence, absence or abundance of indicator
species can give information of
environmental qualities, such as presence of
a pollutant
Talk about abundance of species in terms of environmental factors
Absence or reduced population indicates a
species is susceptible to some factor in the
environment. Abundance or increased
population indicates it is favoured by the
conditions.
Mark and recapture equation
N = MC/R
Describe the method of mark and recapture technique
A sample of the population is captured and
marked (M) and released. After an interval of
time, a second sample is captured (C). If
some of the individuals in this second sample
are recaptured (R), then the total population
N= MC/R
Mark and recapture works under the assumption that
This method assumes that all individuals
have an equal chance of capture, that there
is no immigration or emigration, and that
individuals that are marked and released can
mix fully and randomly with the total
population.
Methods of marking animals include….
banding
tagging
surgical implantation
painting
hair clipping
Some of the measurements used to quantify
animal behaviour are…..
latency, frequency and
duration
Define Latency
Latency is the time between the stimulus
occurring and the response behaviour.
Define Frequency (in terms of behaviour)
Frequency is the number of times a
behaviour occurs within the observation
period.
Describe Duration (in terms of behaviour)
Duration is the length of time each behaviour
occurs during the observation period.
An ethogram of behaviour allows
the
construction of time budgets
Describe an ethogram
An ethogram lists species-specific
behaviours to be observed and recorded in
the study. Recording the duration of each of
the behaviours in the ethogram, together with
the total time of observation, allows the
proportion of time spent on each behaviour to
be calculated in the time budget.
What should you avoid in an ethogram and why
It is important to avoid anthropomorphism as it can lead to invalid
conclusions.
