2.1 Field Techniques for Biologists Flashcards
what is a hazard
something that can cause harm
hazards in the fieldwork include:
adverse weather conditions, difficult terrain, problems associated with isolation, and contact with harmful organisms
what do risk assessments involve
identifying control measures to minimise risk
what is a risk
the likelihood of harm arising from exposure to a hazard
what are control measures
ways to reduce the risk of hazards
examples of control measures include:
appropriate equipment, clothing, footwear, and means of communication
how should sampling be carried out
in a manner that minimises impact on wild species and habitats
who should considerations be given to
rare and vulnerable species and habitats that are protected by legislation
name sampling techniques
point count, transect, remote detection, camera traps, scat sampling, quadrat
what is 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.
what is a quadrat
a frame of a known arrea, sometimes split into smaller sections, used to sample plants, slow moving animals in a large area
what is a transect
a straight line across a large expense of ground along which measurements are taken, usually at regular intervals
which sampling technique is used for plants and other sessile or slow-moving organisms
quadrats of suitable size and shape
transect
which sampling techniques are used for mobile species
capture techniques such as traps and nets
what are sessile species
slow moving species
what are elusive species
those that are difficult to find
what is scat sampling
finding and identifying of animal waste to identify the species living in an area. Can also be used to identify the animal diet
what is remote detection
remote detection employs the use of camera traps that are triggered when wildlife is preset. This means that elusive species can be observed without the observer being present
what are camera traps
remotely activated camera that is equipped with motion sensor or an infrared sensor, or used a light beam as a trigger
advantages of scat sampling
provides information about species abundance (the number of individuals per species) and diet
disadvantages of scat sampling
assume population of a species, not all animals of the same species have the same diet
what are the different capture techniques
random sampling
stratified sampling
systematic sampling
what is random sampling
individuals selected from the larger population must be chosen completely by chance
what is stratified sampling
in some cases, one large population may be divided up into smaller sub-populations first. Individuals are then randomly selected from each sub-population
what is systematic sampling
may be taken at regular intervals e.g. every 2 meters along the transect
identification of an organism in a sample can be made using:
classification guides
biological keys
analysis of DNA or proteins
what can organisms be classified by
taxonomy
phylogenetics
what is taxanomy
involves the identification and naming of organisms and their classification into groups based on shared characteristics
what is classic taxonomy classification based on
morphology
what is phylogenetics
the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among individuals or groups of organisms.
it is changing the traditional classification of many organisms
phylogenetics uses heritable traints such as:
morphology
DNA sequences
protein structure
what is a phylogeny
(or a phylogenetic tree)
a diagrammatic hypothesis of its relationshipd to other organisms
what can genetic evidence reveal in phylogenetics
relatedness obscured by divergent or convergent evolution
what is divergent evolution
when two species diverge from a common ancestor and develop different characteristics
what is convergent evolution
when two species with different ancestral origins develop similar characteristics
familiarity with taxonomy groupings allows:
predictions and inferences to be made about the biology of an organism from better-known (model) organisms
examples of taxonomic groups
nematodes
arthropods
chordates
what are model organisms
organisms that are either easily studied or have been well studied
information obtained from them can be applied to other species that are more difficult to study directly
examples of model organisms
E. coli (bacteria) Arabidopsis (flowering plant) C. elegans (nematodes) Drosphila melanogaster (arthropod) mice, rats, zebrafish (chirdates)
what can give information of environmental qualities such as presence of a pollutant
presence, absence or abundance of indicator species
what can be used to monitor an ecosystem
susceptible ad favoured species
what does absence or reduced population in indicator species indicate
the species is susceptible to some factors in the environment
what does abundance or increased population in indicator species indicate
the species is favoured by the conditions
what is the mark and recapture technique
this is a method for estimating population size
what is the mark and recapture technique formula
N=(MC)/R
what is the mark and recapture technique method
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) can be calculated
what does the mark and recapture technique assume
that 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
the method of marking and subsequent observation must
minimise the impact on the study species
which measurements are used to quantify animal behaviour
latency
frequency
duration
what is latency
the time between the stimulus occurring ans 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 the observation period
what is ethology
the study of animal behaviour
what is an ethogram
a chart on which animal behaviour is recorded
lists species-specific behaviours to be observed and recorded in the study
what is a time budget
usually a pie chart which presents the proportion of time spent on each behaviour
what is anthropomorphism
crediting animal behaviour with human emotions or qualities (personification)
why is it important to avoid anthropomorphism
it can lead to invalid conclusion
