B6.1 Monitoring and maintaining the environment Flashcards
What is a Sample?
Observations or measurements from a small area, which is representative of a larger area.
Name four different sampling techniques for animals.
- Pooters
- Sweep nets
- Kick sampling
- Tree beating
- Pitfall traps
Name two different sampling techniques for plant species.
- Quadrat
- Transect
What tool could be used to record the abundance of different plant species in a habitat?
A quadrat.
What tool could be used to record the abundance of different flying insect species in a habitat?
A sweep net
What tool could be used to record the abundance of different small crawling animsl species in a habitat?
A pitfall trap
What are the two different approaches to sampling plants?
- Random sampling
- Non-random sampling
State the approach to sampling being used when sampling with a transect.
Non-random
What is the equation for calculating animal population size?
Estimated population size = (first sample x second sample) / number of recaptured marked individuals
Describe the mark-release-recapture method?
- Use a trap to capture some animals
- Mark the captured animals
- Release the animals
- Set up the trap again in a couple of days
- Note the number of animals in the recapture and the number of those that are marked.
State five negative impacts that humans have upon the environement/
- Hunting
- Deforestation
- Pollution
- Land use
- Pesticides
State five positive impacts that humans have upon the environment.
- Sustainable farming
- Captive breeding progammes
- Creating nature reserves
- Recycling
- Preserving habitats
Define biodiversity.
The variety in all the species living in an ecosystem.
Name three benefits of maintaining biodiversity.
- Ecotourism can provide money for local economies
- Prevent extinction
- Some animals or plants may have useful medicinal properties
- Balance within an ecosystem.
State two challanges to maintaining biodiversity.
- It can be difficult to gain political agreement upon policies
- Populations may need (re)educating to understand why they must change their (lifelong) ways of doing things.
- Maintaining biodiversity can be expensive (in the short term).
What is conservation?
Protecting a natural environment to ensure that habitats are not lost.
Give two examples of conservation activities/
- Controlled grazing
- Feeding animals
- Controlling numbers of dominant species (grey squirrel)
- Restricting human access
- Reintroduction of species
What is captive breeding?
Breeding animals in a human-controlled environment such as a zoo or aquarium with the aim to:
- Create a healthy stable population
- Gradually reintroduce
- Maintain genetic diversity
What is the issue with captive breeding?
Organisms may not be suitable for release into the wild:
- they may not know how to hunt / forage for food
- they may not be able to recognise threats in the wild
What a seed banks.
A store of plant genetic material with the purpose of providing a backup against the extinction of plant species.
How can changes in water levels affect ecosystems?
- Animals may have to migrate to find water
- Melting cap caps may destroy habitats of some aniamls
How can atmospheric gases affect ecosystems?
- Some organisms cannot survive when certain gases are present
- Polluted water can cause illness to animals that drink it
- Certain gases can lead to acid rain which can cause deforestation
What is an indicator species?
A species thats population size is directly correlates to the levels of pollution.
Explain how litchens are used as indicator species.
- Lichens have no root systems and derive most of their nutrition from the air and rainwater
- Air pollutants dissolved in rainwater, especially sulphur dioxide, damage litchens affecting their growth
- A lack of litchens is a sign of high pollution.
- Certain species will tollerate different levels of air polllution
- Crusty litchens are found in areas of polluted air.
- Leafy litchens are found in areas of moderately polluted air.
- Bushy litchens are found in areas of unpolluted (clean) air.
State the organisms that you would expect to find as indicators of different levels of water pollution.
- Unpolluted - Mayfly larva / nymphs
- Low pollution - freshwater shrimp
- High pollution - water louse
- Very high pollution - sludge worms
