Distribution of Organisms (B2)

Question 1

What environmental factors affect where an organism is found?

Answer 1

Environmental factor or ecological factor or ecofactor is any factor, abiotic or biotic, that influences living organisms. Abiotic factors include ambient temperature, amount of sunlight, and pH of the water soil in which an organism lives.

Question 2

Explain how you would use a quadrat to study the distribution of small organisms.

Answer 2

The distribution of living organisms in a particular habitat may be affected by physical factors such as temperature and amount of light. Transects and quadrats are used to help collect quantitative data about organisms in their habitats.

Collecting

Organisms can be collected using a variety of methods, including:
Nets
Pooters
Pitfall traps
Quadrats

Question 3

What is a transect and how would you use it to study the distribution of organisms?

Answer 3

A transect is line across a habitat or part of a habitat. It can be as simple as a string or rope placed in a line on the ground. The number of organisms of each species can be observed and recorded at regular intervals along the transect.

Question 4

Define the terms reliability and validity

Answer 4

Reliability and validity are two concepts that are important for defining and measuring bias and distortion. Reliability refers to the extent to which assessments are consistent. … Another measure of reliability is the internal consistency of the items.