Field Techniques for Biologists

Question 1

Hazards in fieldwork include

Answer 1

adverse weather conditions, difficult terrain, problems associated with isolation, and contact with harmful organisms

Question 2

What is risk?

Answer 2

The likelihood of harm arising from exposure to a hazard

Question 3

Risk assessment involves…

Answer 3

identifying control measures to minimise risk

Question 4

Control measures include…

Answer 4

appropriate equipment, clothing, footwear and means of communication

Question 5

What considerations should be carried out when sampling?

Answer 5

Sampling should be carried out in a manner that minimises impact on wild species and habitats.
Considerations must be given to rare and vulnerable species and habitats that are protected by legislation

Question 6

What are quadrats used for?

Answer 6

Plants and other sessile or slow-moving organisms

Question 7

Capture techniques such as traps and nets are used for

Answer 7

mobile species

Question 8

How can elusive species be sampled?

Answer 8

directly using camera traps or indirectly using scat sampling

Question 9

What does a point count involve?

Answer 9

The observer recording all individuals seen from a fixed point count location

Question 10

Identification of an organism in a sample can be made using…

Answer 10

classification guides, biological keys or analysis of DNA or protein

Question 11

2 ways organisms can be classified?

Answer 11

taxonomy, phylogenetics

Question 12

What is taxonomy?

Answer 12

taxonomy involves the identification and naming of organisms and their classification into groups based on shared characteristics

Question 13

What is phylogenetics?

Answer 13

phylogenetics is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among individuals or groups of organisms

Question 14

What are model organisms?

Answer 14

Model organisms are those that are either easily studied or have been well studied

Question 15

Information obtained from model organisms can be

Answer 15

applied to other species that are more difficult to study directly

Question 16

Classic taxonomy classification is based on

Answer 16

morphology

Question 17

Phylogenetics uses heritable traits such as morphology, DNA sequences, and protein sequences to

Answer 17

make inferences about an organisms evolutionary history and create a phylogenetic tree (phylogeny)

Question 18

Examples of taxonomic groups

Answer 18

Nematodes, arthropods and chordates

Question 19

example of bacterium model organism?

Answer 19

E. coli

Question 20

example of nematode model organism?

Answer 20

C. elegans

Question 21

example of arthropod model organism?

Answer 21

Drosophilia melanogaster

Question 22

example of chordate model organism?

Answer 22

Mice

Question 23

example of flowering plant model organism?

Answer 23

Arabidopsis Thaliana

Question 24

The presence, absence or abundance of indicator species can

Answer 24

give information of environmental qualities, such as presence of a pollutant

Question 25

Susceptible and favoured (indicator) species can be

Answer 25

used to monitor an ecosystem

Question 26

N=

Answer 26

MxC/R

Question 27

Methods of marking animals includes:

Answer 27

banding, tagging, surgical implantation, painting and hair clipping

Question 28

the method of marking and subsequent observation must

Answer 28

minimise the impact on the study species

Question 29

Absence or reduction indicates a species is

Answer 29

susceptible to some factor in the environment

Question 30

Abundance or increased population indicates the species is

Answer 30

favoured by the conditions

Question 31

First capture and mark?

Answer 31

M

Question 32

Second capture and mark

Answer 32

C

Question 33

Population recaptured in second capture and mark

Answer 33

R

Question 34

What does the mark and recapture method assume?

Answer 34

All individuals have an equal chance of capture
there is no immigration or emmigration
Individuals that are marked and released can mix fully and randomly with the total population

Question 35

what is anthropomorphism?

Answer 35

Applying human emotions to other non-human animals or things and so this behaviour is misinterpreted

Question 36

An ethogram of the behaviours shown by a species in a wild context allows the construction of

Answer 36

time budgets

Question 37

What is latency?

Answer 37

The time between the stimulus occurring and the response behaviour

Question 38

What is frequency?

Answer 38

The number of times a behaviour occurs within the observation period

Question 39

What is duration?

Answer 39

The length of time each behaviour occurs during the observation period

Question 40

An ethogram

Answer 40

lists species-specific behaviour to be recorded and studied in the study

Question 41

Anthropormorphism can lead to

Answer 41

invalid conclusions