Field Techniques for Biologists Flashcards
Hazards in fieldwork include
adverse weather conditions, difficult terrain, problems associated with isolation, and contact with harmful organisms
What is risk?
The likelihood of harm arising from exposure to a hazard
Risk assessment involves…
identifying control measures to minimise risk
Control measures include…
appropriate equipment, clothing, footwear and means of communication
What considerations should be carried out when sampling?
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
What are quadrats used for?
Plants and other sessile or slow-moving organisms
Capture techniques such as traps and nets are used for
mobile species
How can elusive species be sampled?
directly using camera traps or indirectly using scat sampling
What does a point count involve?
The observer recording all individuals seen from a fixed point count location
Identification of an organism in a sample can be made using…
classification guides, biological keys or analysis of DNA or protein
2 ways organisms can be classified?
taxonomy, phylogenetics
What is taxonomy?
taxonomy involves the identification and naming of organisms and their classification into groups based on shared characteristics
What is phylogenetics?
phylogenetics is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among individuals or groups of organisms
What are model organisms?
Model organisms are those that are either easily studied or have been well studied
Information obtained from model organisms can be
applied to other species that are more difficult to study directly
Classic taxonomy classification is based on
morphology
Phylogenetics uses heritable traits such as morphology, DNA sequences, and protein sequences to
make inferences about an organisms evolutionary history and create a phylogenetic tree (phylogeny)
Examples of taxonomic groups
Nematodes, arthropods and chordates
example of bacterium model organism?
E. coli
example of nematode model organism?
C. elegans
example of arthropod model organism?
Drosophilia melanogaster
example of chordate model organism?
Mice
example of flowering plant model organism?
Arabidopsis Thaliana
The presence, absence or abundance of indicator species can
give information of environmental qualities, such as presence of a pollutant
Susceptible and favoured (indicator) species can be
used to monitor an ecosystem
N=
MxC/R
Methods of marking animals includes:
banding, tagging, surgical implantation, painting and hair clipping
the method of marking and subsequent observation must
minimise the impact on the study species
Absence or reduction indicates a species is
susceptible to some factor in the environment
Abundance or increased population indicates the species is
favoured by the conditions
First capture and mark?
M
Second capture and mark
C
Population recaptured in second capture and mark
R
What does the mark and recapture method assume?
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
what is anthropomorphism?
Applying human emotions to other non-human animals or things and so this behaviour is misinterpreted
An ethogram of the behaviours shown by a species in a wild context allows the construction of
time budgets
What is latency?
The time between the stimulus occurring and 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
An ethogram
lists species-specific behaviour to be recorded and studied in the study
Anthropormorphism can lead to
invalid conclusions
