Module 4: Biodiversity Flashcards
What are the 5 different sampling techniques used to sample animals?
-a pooter
-sweep net
-pitfall traps
-tree beating
-kick sampling
Explain how a pooter is used to sample animals
2 points
-what kind of animals does it sample?
samples small insects
by sucking on a mouthpiece , insects are drawn into a holding chamber via an inlet tube
-there is a filter before the mouthpiece that prevents insects reaching the mouth
Explain what a sweep net is used for
they are used to sample insects in areas of long grass
What animals do pitfall traps catch?
Explain how this sampling technique is carried out
4 points
small , crawling invertebraes
-dig a hole in the ground so that insect fall in
-hole needs to be deep enough that insects can’t crawl back out
-hole is covered with a roof structure to prevent it filling with rainwater
-often left overnight so that nocturnal insects are also sampled
What animals is tree beating used to sample?
Explain how tree beating is carried out
3 points
invertebraes living in trees or bushes
-stretch out a large white cloth under the tree
-then shake the tree to dislodge the invertebraes
-they will land on the sheet so can be collected and sampled
What organisms is kick beating used to sample?
Explain how this technique is carried out
2 points
organisms living in rivers
-the river bank is kicked for period of time to disturb the substrate(water)
-a net is held downstream to catch any organisms released into the flowing water
What is the main technique used for sampling plants?
quadrats
Name and describe the 2 main functions of quadrats
-used to pinpoint an area in which a sample of plants should be collected
-used to sample slow moving animals
Name the 2 main types of quadrat used for sampling
point quadrat
frame quadrat
Describe a point quadrat
3 points
a frame of horizontal bars
at set intervals along the bar , pins can be pushed through the bar to reach the ground
each species of plant the pin touches gets recorded
Describe a frame quadrat
a square frame divided into a grid of equal sections
the type and number of species in each section is recorded
Which type of sampling should be used when using quadrats , why?
random sampling
as this will provide the most valid and representative sample
How can we study how the presence and distribution of organisms across an area of land varies using quadrats?
by placing the quadrats systematically along a line or belt transect
What are the 3 main ways of using a frame quadrat to sample the population of plants in an area?
Explain when each are used and how they are carried out
density-used if individual large plants can be clearly seen , you count the number of them in a 1m by 1m quadrat which will give you the density per square metre
frequency-used when individual members of a species are hard to count , you count the number of squares that the species is present in
percentage cover-used for speed as lots of data can be collected rapidly,useful when a species is abundant or hard to count , its an eye estimate of the area in a quadrat that the species covers
Which of the three different types of sampling using a frame quadrat are estimates and which are absolute
frequency and percentage cover are both estimates
density is absolute
