Organisms and Evolution - Field Techniques

Question 1

What are examples of hazards in field work?

Answer 1

Adverse weather conditions,
Difficult terrain,
Problems associated with isolation,
Contact with harmful organisms

Question 2

What is risk?

Answer 2

The likelihood of harm arising from exposure to a hazard

Question 3

What do risk assessments involve?

Answer 3

Identifying control measures to minimise risk

Question 4

What are some control measures?

Answer 4

Appropriate equipment, clothing, footwear, and means of communication

Question 5

In what manner should sampling of wild organisms be conducted?

Answer 5

In a manner that minimises impact on wild species and

habitats

Question 6

Why must consideration be given to rare and vulnerable species and habitats?

Answer 6

They may be protected by legislation

Question 7

What must be considered when choosing a sampling technique, point count, transect or remote detection?

Answer 7

It must be appropriate to the species being sampled

Question 8

What is a point count?

Answer 8

A point count involves the observer recording all individuals seen from a fixed point count location.
This can be compared to other point count locations or with data from the same location gathered at other times

Question 9

What sampling technique should be used for plants and other sessile or slow-moving organisms?

Answer 9

Quadrats, of suitable size and shape, or transects

Question 10

What sampling technique is used for mobile species?

Answer 10

Capture techniques such as traps and nets

Question 11

What sampling techniques are used for elusive species?

Answer 11

Direct sampling - camera traps

Indirect sampling - scat sampling

Question 12

How can identification of a sampled organism be made?

Answer 12

Using classification guides, biological keys, or analysis of DNA or protein

Question 13

How can organisms be classified?

Answer 13

By taxonomy or phylogenetics

Question 14

What does taxonomy involve?

Answer 14

The identification and naming of organisms and their classification into groups based on shared characteristics

Question 15

What is classic taxonomy classification based on?

Answer 15

Morphology

Question 16

What is phylogenetics?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

What does phylogenetics use to make classifications?

Answer 17

Phylogenetics uses heritable traits such as morphology, DNA sequences, and protein structure to make inferences about an organism’s evolutionary history and create a phylogeny (or phylogenetic tree) — a diagrammatic hypothesis of its relationships to other organisms. Genetic evidence can reveal relatedness obscured by divergent or convergent evolution

Question 18

What are examples of taxonomic groups?

Answer 18

Nematodes, arthropods and chordates

Question 19

What are model organisms?

Answer 19

Those that are either easily studied or have been well studied

Question 20

Why are model organisms used?

Answer 20

Information obtained from them can be applied to other species that are more difficult to study directly

Question 21

What information can the presence, absence or abundance of indicator species can give?

Answer 21

Information of environmental qualities, such as presence of a pollutant

Question 22

What kind of species can be used to monitor an ecosystem?

Answer 22

Susceptible and favoured

Question 23

What does abundance or increased population indicate?

Answer 23

It is favoured by the conditions

Question 24

What does absence or decreased population indicate?

Answer 24

A species is susceptible to some factor in the environment.

Question 25

What is the procedure of the mark and recapture technique?

Answer 25

A sample of the population is captured and marked (M) and released. After an interval of time, a second sample is captured (C). If some of the individuals in this second sample are recaptured (R), then the total population

Question 26

The mark and recapture technique estimates population size by using what formula?

Answer 26

N = MC/R
N - total population
M - marked 
C - captured
R - recaptured

Question 27

What does the mark and recapture method assume?

Answer 27

That all individuals have an equal chance of capture, that there is no immigration or emigration, and that individuals that are marked and released can mix fully and randomly with the total population.

Question 28

What are methods of marking animals?

Answer 28

Banding, tagging, surgical implantation,

painting and hair clipping

Question 29

What must the method of marking and observation minimise?

Answer 29

The impact on the study species?

Question 30

What are some of the measurements used to quantify animal behaviour?

Answer 30

Latency, frequency and duration

Question 31

Define latency?

Answer 31

The time between the stimulus occurring and the response behaviour

Question 32

Define frequency?

Answer 32

The number of times a behaviour occurs within the observation period

Question 33

Define duration?

Answer 33

The length of time each behaviour occurs during the observation period

Question 34

What is an ethogram?

Answer 34

A diagram that lists species-specific behaviours to be observed and recorded in the study

Question 35

What does recording the duration of each of the behaviours in the ethogram, together with the total time of observation, allow?

Answer 35

The proportion of time spent on each behaviour to be calculated in the time budget

Question 36

Why is it important to avoid the use of anthropomorphism when analysing behaviour?

Answer 36

Anthropomorphism can lead to invalid conclusions