Part 1 exam Flashcards
What is a nominal scale?
Classify samples into categories (e.g. by order - coleoptera)
What is an ordinal scale?
Categories are placed into rank order (e.g. DAFOR scale)
What does the DAFOR scale stand for and what is it used for?
Provides a quick estimate of abundance of species within a given area, usually plants. D - Dominant A - Abundant F - Frequent O - Occasional R - Rare
What is an interval scale?
Rank order but saying how far apart they are without absolute zero (Temperature) - difference between two values is meaningful
What is a ratio scale?
Rank order but saying how far apart they are with absolute zero (Weight/height) - no difference between two values
What does random mean?
There is equal chance of the subject being sampled - all bias is removed/ each sample has equal probability of being chosen.
What is random sampling?
Randomly placed within a boundary e.g. random number generator
What is stratified random sampling?
Randomly placed samples within cells of a grid (usually GIS)
Why do you have to consider environmental gradients in sampling?
They effect the species that could be present
What are two methods of surveying within a pilot study?
Blitz survey and sensitivity
What is a survey?
Identify species/habitats in a given area - species list
What is a census?
Counts of species/habitats in a given area - species counts
What is monitoring?
Regular observations/species counts over a period of time
What is surveillance?
Long term monitoring - e.g. designated feature at a site is being maintained.
What is accuracy?
Closeness to the actual answer
What is precision?
A degree of measurement/ refinement in a measurement - this will affect accuracy.
What is bias?
Not every unit/sample has been accounted for, skewing the results.
What is a type 1 error?
False positive - reporting of a signficant difference when there isnt one
What is a type 2 error?
False negative - Failure to reject a null hypothesis, not reporting significant differences when there is one
Why are type 1 and 2 errors important to control in ecology?
They effect the outcomes of management and could be harmful to ecological populations.
What is a biodiversity audit?
Gathering of ecological information of a site in reference to what is there, usually collected for clients.
What is a phase 1 habitat survey?
An overview survey of what the site has, in terms of habitat use, legislation protection, includes target notes
What is the NBN (National Biodiversity Network) used for?
Collection of ecological data, distribution of species across the UK which can be accessed. Provides biodiversity information.
What is magic used for and who manages it?
Provides an interactive map with habitat types mapped out and geographical information. Managed by Natural England.
What is the first choice of habitat classification system?
Land-type description (overview of the different habitats/land use in area) - e.g. forest/wet/field
Phytosociological approach - plant groups that are present.
What is the second choice of habitat classification system?
Bespoke (site specific) or standardised (all sites)
What are target notes?
Supplementary information about species composition, structure and management, Also information on sites that are already surveyed.
What is the DOMIN scale?
A scale that represents vegetation cover in percentages from a 1-10 scoring system.
What are the three levels to plant surveying (plant survey form)?
Wildflower, indicator and inventory
What are the 5 factors considered when filling out a plant survey form?
Slope, steepness, whether it is grazed, how wooded the plot is and vegetation height.
Who creates the plant survey form?
National Plant Monitoring Scheme
What are the two types of trapping to assess small mammal abundance and composition?
Grid trapping and transect trapping
What are the two types of small mammal trap?
Longworth and Sherman
When should you set and retrieve small mammal traps?
Dusk and dawn
How long should you leave small mammal traps in summer and winter?
Summer - no more than 10 hours
Winter - no more than 16 hours
What are the three rules when setting up small mammal traps?
- Appropriate bedding
- Set an angle for drainage
- Provide food
What are pitfall traps used to survey?
Ground invertebrates
What lethal substance is used for wet pitfall trapping?
Ethanol or propylene glycol
What is dry pitfall trapping?
Collecting the bugs without harming them - no alcohol
What are two methods for catching a range of invertebrate species?
Sweep netting and vacuum sampling
What two molluscs belong to the order gastropoda?
Snails and slugs
What belongs to annelida?
Earthworms
What type of wing case shape do true bugs have?
X OR Y
What type of wing case do beetles have?
T
What order are the true bugs?
Hemiptera
What are the myriapods?
Centipede and millipedes
What crustaceans are found in soil?
Woodlice
Why should you determine your type of scale of measurement before data collection?
Scale of measurement can limit the type of stats analysis that can be used
What is a sampling regime?
Collecting data that is representative of the larger area/site/habitat
What are the two choices when choosing sites in relation to environmental gradients?
Measure across gradient (ideal)
Control for gradient (not ideal)
What are not ideal for measuring abundance indices in terms of inverts?
Pitfall traps
What are the five issues with field counts and estimation?
Time available for counts, distance, optics quality/experience, weather, target bird characteristics
What is taxonomy?
The science of describing, naming and grouping living organisms, classifying organisms by hierarchy, structure, origin and genetics
What are systematics?
A science that studies biodiversity (using taxonomy) - evolutionary pathways and relationships
What does Do Keep Penis Clean Or Forget Good Sex stand for?
Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
What is Domain?
Bacteria, archaea, eucarya
What is an example of a Kingdom within the eucarya domain?
Protists
What are the three classes of the order annelida?
Oligochaeta (earthworm), polychaeta, hirudinia
What are the three classes within mollusca?
gastropoda, bivalvia, cephalopoda
What are the charactersitics of a mollusc?
mantle, soft bodied, radula,
What are the three approaches to estimating global species numbers?
Macroecological patterns, diversity ratios, taxonomic patterns
What are the allocations of codes call on a P1HS?
Parcels NOT Patches
What is the most common Phase 2 habitat survey?
NVC (National vegetation classification) - looks at species and abundance of vegetation
What are phase 3 habitat surveys?
Looking at faunal surveys - mammals, bats, macro-inverts, great crested newts
What is the Simpsons index?
A measure of diversity that takes into account the number of species present as well as relative abundance of each species.
What is the Shannons index?
All species are represented and they are randomly sampled
What is a diversity index?
Mathematical measure of species diversity in a given community based on species richness and abundance
What is a lichen?
Symbiotic association between algae and fungi
What are the main 3 types of lichen?
Foliose, fruticose and crustose
What are bryophytes?
Mosses and liverworts
What is the difference between a moss and a liverwort?
Liverworts have branched/lobed thallus, whereas moss have a leafy thallus with spiral and radial symmetry
What two elements makes up measuring forest cover?
Tree density and total basal area per unit of ground (tree boles)
What two elements makes up measuring forest cover?
Tree density and total basal area per unit of ground (tree boles/trunks)
What are the three calculations to measure forest cover?
Relative frequency of species, total tree density, basal area of trees
What needs to be recorded for the point-centred quarter method?
tree species, distance from sampling point in metres to tree, girth of tree at breast height in cm
How do you record butterflies according to the BTO?
Squares - 5x5x5m box, walk at a slow steady pace counting them 2.5m either side, do this at the same time as the BBS
Whats the optimal survey frequency for butterflies?
Minimum of two visits per square in July to Aug and there should be 10 days in between visits
What is the Beaufort scale?
Scale of the wind and weather for butterfly surveys
How many distance bands are there within the BTO BBS?
4
25, 25-100, 100+ and F in flight
How many codes are there for habitat in the BTO BBS?
4
How do you record species for BTO BBS?
Codes e.g. BO = Barn Owl
What do you have to fill in once you have done the BBS?
BBS count summary sheet
What group can be used as an index of nitrogen air quality?
Lichen - nitrogen tolerant and nitrogen sensitive species
What chemical can be applied to the medulla of lichen to determine the species?
Household bleach
Where on a tree do you record the lichen species for a nitrogen air quality index?
Trunk (3 different aspects) and branches
What is the lichen indicator score?
Records the presence of nitrogen tolerant and sensitive species and calculates the difference - LIS and NAQI are then cross referenced
What tree species are lichen counts limited to and why?
Oak and birch - low pH
What are the five methods to survey squirrel populations?
Visual surveys, hair tube surveys, drey counts, feeding sign surveys and whole maize bait
What are the two methods to visually survey squirrels?
Basic method and distance sampling method
What does the distance sampling method do?
Improve accuracy of the basic method by calculating the survey area from the width of the sampling belt and the length of the survey line - can calculate squiirel density
What is indirect evidence of squirrel presence?
Tree damage/bark
When does bark stripping damage usually start?
end of april - end of july
What is refugia (tinning)?
Used to survey for reptiles, it absorbs and traps heat
Where should tin refugia be put?
south facing sunny spot, on grass/light vegetation, away from public places
What is the recommended minimum number of visits to survey for reptiles?
7
What are the two main methods of capturing and recording reptiles?
Visual transects and refugia
What is the best method for population estimation in reptiles?
capture-mark-recapture technique
What is SSSI favourable condition?
Feature is being adequetly conserved, meeting all site specific monitoring targets in the favourable conditions table for that particular site
What is SSSI unfavourable recovering condition?
Feature is not yet fully conserved but is meeting the targets to get there in time
What is SSSI unfavourable no change condition?
Feature is not being conserved and wont reach the condition needed unless management is put in place and pressure is put on. The longer it stays in this position then the worse it will be
What is SSSI unfavourable declining condition?
Feature is not being conserved as results show its becoming progressively worse over time
What is SSSI part destroyed condition?
Lasting damage has occurred to part of the feature, no management will save it or get it to favourable condition
What is SSSI destroyed condition?
Lasting irreversible damage to the whole feature, will never recover
What is Jackards index?
Summarises the fraction of species shared between two sites
