Study of an Ecosystem

Question 1

Name 4 points of things a habitat survey should include.

Answer 1

• map of habitat.
• abiotic and biotic factors affecting the living organisms.
• calculate populations of both plants and animals in the habitat.
• present info gathered using tables and charts.

Question 2

Name 5 pieces of equipment used to collect animals.

Answer 2

Pooter, beating tray, sweep net, pitfall trap, tullgren funnel

Question 3

Explain function and use of a pooter. What’s a limitation of it?

Answer 3

Suck organisms into jar by placing tube over insect and sucking through other tube.
Limitation = insect must be small.

Question 4

Explain usage of beating tray.

Answer 4

Basin placed under a bush, shake bush and collect organisms.

Question 5

Explain the use of a sweep net.

Answer 5

Sweeps through long grass in figure 8 motion.

Question 6

Explain usage of pitfall trap.

Answer 6

Jar placed in soil level with the ground for 24 hours, covered in branches to stop rainfall entering.

Question 7

Explain usage of tullgren funnel.

Answer 7

Leaves or soil placed into a funnel which is placed above a collecting vessel with slippery sides. Piece of moist tissue placed at bottom of vessel. Position a light so it shines on substrate within funnel. Hours later, insects move into vessel.

Question 8

What does identification key do?

Answer 8

Identify plants and animals in the ecosystem.

Question 9

What’s a key?

Answer 9

Set of questions used to identify an organism.

Question 10

Quantative v qualitative?

Answer 10

Quantative: refers to the number of organisms present.
Qualitative: refers to the types of organisms present

Question 11

Quantitative refers to?

Answer 11

Number of organisms present.

Question 12

Qualitative refers to?

Answer 12

Types of organisms present.

Question 13

Give 7 steps for quantitative method for plants: calculate percentage cover of plants in a grassland area.

Answer 13

1. Quadrant is a square made of metal or wood.
2. Quadrat randomly thrown
3. Carried out by throwing pencil over your shoulder and placing quadrat where it lands.
4. Repeat this 10 times.
5. In each quadrat, count times each plant touches an intersection point of each small square and record results on a table.
6. Apply formula : no. of touches/ no. of squares x 100/1.
7. Graph results.

Question 14

Give 3 sources of error.

Answer 14

• small sample size not representative of true ecosystem. So have larger sample size.
• human error in counting. So use a key or count more than once.
• miscalculating. Repeat calculations.

Question 15

Air temperature taken using?

Answer 15

Thermometer

Question 16

Wind speed measured using?

Answer 16

Anemometer

Question 17

Rainfall measured using?

Answer 17

Rain gauge.

Question 18

Aspect (direction you’re facing) is measured by?

Answer 18

Compass

Question 19

Soil pH measured by?

Answer 19

Light meter

Question 20

Humidity measured by?

Answer 20

With a hygrometer.