UNIT 2 - Field techniques Flashcards
what is a hazard?
a hazard is any source of potential damage, harm or adverse health effects of an individual
what are some examples of hazards (field techniques)?
terrain
weather
organisms
isolation
what is a risk?
a risk is the likelihood of harm arising from exposure to a hazard
what is a risk assessment?
a risk assessment involves identifying risks and taking control measures to minimise them
example of control measures?
appropriate equipment
clothing and footwear
means of communication
how should sampling be done?
in a way that minimises impact on wild species and their habitats
what is a point count?
this is a sampling technique where an observer stands still in one place and records all the individual organisms observed
what is point count useful for?
determining species abundance ( a camera may be used)
what is remote detection?
a sampling technique carried out from a distance using sensors (satellites may be used)
what is remote detection useful for?
used for global vegetation surverys or areas that are hard to access
what are quadrats?
this is a sampling method that requires a square frame of various sizes used for estimating the percentage of ground cover of species.
what are quadrats useful for?
slow moving species
what are long worm traps used for?
small mammals can be caught using long worm traps
what should capture techniques allow?
for organisms to be released unharmed
what is a mist net?
a capture technique used to capture birds/ bats (can only be used with lisence)
what are elusive species?
elusive species are those who are very difficult to sample through normal observation
how can you sample elusive species?
direct evidence can be obtained by camera trapping and indirect evidence can be obtained through scat sampling
how can organisms be identified?
classification guides
biological keys
analysis of DNA
how can organisms be classified?
by taxonomy and phylogenetics
what is taxonomy?
taxonomy is the identification and naming of organisms and their classifications into groups based on shared characteristics
what is classification?
classification is the process by which scientists group living organisms
what is phylogenetics?
is the study of the evolutionary history of relationships among individuals or groups of organisms
what does phylogenetics require?
uses heritable traits such as morphology, DNA sequences and protein structure
divergent evolution
the process by which groups from the same common ancestor evolve and accumulate differences resulting in a formation of a new species - based on same structures adapted for different functions
covergent evolution
the independent evolution of similar features in different species - based on different structures adapted for similar function
examples of taxonomic groups?
nematodes
chordates
arthropods
what is a model organism?
model organisms are organisms that are either studied easily or have been well studied
what are some examples of model organisms?
fruit fly bacterium - ecoli zeberafish mice rats
why are model organisms useful?
information obtained from model organisms can be applied to other species that are more difficult to study directly
what does the presence/absence of indicator species tell us?
the presence, absence or abundance of indicator species tells us about the environmental qualities such as the presence of a pollutant
what assumptions does the mark and recapture technique require?
- that all individuals have an equal chance of recapture
- that there is no immigration or emigration
- the marked organisms will be able to mix back in with the total population
what are phylogenetic trees used for?
they show evolutionary history and relatedness
what is the hierarchy of biological classification?
life domain kingdom phylum class order family genus species
what are two qualities of a model organism?
- easily kept and well/easily studied studied
- most useful/most harmful examples
what is an ethogram?
list of behaviours
what is the name of a table that depicts time an organism spends on various actions throughout a specific time period?
time-activity budget
what is a time-activity budget?
the name of a table that depicts time an organism spends on various actions throughout a specific time period
what are three measurements that can be used to quantify animal behaviour?
duration - how long a behaviour lasts
frequency - how often behaviour occurs
latency - the time between stimulus and response
what is the study of animal behaviour called?
ethology
what is anthropomorphism?
attributing human behaviour to other organisms
what is the mark and recapture technique used for?
estimating population size/abundance
what are some methods for marking organisms?
banding tagging painting hair clipping surgical implantation
what are biological keys?
they are branched or paired statement keys with each paired option focusing on characteristics. This allows different species to be separated
what kind of information do biological keys usually contain and why?
biological keys usually contain specialist identification information as this can be as specific as details seen only under the microscope
why is analysing DNA/proteins an important technique for separating species?
some species look extremely similar to each other
other species may have been discovered as a fragment rather than a whole specimen
DNA/protein analysis allows for these species to be categorised based on how similar their DNA sequence or protein sequence is to another species
what is classic taxonomy classification based on?
morphology
what is the formula for estimating population size?
N = mc/r
N = population size M = number marked (1st time) C = total number captured (2nd time) R = recaptured organisms (2nd time)
why is sampling useful?
it eliminates the need to record and measure every member as long as the sample is representative
simple random sample
individuals have an equal chance of being selected - this is useful for large population of uniform
systematic sample
individuals selected at regular intervals - often used when sampling transit cues
stratified sampling
population is divided into categories and sampled proportionately - useful if the population has known subsets
what is protective legislation?
legislation put in place to protect organisms/species and their habitats
difference between line and belt transect?
a line transect is a single line with species touching the line at stations counted in a belt transect is a wider zone with quadrats used at stations
what is a nemotode?
nematodes - also called round worms unsegmented thread like body. many of them are parasitic and live inside a host
what is an arthropod?
arthropods - joint legged invertebrates that are identified by their joint legged body typically with paired appendages
what is a chordate?
chordates- sea squirts and vertebrates e.g birds, mammals and reptiles and others with a dorsal or spinal notochord.
what is a transect?
a line or belt across a habitat or part of a habitat along which the number of organisms of each species can be observed and recorded at regularly placed stations
give examples if health and safety precautions that should be taken on a field study?
- means of communication
- appropriate clothing and footwear
- appropriate equipment
- compass/map
describe two precautions that can minimise the impact on species being sampled on the field
- observe rather than catch
- minimise numbers sampled
- spend minimum time in habitats
- return captured organisms to habitats ASAP
give an account of the different methods that can be used to sample wild species?
- point counts an observer stands in one fixed spot and observes and record each individual organism
- transects - line across habitat
