Unit 2 - Field Techniques Flashcards
What are some hazards associated with fieldwork?
Hazards in fieldwork include adverse weather
conditions, difficult terrain, problems
associated with isolation, and contact with harmful organisms
What is risk?
Risk is the likelihood of harm arising from
exposure to a hazard.
What does a risk assessment do?
Risk assessment involves identifying control measures to minimise risk.
What are control measures?
Control measures include appropriate
equipment, clothing, footwear, and means of
communication
How should sampling carried out?
Sampling should be carried out in a manner
that minimises impact on wild species and
habitats
What consideration should be taken when sampling?
Consideration must be given to rare and
vulnerable species and habitats that are
protected by legislation
What is a point count?
A point count involves the observer recording
all individuals seen from a fixed point count
location
What can point count results be compared to?
This can be compared to other point
count locations or with data from the same
location gathered at other times.
What are quadrats?
Quadrats, of suitable size and shape, or
transects are used for plants and other
sessile or slow-moving organisms
What are capture techniques examples?
Capture techniques, such as traps and nets,
are used for mobile species
How can elusive species by directly sampled?
using camera traps
How can elusive species by indirectly sampled?
scat sampling
How can an organism be identified?
classification guides,
biological keys, or analysis of DNA or protein
How can organisms be classified?
Organisms can be classified by both
taxonomy and phylogenetics.
What is taxonomy?
Taxonomy involves the identification and
naming of organisms and their classification
into groups based on shared characteristics
What is taxonomy classification based on?
Classic taxonomy classification is based on
morphology.
What is phylogenetics?
Phylogenetics is the study of the evolutionary
history and relationships among individuals
or groups of organisms
What does phylogenetics use and what does it create?
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)
What can phylogenetics create?
create a
phylogeny (or phylogenetic tree)
What is morphology?
Internal and external structures of an organism
What taxonomic group is an Ecoli?
Bacterium
What taxonomic group is Arabidopsis
thaliana?
Plant
What taxonomic group is C.elegans?
Nematode
What taxonomic group is Drosophila melanogaster?
Arthopod
What taxonomic group is mice, rates and zebrafish?
chordates,
What is an indicator species?
Presence, absence or abundance of indicator
species can give information of
environmental qualities, such as presence of
a pollutant
What does absence or reduced population indicate?
indicates a
species is susceptible to some factor in the
environment
What does abundance or increased population indicate?
indicates it is favoured by the conditions.
What is the equation for estimating a population?
N = MC/R
What does M represent in the equation?
A sample of the population is captured and marked (M) and released
What does C represent in the equation?
After an interval of
time, a second sample is captured (C)
What does R represent in the equation?
If some of the individuals in this second sample
are recaptured (R), then the total population
When estimating a population, what must be assumed?
This method assumes that all individuals
have an
- equal chance of capture,
- is no immigration or emigration,
-individuals that are marked and released can mix fully and randomly with the total population.
What are the methods of marking organisms?
Methods of marking animals such as:
banding, tagging, surgical implantation,
painting and hair clipping
What must be considered when marking animals?
The method of marking and subsequent
observation must minimise the impact on the study species
What is latency?
Latency is the time between the stimulus
occurring and the response behaviour.
What is frequency?
Frequency is the number of times a
behaviour occurs within the observation
period
What is duration?
Duration is the length of time each behaviour
occurs during the observation period.
What does an ethogram allow?
An ethogram of the behaviours shown by a
species in a wild context allows the
construction of time budgets
What does an ethogram do?
An ethogram lists species-specific
behaviours to be observed and recorded in the study
How is a time budget constructed?
Recording the duration of each of
the behaviours in the ethogram, together with
the total time of observation, allows the
proportion of time spent on each behaviour to
be calculated in the time budget
What is anthropomorphism?
Attributing Human characteristics with non-human species.
What can anthropomorphism lead to?
Anthropomorphism can lead to invalid
conclusions.
What is evolution?
Evolution is the change over time in the
proportion of individuals in a population
differing in one or more inherited traits
What are examples of non-random processes of evolution?
natural selection and sexual selection,
What are examples of random processes of evolution?
genetic drift
What does natural selection act on?
genetic variation in
populations
What are mutations?
Variation in traits arises as a result of
mutation. Mutation is the original source of
new sequences of DNA. These new
sequences can be novel alleles.
What can mutations be?
Most mutations are harmful or neutral, but in rare
cases they may be beneficial to the fitness of an individual.
What are the features of an organism that is classified as a chordata?
Sea squirts and vertebrates such as fish, amphibians, replites, birds and animals
What are the features of an organism that is classified as a arthopod?
Jointed legged invertabrates, segmented body typically with paired appendages
What are the features of an organism that is classified as a nematode?
Round worms
What is a model organism?
Model organisms are those that are either easily studies or have been well studied.
What is divergent evolution?
When species from a common ancestor evolve differently (related species become dissimilar over time)
