Unit 2 KA1 Flashcards
What is fieldwork?
Practical work carried out outside the lab
What might researchers want to monitor?
Endangered species
Find out the effects of deforestation on biodiversity
See the effects of hunting
Discover a new species
What does controlling variables outside the lab result in?
Makes it much more complex to identify hazards and minimise risks
What are the main hazards in fieldwork?
Terrain
Weather conditions
Isolation
Contact with harmful organisms
What is a risk?
the likelihood that exposure to a hazard would cause significant harm
What do risk assessments involve?
Highlighting risks and then identifying control measures to minimise the risks
What do control measures include?
Appropriate clothing, footwear, equipment and communication
When should risk assessments be carried out?
Before any fieldwork
What must you consider about hazards?
The likelihood of the hazard occurring, how you can control it and the likelihood of it occurring after your control mechanism
What level of likelihood should all hazards be and why?
all hazards should be low level after the control mechanism otherwise it’s not safe to work
How should sampling be carried out?
In a matter than minimises impact on wild species and habitats
What should be given consideration?
Rare and vulnerable species and habitats protected by legislation
What are quad-rats used for?
Sessile and slow moving organisms
What is point count used for and what does it involve?
Used to sample birds, involves the observer recording all individuals seen from a fixed point count location
What are transects used to determine?
Changes in the community along a gradient, can be in the form of a line or belt\band
What is remote detection?
Using satellites to gather data in hard to access areas
What are camera traps used to determine?
Provide direct evidence
What is scat sampling used for?
Provide indirect evidence about elusive species
What do capture techniques use?
Traps or nets to capture mobile species
What happens in random sampling?
All members of the population have an equal chance of being Selected
When is random sampling used?
When the area being tested is very large or uniform, or if there is a limited timeframe in which to obtain results
Explain ecological sampling
Self selection of sampling sites are rarely truly random
Explain researchers bias
Can occur even when trying to be random, may want to randomly generate areas using a grid
What is systematic sampling?
Members of a population are selected at a regular internals
When is stratified sampling used?
When random sampling may result in a disproportionate emphasis being placed on one category
What is meant by representative sampling?
Same mean as the population as a whole and same degree of variation around the mean
What is used for the identification of a sample?
Expertise
Classification guides
Keys
Laboratory analysis of DNA or protein
How are organisms classified?
Taxonomy and phylogenetics
What does taxonomy involve?
The identification and naming of organisms and their classification into groups based on shared characteristics
What is this based on?
Morphology (form & structure)
Recite the order of taxonomy?
Domain > kingdom > phylum > class > order > family > genus > species
Explain each animal phyla
Chordata = sea squirts, vertebrates
Arthropoda = joint-legged invertebrates
Nematoda = round worms: very diverse, mainly parasitic
Platyhelminthes = flat worms: bilateral symmetry, internal organs but no body
Mollusca = diverse, many with shells
What is phylogenetics?
study of the evolutionary history and relationships among individuals or groups of organisms
What is used to create phylogenetic trees?
DNA sequences and protein structure
How does this help?
Helps map out relationships that can become obscured or confused due to divergent or convergent evolution
What is divergent evolution?
Process whereby groups from the same common ancestor evolve and accumulate differences
What is convergent evolution?
The evolution of similar features in different species
What does being familiar with taxonomic grouping allow?
Predictions to be made about the biology of an organism from better-known organisms
What are model organisms?
Organisms that are either Easily studied or well studied
Give examples of model organisms
E-Coli, fruit fly
Describe indicator species
Presence, absence or abundance of indicator species can give information of environmental qualities
What does absence or reduced population indicate?
A species is susceptible to some factor in the environment
What does abundance or increase population indicate?
It is favoured by the conditions
What must marking populations minimise?
The impact on the chosen species
Explain Banding as a method of marking
A visible coded metal or plastic loop attached around part of the organism
Explain tagging as a method of marking
A visible coded metal or plastic tag inserted into or onto the organism
Explain surgical implantation as a method of marking
A microchip inserted into the organism; Read by an electronic reader
Explain painting as a method of marking
A code painted onto the surface of an organism
Explain hair clipping as a method of marking
A distinctive area of fur trimmed on small animals
What is mark & recapture?
A method for estimating population size
Explain each step of N = (MC)/R
N = estimated total population
M = a sample of the population is captured, marked and released
C = after time, a second sample is captured
R = the number In the second sample that have been marked and recaptured are recorded
What does mark and recapture assume?
All individuals have an equal chance of capture
There is no immigration or emigration
Individuals that are marked and released can fully and randomly mic with the total population
What is used to measure animal behaviour?
Frequency, duration and latency
Explain frequency
The number of times a behaviour occurs within the observation period
Explain duration
The length of time each behaviour occurs during the observation period
Explain latency
Time between a stimulus occurring and the response behaviour
What is an ethogram?
A recording of all the observed behaviours shown by a species over a particular period of time
