Unit 2 - section 1 Flashcards
Compare the level of hazards and risks of field work to working in a lab
More uncontrolled risks and hazards for field work
3 risks/hazards that must be assessed when working in the field
Weather
Isolation
Terrain
When sampling wild organisms what should the impact on wild species and habitats be?
Minimal
How should rare and vulnerable species and habitats be approached?
With caution and consideration for any legislation in place
How should the sampling technique used to sample wild organisms be decided?
Ensure it is appropriate to the species being studied
What are quadrats used for?
To sample sessile or slow moving organisms
When sampling wild organisms what capture technique is used for mobile species?
Point count - involves counting species while they are stationary
How are elusive species sampled?
Direct method - camera traps involve remote detection of species using cameras to record them
Indirect method - scar sampling shows where animal has been
3 methods used for identification of samples.
Keys
Classification guides
DNA and protein analysis
What are the taxonomic groupings of life?
Domain Kingdom Phylum (animals) / division (plants) Class Order Family Genus Species
Why is familiarity with the taxonomic groupings important?
Allows predictions and interferences to be made between the biology of an organism and the better known model organism
What is the importance of genetic evidence in classification?
Reveals true relatedness between organisms. Important as relatedness can sometimes be skewed by convergent and divergent evolution
What are the 3 domains of life?
Bacteria
Archaea
Eukaryotes
What are the sub categories of the plant kingdom?
Mosses Liverworts Conifers Ferns Flowering plants
What are the 5 animal phyla?
Chordata - sea squirts and vertebrates
Arthropoda - joint legged invertebrates segmented body usually paired with appendages
Nematoda - round worm, very diverse, usually parasitic
Platyhelminthes - flatworms, bilateral symmetry, internal organs but no cavity, parasite
Mollusca - molluscs, diverse, many have shells
What is a model organism and why would it be used?
An organism that is used to study more complex organisms
Allows information to be collected that can be applied to species that are more difficult to study directly
Why are model organisms important?
For the advancement of knowledge
What are indicator species and how are they used to monitor populations?
Species whose presence, absence or abundance gives information about environmental qualities such as presence of pollutants
What are mark and recapture techniques used for?
To estimate the population size
What is the formula used to estimate population size?
N=MC/R
Where N is total population, M is number of pop marked first time, C is number of pop marked in second sample, R is number of pop that was recaptured
What does mark and recapture assume?
All individuals have same chance of being captured
There is no immigration or emigration
There is no birth or death during the sample
Sampling methods are identical each time
What are the different methods used to mark populations to allow them to be tracked?
Rings or bands Transmitters Tagging Colour marking Hair clipping
What should be ensured when picking the method of marking?
That it has the least impact on the species being studied
What is an ethogram and how is if used by biologists?
Produced by observing animals in natural and semi-natural surroundings
Biologists use it to study animals natural behaviour
What measurements should be taken when recoding animal behaviour?
Duration - start and stop time of each behaviour
Time budget - proportion of overall time carrying out certain behaviours
Latency - time between stimulation and response
Frequency of behaviour
Overall length of time of observation
What is anthropomorphism and what precautions should be taken when recording animal behaviour?
It is giving animals human emotions and traits
Anthropomorphism should be avoided when recording animal behaviour as the behaviour may be misinterpreted and would make the conclusion invalid.
