2. Key Area 1- Field Techniques for Biologists

Question 1

Define a hazard

Answer 1

A hazard is a source of potential harm danger

Question 2

What is a risk assessment?

Answer 2

A risk assessment involves identifying control measures to minimise risk

Question 3

What are the different hazards field work may present?

Answer 3

1. adverse weather conditions
2. difficult terrain
3. problems associated with isolation
4. contact with harmful organisms

Question 4

What are the control measures to minimise hazards?

Answer 4

1. appropriate equipment
2. clothing
3. footwear
4. means of communication

Question 5

How should sampling be carried out?

Answer 5

Sampling should be carried out in a manner than minimises impact on wild species and habitats

Question 6

What types of species must be given special consideration when carrying out fieldwork?

Answer 6

Rare and vulnerable species

Question 7

What are the different types of sampling technique?

Answer 7

1. point count
2. transect
3. remote detection

Question 8

What is point count?

Answer 8

Point count involves the observer recording all individuals seen from a fixed point count location. It can be compared to other point count locations or with data from the same location gathered at other times

Question 9

What equipment is used to carry out point counts?

Answer 9

Camera, binoculars and telescopes

Question 10

What is a transect?

Answer 10

A transect is a line along which different samples can be taken. Often used in areas where the terrain or abiotic factors are changeable

Question 11

What abiotic factors can be sampled in transect studies?

Answer 11

Light intensity, pH and salinity

Question 12

What can be measured in transect studies? apart from abiotic factors

Answer 12

Plant abundance, abundance of sessile (immobile) slow moving organisms

Question 13

What is a point count sampling technique?

Answer 13

Where the observer records all individuals seen from a fixed point count location. Counts are recorded by recording all species seen from a stationary point

Question 14

What does the remote detection sampling technique involve?

Answer 14

Uses camera traps that are triggered when wildlife is present

Question 15

What is an advantage of remote detection?

Answer 15

More elusive species (species that are difficult to find) can be observed without the observer being present

Question 16

What is another indirect method of sampling organisms?

Answer 16

Scat sampling where animal droppings are collected in particular areas, providing information about species abundance and diet

Question 17

What are the 3 types of sampling techniques?

Answer 17

1. random sampling
2. stratified sampling
3. systematic sampling

Question 18

What are the 3 types of sampling techniques?

Answer 18

1. random sampling
2. stratified sampling
3. systematic sampling

Question 19

What is random sampling?

Answer 19

Individuals are selected from the larger population must be chosen by chance

Question 20

What is stratified sampling?

Answer 20

One large population may be divided up into smaller sub-populations first and individuals are randomly selected from the sub populations

Question 21

What is systematic sampling?

Answer 21

Taken at regular intervals e.g every 2 metres along a transect

Question 22

What can identification of an organism sample be made using?

Answer 22

• classification guides
• biological keys
• analysis of DNA or protein

Question 23

What are two ways organisms can be classified?

Answer 23

taxonomy and phylogenetics

Question 24

What is taxonomy?

Answer 24

Taxonomy is where organisms are identified and named by classification groups determined by their shared characteristics

Question 25

What is phylogenetics?

Answer 25

Is the study of evolutionary history and relationships among groups and individuals

Question 26

What heritable traits does phylogenetics use?

Answer 26

- Morphology - DNA sequences - protein structure

Question 27

What are better known organisms that cana be easily studied or have been studied extensively?

Answer 27

Model organisms

Question 28

What are 5 examples of model organisms?

Answer 28

- Bacterium: E. coli - Flowring plant: Arabidopilis Thaliana - Nematode: C. elegans - Arthropod: D. melanogaster - Chordates: mice, rats and zebrafish

Question 29

What can genetic evidence in phylogenetics reveal?

Answer 29

Relatedness obscured by divergent and convergent evolution

Question 30

What is divergent evolution?

Answer 30

The accumulation of differences as species from a common ancestor undergo changes over time e.g changes to the pentadactyl limb

Question 31

What is convergent evolution?

Answer 31

Similar structures that have evolved from different ancestries e.g wings in bats and birds

Question 32

What does familiarity with taxonomic groupings allow?

Answer 32

Predictions and inferences to be made about the biology of an organism from better known model organisms

Question 33

What are the 3 domains of life?

Answer 33

- archaea - bacteria - eukaryota

Question 34

What are indicator species? What information do they give with their presence/ lack of presence?

Answer 34

Presence, absence or abundance of indicator species can give information of environmental qualities such as presence of a pollutant (e.g sulfur dioxide in the air or human species in water). Susceptible and favoured species can be used to monitor and ecosystem

Question 35

What does absence or reduced population of a species indicate?

Answer 35

Indicates that a species is susceptible to some factor in the environment

Question 36

What does abundance or increased population of a species indicate?

Answer 36

Indicates it is favoured by the conditions

Question 37

What is an example of an indicator species? and what does it indicate?

Answer 37

Lichen Good indicator of air quality. Its absence indicates that sulfur dioxide pollution is in the air

Question 38

How is a population size estimated? (3 processes)

Answer 38

- sampling - direction count of the population within a set area can be used to estimate the total population size - a mark and recapture technique can give an estimate of total population size

Question 39

What is the formula for the total estimated population

Answer 39

N = MC/ R N- total population that is estimated M- sample population is captured, marked and released C- After an interval of time, the second sample is captured R- number of sample recaptured from the first sample population

Question 40

What does the mark and recapture method assume?

Answer 40

- All individuals have an equal chance of capture - That there is no immigration or emigration - That individuals that are marked and released can mix fully and randomly with the population

Question 41

What does it mean if the R (recaptured number of animals that are marked) is too low?

Answer 41

This may be due to errors in marking, the population may be overestimated

Question 42

What does it mean if the R (recaptured number of animals that are marked) is too high?

Answer 42

This may be due to the inadequate dispersal from the release site, the population will be underestimated

Question 43

What are the 5 methods of marking animals?

Answer 43

- Banding - tagging - Surgical implantation - Painting -Hairclipping

Question 44

What is important to remember when marking animals?

Answer 44

The method of marking and subsequent observation must minimise the impact on the study species or affect the survival chance pf the study species

Question 45

What is the study of animal behaviour?

Answer 45

Ethology

Question 46

Why do we of animal behaviour?

Answer 46

- Informs us about the evolution of how we think, act and interact - Understanding why animals behave the way they do - Understand when an animal has a need and uses this information to make changes to benefit an animals welfare

Question 47

What are the different measurements used to quantify animal behaviour?

Answer 47

- Latency - Frequency - Duration

Question 48

What is latency?

Answer 48

The time between the stimulus occurring and the response behaviour

Question 49

What is frequency?

Answer 49

The number of times a behaviour occurs within the observation period

Question 50

What is duration?

Answer 50

The length of time each behaviour occurs during an observation period

Question 51

What is the list of species specific behaviours to be ordered and recorded through observation?

Answer 51

Ethogram

Question 52

What do ethograms allow the construction of?

Answer 52

The construction of time budgets

Question 53

What is a time budget?

Answer 53

Allocated time frame for particular behaviours to occur

Question 54

What is anthropomorphism?

Answer 54

The attribution of human characteristics or behaviours or emotions to an animals behaviour

Question 55

Why is it important to avoid anthropomorphism?

Answer 55

It can lead to invalid conclusions/ data recorded because the researcher thinks a behaviour is being exhibited when it is not