Field Techniques Flashcards
What is a hazard?
Something that can cause harm (fieldwork may involve a wider range of hazards than lab work)
What are the considerations when assessing fieldwork for risks?
Terrain- type of ground where fieldwork id conducted, dictates safest type of footwear and other safety gear required
Weather conditions- must consider the associated hazards
Isolation- long distance from habitation, medical help or transport links so moving equipment is more difficult and evacuation procedures in case of injury/illness must be considered, hazards associated with lone work must also be considered
What is risk?
Likelihood of harm occurring
Risk assessments should have…
Level of detail appropriate to the types of hazards and size of risks
What is sampling?
Gathering of data from part of a population
What does sampling eliminate?
the need to measure and record every member of a population, so long as the sample selected is representative of the variation in the population
Sampling should be carried out in a manner that…
Minimises the impact on wild species and habitats
If sampling is… then benefits of study must outweigh any negative impact of sampling
Invasive or involves temporary or permanent removal of individuals from the population
When sampling consideration must be given to…
rare (low density/small population) and vulnerable (easily harmed) species and habitats protected by legislation (may be illegal without licence)
Sampling techniques must be appropriate to…
Species being sampled
4 sampling techniques
Point count
Transect
Remote detection
Quadrats
What is a point count?
Carried out from stationary location and records all individual organisms observed
Used to determine species abundance
What is a transect?
In the form of a line for a narrow focus of sampling or a much wider band for more variable communities
Higher variability at each point along transect=wider band used
Used to determine changes I. a community across an environmental gradient
What is remote detection?
Monitoring carried out at a distance using sensors e.g. satellites
Used for global vegetation surveys and gathering data in area difficult to access
What are quadrats?
Ensures a standard ares is being sampled each time a measurement is taken to increase reliability and reduce bias
Sample shape is not important but must be uniform and of known area
Smaller used for for more densely packed areas
More samples taken when higher diversity
What types of sampling are used for plants or other sessile/slow-moving organisms?
Quadrats of suitable size and shape
Transects
Capture techniques are used for…
Mobile species e.g. bats, birds, small mammals
Allows animal to be released unharmed
What are elusive species?
Organisms that are difficult to sample through observation
How are elusive species sampled?
Directly using camera traps
Indirectly using scat sampling
What is identification?
Process of putting a name to a sample
Identification of an organism can be made using…
Classification guides- provide info on one order of organism
Biological keys- series of questions e.g. paired-key statement
Analysis of DNA and proteins- can separate subtly different species
What is taxonomy?
Involves identification and naming of organisms and their classification into groups based on shared characteristics
What is phylogenetics?
Study of the evolutionary history and relationships among individuals or groups of organisms, changing the traditional classification of many organisms
Phylogenetics can use… to…
Heritable traits such as morphology, DNA sequencing and protein structure, create a phylogeny (diagrammatic hypothesis of relationships)
