Starter Activity: How many different plant species are in this field? How would you find this out?
Jan 16, 2016
Starter Activity:
How many different plant species are in this field?
How would you find this out?
Sampling Techniques
Learning Intention:• Using quantitative techniques to sample
plants and animals.
Success Criteria:• Describe ways to measure abundance of
organisms in an ecosystem.• Identify errors in sampling techniques and
suggest how errors can be minimised.
Appropriate Clip art to topic
Sampling Techniques
• Studying an ecosystem involves:– Finding out what plants and animals live
there.– Finding out how many of them live there.– Finding out why they live there.
Think:Think: How would you do this?
Pair:Pair: Discuss with a partner how would carry out each of the above
Share: With another pair discuss your ideas.
Abundance
• Abundance is the measure of how frequently a species of plant or animal appears in particular area.
• Abundance can be measured using sampling techniques.
Counting plants
• It would be very difficult to count every single plant in a field. How could you resolve this problem?
• We can sample using a quadrat.
• Sampling using a quadrat:– A quadrat is a square frame with a known area
such as 1m2
– It is used to estimate numbers of plants or slow moving animals (slugs or snails).
1m
1m
Example 1
Estimating the abundance of thistles in a field:
• Quadrat placed at random and number of thistles in quadrat counted.
• Repeated several times.• Average number per square metre is calculated. • Area of whole field measured• Estimate of total number of thistles in field
calculated
Calculate the abundance of flowers in a field with a total area of 150m2
_______flowers in 1m2.
_______ x ________= ____ flowers
in a field of 150m2.
Example 2
12
12 1800150
1m
1m
In reality, to make the results of abundance more reliable, many samples would be taken using quadrats and the results then averaged before calculating the abundance of the entire area.
Quadrat Number of flowers
1 12
2 10
3 8
4 14
Average 11
So for the 150m2 area, Abundance = 11 x 150 = 1650 flowers
Possible sources of error with quadrats
Sources of Error Method of minimising errors
1. Organisms in the quadrat may be wrongly identified.
2. Organisms in the quadrat may be wrongly counted.
3. Too few samples have been taken to be representative of the habitat.
A. Use the same rule for each quadrat to count part of organisms or not.
B. Use a key to make sure that the organisms are correctly identified.
C. If you notice that organisms are in clusters, increase the sample size.
Match up correct method of minimising error to the source of error:
1. Pair the numbers and letters on a show me board.
2. Create a table in your notebook to show a summary of these errors.
– A container is placed in a hole in ground to trap animals that are active at the soil surface.
– Several traps should be set up to increase reliability of the results.
Sampling Using a Pitfall Trap
Pitfall Trap• Traps can be placed to compare
different areas and see what animals are more abundant in each.
Possible sources of error in Pitfall traps
Sources of Error Method of minimising errors
1. Type of animals trapped may not be representative of the area
2. Birds eat trapped animals
3. Within trap, some animals eat other animals
4. Rainwater collects in trap killing animals
A. Camouflage the opening of the trap
B. Set up more pitfall traps
C. Punch holes in the base of the trap
D. Check traps regularly, removing animals
Match up correct method of minimising error to the source of error:
1. Pair the numbers and letters on a show me board.
2. Create a table in your notebook to show a summary of these errors.
Your task…Your task…Use page 284 – 285 of the National 5 text book to make notes about further sampling techniques, adding possible sources of error and how you would overcome these.
You may present the information any way you wish.
• Tullgren funnel• Pooters• Tree beating• Sweep netting• Pond netting
Other Methods of Sampling
Sampling Techniques
Learning Intention:• Using quantitative techniques to sample
plants and animals.
Success Criteria:• I can describe ways to measure abundance
of organisms in an ecosystem.• I can identify errors in sampling techniques
and suggest how errors can be minimised.
Appropriate Clip art to topic
Starter Activity: Ideas on a show me board
How would you explain to a small child how to identify the following organisms?
Classification Keys
Learning Intention:• Paired statement keys.
Success Criteria:• I can construct paired statement keys
to identify unknown plants or animals found during sampling an ecosystem.
Appropriate Clip art to topic
Classification Keys
• When using sampling methods, it is important that you are able to identify the plants or animals you have found.
• One method of identification is to use a key.
Keys
• Used to identify organisms while sampling.
• There are two types
–Branched keys–Paired Statement keys
Branching keys
• A key is a series of questions. Each question leads to another until eventually the name of the organism is found.
Paired Statement Key
• Instead of asking questions at branching points on a diagram, you are asked to choose between two statements.
• Each pair of statements is numbered and the instructions send you to the next relevant pair of statements.
1. Has green coloured body ......go to 2Has purple coloured body ..... go to 4
2. Has 4 legs .....go to 3Has 8 legs .......... Deerus octagis
3. Has a tail ........ Deerus pestisDoes not have a tail ..... Deerus magnus
4. Has a pointy hump ...... Deerus humpisDoes not have a pointy hump.....go to 5
5. Has ears .........Deerus purplinis Does not have ears ......Deerus deafus
Vertebrates
Remember to use obvious visible characteristics when constructing paired statement keys.
What are the obvious visible characteristics?
Invertebrates
Remember to use obvious visible characteristics when constructing paired statement keys.
wasp centipede
earwig
spiderWhat are the obvious
visible characteristics?
Invertebrates
Remember to use obvious visible characteristics when constructing paired statement keys.
mayflyCaddis fly larva
stoneflyflatworm
limpet
Fresh water shrimp
What are the obvious visible
characteristics?
Paired Statement Key
Click on a leaf number 1 to start, then complete leaves 2-6 in that
order
1.
2.
3.
4.5.
6.
Construct a paired statement key for the animals below:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Invertebrate
Number of legs
Wings
Body Stripe
Spider 8 No No
Wasp 6 Yes Yes
Fly 6 Yes No
Springtail 6 No No
Construct a paired statement key for the information below:
Example 1
Plant Presence of chlorophyll
Presence of cones
Presence of
flowers
Aquatic
Grass Yes No Yes No
Spruce Yes Yes No No
Yeast No No No No
Moss Yes No No No
Seaweed
Yes No No Yes
Construct a paired statement key for the information below:
Example 2
Bird Type of feet Crest on head
Beak shape
Head colour
Swan Webbed Absent Straight White
Curlew Not Webbed Absent Curved Brown
Rook Not Webbed Absent Straight Black
Puffin Webbed Absent Straight Black
Skylark Not Webbed Present Straight Brown
Avocet Not Webbed Absent Curved Black
Construct a paired statement key for the information below:
Example 3
Name Body Design
External or
Internal
Suckers Wings Legs
Size
Liver fluke
Unsegmented Internal 2 None None Macroscopic
Polystoma
Unsegmented Internal More than 2 None None Macroscopic
Mange Mite
Segmented External None None 4 pairs Microscopic
Sheep tick
Segmented External None None 4 pairs Macroscopic
Sheep ked
Segmented External None None 3 pairs Macroscopic
Tetse fly Segmented External None Present 3 pairs Macroscopic
Leech Segmented External Present None None Macroscopic
Diplozoon Unsegmented External Present None None Macroscopic
Construct a paired statement key for the information below:
Example 4
Classification Keys
Learning Intention:• Paired statement keys.
Success Criteria:• I can construct paired statement keys
to identify unknown plants or animals found during sampling an ecosystem.
Appropriate Clip art to topic
Starter Activity:
How would you sample this field?
Sampling Techniques
Learning Intention:• Using quantitative techniques to sample
plants and animals.
Success Criteria:• Measure abundance of organisms in an
ecosystem.• I can identify errors in sampling techniques
and suggest how errors can be minimised.
Appropriate Clip art to topic
Sampling Techniques
Your task…Your task… measure the abundance of grass species in the school grounds.
Appropriate Clip art to topic
Think:Think: What equipment will you need to do this?
Pair:Pair: Discuss the size of area are you going to sample and where this area will be. How will you record your results?
Share:Share: Explain how you will measure the abundance of grass species in the school grounds.
Sampling Techniques
Equipment List:Equipment List:Classification key – common grassesQuadratTape measureResults tableClipboard
Appropriate Clip art to topic
Method:Method:1. Mark out your area e.g. 5m x 5m 2. Decide how you will take random samples. e.g. using
coordinates from a random numbers table.3. Decide how you will record your data using the
quadrat, to ensure you are consistent each time and a valid sample.
4. Record the name of each species you find in each quadrat and the NUMBER of each species (% coverage)
5. Repeat this for 10 quadrat samples
How to sample abundance with a quadrat:You are going to use a 25m²quadrat to investigate the % coverage of plant
species.
The easiest way to calculate % coverage is to imagine each box split into 4, so each quarter is worth 1% (or each square is worth 4%) and count how many sections of squares that particular plant species is covering.
E.g. Look at the yellow dandelion flowers, how many sections does it cover?
Answer: 1 quarter of a square = 1%
In this picture the dandelion flowers cover 1 quarter of a square = 1%
1 square
= 4%
1 quarter of a
square = 1%
Quadrat Sampling
Sampling Analysis
Use your data and knowledge about quadrat sampling Use your data and knowledge about quadrat sampling to answer the following in FULL sentences:to answer the following in FULL sentences:
1. How many different plant species did you identify?2. Which plant species was most abundant?3. Which plant species was least abundant?4. What sources of error could have affected your results?5. How did you overcome these sources of error?
Appropriate Clip art to topic
Sampling Techniques
Learning Intention:• Using quantitative techniques to sample
plants and animals.
Success Criteria:• Measure abundance of organisms in an
ecosystem.• I can identify errors in sampling techniques
and suggest how errors can be minimised.
Appropriate Clip art to topic
Wet weather alternative for quadrat sampling:
Click this link for the online resource