Starter quiz
- Which piece of apparatus could you use to sample plants and slow-moving or sedentary animals?
- pooter
- pitfall trap
- nets
- quadrat ✓
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- A feature that an organism has which helps it live in a particular place is called an ...
- 'adaptation' ✓
- Why do pitfall traps need to be checked regularly?
- so that organisms in the trap are not harmed ✓
- so that scientists collect results quickly
- so that more organisms can be trapped
- so that organisms don't escape
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- Temperature is an example of ...
- a biotic factor.
- an abiotic factor. ✓
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- 20 beetles were caught and marked in a mark-release-recapture experiment. Two days later in a second sample 10 beetles were caught, only 1 had a mark. What is the population of beetles in the habitat?
- 20
- 100
- 200 ✓
- 2000
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- Match the adaptation with how it helps an organism to survive.
- spines on a cactus⇔help to reduce water loss ✓
- long eyelashes on a camel⇔help to shade from bright sunlight ✓
- large leaves on a fern⇔helps to capture sunlight which is used to make food ✓
- webbed feet on a duck⇔helps to move through water ✓
- yellow and black markings on a fly⇔puts predators off eating it as this is a warning signal ✓
- pouch of a kangaroo⇔provides shelter and protection for offspring ✓
Exit quiz
- What word means that a person carries out an investigation and affects the outcome?
- 'bias' ✓
- What is a transect?
- A piece of apparatus used to collect soil.
- A tape measure.
- A square frame used to sample plants.
- A straight line along which organisms are sampled. ✓
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- What is the best way to ensure random placing of quadrats?
- throw them without looking
- put them at regular intervals e.g. 10 paces apart
- use a random number generator to select the positions ✓
- spin around and throw the quadrat
-
- Oak pupils are carrying out a random quadrat survey on the school field. Why is it important that they take as many samples as possible?
- This helps to reduce bias.
- The more samples you take, the more valid your results will be. ✓
- This means that everyone in the group gets to throw the quadrat.
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- Which of the following is not a use of quadrats?
- To sample populations in some habitats.
- To estimate the different species that live in a habitat.
- To sample and monitor butterfly populations. ✓
- To estimate the percentage coverage of a species in a habitat.
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- Ten quadrats of 1 m² were placed in a field with an area of 100 m². On average, 6 dandelion plants were found in each quadrat. How many dandelion plants are there in the field?
- 6
- 60
- 240
- 600 ✓
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Quadrats are square frames which can be used to sample plants or slow-moving animals.
- There are different measurements that you can take using a quadrat depending on what you are investigating.
- Most sampling using quadrats is random to avoid bias in your results.
- Classification keys can be used to identify different species.
- The results of ecological sampling can be used to inform conservation and preservation efforts.
Common misconception
Pupils often associate the use of quadrats to survey plants in one type of habitat. Pupils do not consider how they can be used to sample sedentary animals e.g. barnacles / limpets on a rocky shore.
During the slide deck there is reference to how quadrats can be used to sample plants and sedentary animals in different habitats.
Keywords
Quadrat - A quadrat is a square frame which is used to sample populations of plants or slow-moving animals.
Species - A species is a group of organisms that are able to reproduce with each other to produce offspring that are also able to reproduce.
Bias - Bias is when a person carries out an investigation and affects the outcome
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