Biology Field Study Essay Example

A general description of the area with reasons why the field study is being conducted. Geological overview Bicentennial Park which is located on the shoreline of Home bush Bay is a natural heritage site which features a vital wetland ecosystem and a large area of parkland colonized by a vast range flora and fauna. Within the park there are four communities of vegetation which are: Coastal Saltmarsh – a type of marsh that is intertidal between land and salty water, consisting of a group of salt-tolerant vegetation, grasses and other organisms. Historical Overview Gather information from first hand observations to construct food chains and food webs Explain trophic interactions between organisms in an ecosystem using food chains and food webs Describe the role of decomposers in ecosystems Measure a number of Abiotic factors to compare the mangrove and Saltmarsh environments Use quadrats to estimate the size of a population in an ecosystem Collect, analyse and present data to describe the distribution of species whose abundance has been estimated Consider the accuracy of population estimation strategies Identify factors determining the distribution of species whose abundance has been estimated Examine trends in population estimates for some plant and animal species in each environment Examine trends in population estimates for some plant and animal species within an ecosystem Justify the use of different sampling techniques to make population estimates when total counts cannot be performed Identify some adaptations of living things to factors in their environment Identify and describe in detail adaptation of a plant and an animal from the local ecosystem Analyse trends in a plant population using a transect Identify examples of allelopathy, parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism in an ecosystem