Embedded Files
Topic 6
STAGE 4 TEACHER RESOURCE
Photo: Adam Hollingworth/DPE
In this unit students are encouraged to find solutions to a problem by following the activities in this topic which leads to a tree-planting in their school grounds.
Students will:
learn about different geographical tools and how to use them,
assess the landscape in their school grounds or a nearby reserve using various instruments and geographical tools,
evaluate and communicate their data using charts and graphs; and
be encouraged to develop a revegetation plan for their school to create connected green spaces.
Defining the problem
Defining the problem
The first step in any action research plan is to identify and define what it is you want to find out more about. You might already have an idea, but this part of the planning process encourages you to dig deeper, exploring the impacts of the problem and the consequences of not taking any action.
In this action research project, loss of habitat is the issue we want to investigate.
Photo: Remy Brand/DPE
Photo: Adam Hollingworth/DPE
Your chosen area could be within your school grounds, a park or nature reserve nearby.
In order to assess the biodiversity in you are going to investigate the number of different species seen in your chosen area.
You will do this in a methodical and scientific way, using tools and instruments and some thinking skills.
The questions you will be asking yourself will relate to whether there is any way your results could be changed with action. For example, is there anything that you can do to increase biodiversity in the area?
Collecting data
Data is factual information collected in scientific ways for reference and analysis - it could be observations, measurements or “firm' numerical information such as temperatures, water volume or counting the number of trees in a sample area.
Data should be collected in a systematic, scientific way, taking care to be accurate and precise and using units of measurement and methods which are commonly accepted. This allows data collected to be more useful, rigorous and reliable also allowing different sets of data to be compared. Some data sets eg: weather patterns, temperature and flood levels have been collected regularly for hundreds of years.
Photo: Remy Brand/DPE
Fieldwork essentials
Fieldwork essentials
Photo: Julieanne Doyle/DPE
Photo: Remy Brand/DPE
Photo: John Spencer/DPE
A transect is simply a line along which observations can be made. It is an important geographic tool for studying the changes across a linear distance. These changes could be physical characteristics such as changes in the topography of a landscape or human such as the number of houses in a street.
The stages of using a transect are:
Planning - carefully select the start and end points of your transect route. Walk the path and become familiar with where it is in your study area. Decide on a standard length such as fifty metres
Mapping - draw the line to scale on an appropriate map of your chosen area. You can draw features on this field map and make notes about what you see on either side of the line
Analyse - the completed transect can be analysed to assess the changes and possible relationships between human and physical features along the route
Quadrats are used for sampling purposes. They are squares of a set size that can be placed along a transect, or at random locations, to assess the number or diversity of organisms present. You place the square along the transect and then count the number of the items you are assessing in the project.
Place the quadrat at regular intervals along the edge of the transect line
note how many metres apart the quadrats have been placed and how far from the starting point of your transect
count the number of unique items, (organisms, plants or species) that are inside the quadrat. Anything that is not completely inside the quadrat is not counted.
record the number of items in each of your quadrats using a tally sheet
add up and write the total number of items you have counted in each quadrat
An abiotic factor is a non-living part of an ecosystem that has an effect on its environment. For example, temperature, wind or humidity.
These abiotic factors can be measured using various geographical tools.
A Kestrel is a tool for measuring many different abiotic factors at the same time.
wind speed can be measured using a Kestrel or if you don't have one, a separate anemometer
humidity is the amount of moisture in the air and is usually expressed as a percentage. It can be measured using a hygrometer or with the Kestrel’s inbuilt hygrometer
temperature is the level of heat in an environment. In Australia, we measure it in degrees Celsius, but sometimes you might see it expressed as degrees Fahrenheit. It is measured with a thermometer or the Kestrel’s in-built temperature sensor
Field sketching
Field sketching
Planning a solution
Planning a solution
Once you have some data recorded about your chosen site you can hopefully start to see where there are some problem areas. You may already have some ideas about how to fix them. Evaluating your data should reveal where the greatest amount of habitat and biodiversity is. And vice versa - where there are a reduced number of species. You should be able to notice a pattern appearing.
Converting your data to a graph is a great way to evaluate what is happening in an area. Is your sample area a totally natural area or does it have human-made surfaces such as asphalt or concrete?
Photo: Adam Hollingworth / DPE
Pomaderris reperta educational activities at Denman Public School. Photo: Freddy Herrera/DPE
The size of vegetation can affect populations of species. Are there trees, shrubs or grasses in your sample area? Perhaps your chosen sample site has a section that is close to an urban street and therefore is affected by pedestrians walking, pollution or litter. Is there connectivity between your sample areas? Evaluating the data is the best way to answer these questions and formulate a solution.
Lack of connectivity and loss of habitat affects population numbers of species and biodiversity.
In the activities, you will be using geographical tools to assess the biodiversity of organisms in a chosen area. You will then evaluate the data in order to create possible solutions to the problem.
Recording and monitoring
Recording and monitoring
Key Biodiversity Areas: Conservation in Action [3:58]
Key Biodiversity Areas: Conservation in Action [3:58]
Hear from Birdlife Australia professionals about the importance of recording good data in order to combat issues of biodiversity loss, especially in urban environments.
How to do line transect [5:33]
This simple explanation by Darron Gedge shows you exactly how to do a line transect to measure plant communities in an area. You can apply this methodology to measuring any chosen organism.
Activities
Activities
Monitoring and evaluating
Conduct a simple line transect survey in your chosen site to monitor an area's populations. Graph your results and evaluate what is affecting the populations of certain species. Use worksheet 6.1 to record your answers. Teachers use activity instructions 6.1.
Implementing the solution
Do a field sketch of your chosen area within your school grounds. Conduct a simple bird survey and create a plan for how you will combat the issue of habitat loss. Present this plan to your class. Use worksheet 6.2 to complete your investigation. Teachers use activity instructions 6.2.
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