Scientific Method
This variable is deliberately changed by a researcher and is usually placed on the x-axis.
What is the independent variable?
Every location in the study area has an equal chance of being selected.
What is random sampling?
This square frame is commonly used to estimate abundance, frequency, or percentage cover.
What is a quadrat?
This technique estimates the population size of mobile organisms using capture, marking, release, and recapture.
What is mark-release-recapture?
This technology captures, stores, and analyzes geographic information.
What is GIS (Geographic/Geospatial Information Systems)?
This variable is measured during an investigation and responds to changes in the independent variable.
What is the dependent variable?
Samples are collected every 5 meters along a transect.
What is systematic sampling?
This sampling tool is a plastic cup sunk into the soil to capture ground-dwelling arthropods.
What is a pitfall trap?
A species occurs in 8 of 10 quadrats. Calculate its frequency.
What is 80%?
This method gathers information about objects without physical contact.
What is remote sensing?
Temperature, light, and water volume are kept the same during an experiment. These are called these.
What are constants?
This transect records organisms touching a line at regular intervals.
What is a line transect?
This black-and-white disk measures water turbidity.
What is a Secchi disc?
Using the Lincoln Index: 40 fish are marked, 75 are later captured, and 15 are recaptured with marks. Estimate the population size.
What is 200 fish?
This wildlife-monitoring technique uses electronic tags that emit radio signals.
What is radio tracking?
A storm occurs during a field investigation and affects the results even though it was not being tested. This is called this type of variable.
What is a confounding variable?
This sampling method places quadrats along a transect to measure frequency or percentage cover.
What is a belt transect?
This aquatic sampling technique uses a net downstream while disturbing the substrate.
What is kick sampling?
Values of Simpson's Index close to this number indicate high biodiversity.
What is 1?
Members of the public collect environmental observations despite not being trained scientists.
What is crowdsourcing (citizen science)?
An investigation measures coral bleaching from one reef on one afternoon. Identify the biggest weakness.
What is insufficient sampling (lack of replication)?
A student only samples easily accessible areas of a habitat, creating this potential problem.
What is sampling bias (accessibility bias)?
Name the best method for estimating nocturnal flying insect populations.
What is a light trap?
A habitat has a Simpson's Index of 0.856. This suggests what about the ecosystem?
What is that the ecosystem is more stable and diverse?
Environmental data from satellites, sensor networks, field studies, and citizen scientists that exceed normal analytical capacity are collectively known as this.
What is big data?