This term Biology and Environmental Systems and Societies students embarked on an excursion to Toohey Forest as part of their studies in Ecology. Istok Stanic, Year 11 Biology student provides his reflection on this excursion.
On Tuesday 4 June, the Year 11 Biology cohort met at McCaskie Park to travel to Toohey Forest as part of our current unit on Ecology. The purpose of this excursion was to further explore methods of sampling and collecting data for conservation and biodiversity. We departed from McCaskie Park at around 8:30am and arrived at the Toohey Forest Environmental Education Centre at around 9:30am; a very cold site. Upon arrival, Environmental staff from the Education Centre gave a presentation explaining the day and our key objectives: sampling techniques that we will use, definitions of key, relevant ecological terms and how the activities of the day related to the IB Biology syllabus. After this talk, students were split into groups to explore the different areas of the bushland with varying surrounding levels of urbanisation.
We used BirdNET, an app used by professionals and amateurs alike to help identify birds by their signature songs. Students made a record of the different species of birds found, or heard in Toohey Forest. Using this collected data, students calculated the Simpson’s Diversity Index for the designated research site, which is an accurate measure of the relative abundance of species and the approximate number present in an ecosystem. This task clearly illustrated to students the damaging effect that urbanisation has on both the presence and diversity of species within an ecosystem.
Our second activity of the day was a mock sampling process involving scooping plastic animals out of a tub, tagging a chosen animal and then putting them back into the tub to then recapture. This was a simulation of both an ecosystem and the mark-recapture technique ecologists use to estimate the population size of animal species in a certain area.
To further expand upon and reinforce the key concepts explored throughout the day, the cohort engaged in an alternative sampling technique using a beltline transect in the form of a 70m-long rope and 10m2 quadrats. Sampling was conducted along this rope within our quadrats, an allocated section on either side of the rope, to record both biotic and abiotic data present, such as soil moisture and plant species. Students were then required to analyse their data and draw conclusions about the type of forest found in each quadrat.
Overall, the day was filled with engaging lessons and hands-on experiences tightly connected with our current curriculum material and with a possible future pathway for all QACI biology students.
Article written by Istok Stanic, Year 11