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Ecology
Ecology Field Trip for Leaving Certificate Biology students
Field Studies for Junior Certificate and Transition Year are also available.
We provide a field study programme which includes a specifically designed course to cover the Ecology section of the Junior Certificate Science and Leaving Certificate Biology Course. Many of the Ecology mandatory experiments are covered.
The day begins with a short presentation outlining the schedule of the day, followed by a trip to the habitat. The students use plant and animal keys to identify five plant and animal species. We provide all students with a Worksheet. A quantitative study is carried out using both open and gridded quadrats to measure the percentage frequency and percentage cover of the vegetation. A transect is also incorporated into the study.
Abiotic and edaphicphysical factors measured include light intensity, soil pH and temperature. A study of invertebrates is carried out using pooters and beating trays. Pitfall and cryptozoic traps are used to collect animals for identification. The students also draw a map of the habitat.
After lunch there is a classroom session to write up notes and work out food webs. The capture/recapture method is explained and the adaptations of the organisms to their environment are discussed.