Sixth Form Biodiversity Field Trip

Year 13 Biologists enjoy the sunshine and explore the Surrey countryside studying biodiversity, collecting data and analysing their results.

After a long Covid break with no trips, we were at last able to go to Surrey on a Biology Field Trip. We went to the Field Studies Council centre, Juniper Hall in Surrey. On our first day at Juniper Hall we focused on biodiversity, learning about Simpsons Index of Biodiversity and how it takes into account both species richness and species evenness. We took a scenic walk up a big hill to the coppiced and mature woodland and used random sampling techniques, placing our quadrants at multiple randomly generated coordinates, to identify the number and proportions of different plant species present in each woodland. We then conducted a statistical test (students t test) to see if the difference in species diversity between the two woodlands was significant. We also made humane mammal traps which we hid in the woods overnight, and in the morning we collected them to get an idea of the population size of these mammals in that area. We managed to catch one mouse, which soon escaped through a hole in the bag it was in! Our second day was wading around in a local river and studying how abiotic factors can affect the biodiversity of invertebrate species. Finally we used the capture, mark, release, recapture method with snails to estimate the local population. It was great fun and we learnt a lot of biology and statistics.

Millie S