Gathering information on the ecosystem provides important detail for your field notes.
Taking notes while conducting field work will help later when you are analyzing the data. Describing the ecosystem in the field in as much detail as possible will provide a setting for that data. An ecosystem's living and non-living components have an impact on many scientific studies, whether the fieldwork involves geology, wildlife biology, botany, soil science, natural resources management, archaeology, forest management, geography, horticulture, paleontology or zoology. Describing the ecosystem in the field provides a perspective on the ecology of the area. Based upon the time constraints, you can decide what level of detail is required in describing the ecosystem for your fieldwork.
Instructions
Preliminary Homework
1. Orienting your fieldwork on a map will save time in the field.
Prepare by doing a little research before heading out. Find out the address, cross streets or name and coordinates of the natural area for the fieldwork.
2. Preparing your notebook before fieldwork will help you make the most of your time.
Do an Internet search using the information to find an map and an aerial photograph of the area. Start the fieldwork entry in a notebook with the date of the fieldwork and a description of the area that includes driving directions to the area, the nearest town, the distance to the nearest town and the density of trees.
3. Surveying the area's biome will set the stage for fieldwork in an ecosystem.
Search in a biology textbook or online for a list of biomes. Understanding the ecosystem in fieldwork first requires an understanding of the biome it inhabits. Describe the biome or biomes of the fieldwork area in the notebook. Biomes are major life zones, such as lakes, estuaries, deserts and tundras. They are defined by the type of vegetation, climate, geologic features and characteristic heterotrophic and photosynthetic organisms. Moreover, biomes are increasingly characterized by the impact humans have made on them. Read a brief description of the relevant biome or biomes for your fieldwork area and note details that pertain to your field of research. Note plant, fungus and animal species you might see in the field.
4. Note the website addresses used as sources, in the field journal. Bookmark the websites used, for reference.
In the Field
5. Taking time to observe landscape features helps set the set stage in the field notes.
Make note of the date, time arrived, weather and GPS coordinates (if possible). Include weather details, such as cloud cover, amount of precipitation, presence of sunshine and amount of wind. Draw an aerial map of the sampling area with dimensions, landscape features (for example, creeks, open grassland, rocky features and forest), human features (for example, agricultural fields and houses), amount of shade provided by vegetation and soil moisture.
6. Describing the vegetation provides an important detail in describing an ecosystem.
Describe in your field notebook the vegetation and fungi in your field sampling site. Include known and unknown species by noting the species name or a description of the organism, if unknown. For unknown plants, note the number of leaves on the stem, the growth pattern, the color and shape of leaves and the height of the plant. Describe the density of the plant growth by noting the most numerous plants and how close they grow together. Draw and/or photograph leaves of unknown plants to look up later. For further detail, use the quadrat sampling technique by throwing a hula hoop several times randomly into the field sampling area and describing every plant, fungus and animal species found within the hoop.
7. Recording the number and diversity of species provides important detail about ecosystem richness.
Describe the animals in the sampling area. Do a line transect survey by walking 30 meters in one random direction, counting as many species as possible. Or, you can describe the animal species by point count. Stand in several random spots quietly for 10 minutes each and note as many species as possible. For either method, note the animal's details, such as song or call, appearance, distance from observer, location in the ecosystem (for example, in a treetop or wading along a stream) and interaction with other animals. Note as many details as possible for unknown species to look up later.
8. An ecosystem's largest number of organisms are often the smallest.
Collect samples of stream or pond water, if there is a water feature in the sampling area, to provide ecosystem detail on aquatic insects, macroinvertebrates and microinvertebrates. Open jars in the water at several different water depths and water current speeds. If possible, use a D-frame net to collect specimens and place them in a jar. A D-frame net is D-shaped, with the straight edge of the net held to the bottom of the creek, leaving the curved part of the net to drift upward into the current. If possible, catch and release organisms after identifying, photographing or taking notes on them.
9. Note the departure time in the field notebook and any changes in the weather since arriving.
Back at Home
10. Adding weather details provides a better understanding of the ecosystem's conditions at the time of your visit.
Note the high and low temperatures and amount of wind and preciptation of your field sampling area for the time you were in the field. Search online for "Yesterday's Hourly Conditions," choose a local weather website, and plug in the date and time in the field and the zip code or city and state to find the weather detail for your notebook. If possible, record your temperatures in Celsius. Use the Beaufort Wind Scale by assigning a number to the amount of wind recorded in your notebook.
11. Often species are difficult to identify in the field. Identifying species later with guides is often the best way to make the most of your time in the field.
Look up the unknown plant, fungus and animal species, using the features in your field notes. There are many book and online field guides available. Often, guides that are produced locally and by university presses or nature societies will provide the most accuracy and ease of use.
12. A microscope can give you a glimpse of the ecosystem at the smallest scale.
Examine specimens under a microscope. If you collected specimens from a stream or pond, examining the organisms under magnification can yield much information about the diversity of life in an ecosystem.
Tags: your field, sampling area, animal species, time field, amount wind, field notes
