Last month, our Year 13 biology pupils attended a Field Study Skills workshop at Whipsnade Zoo to support them in completing the practical component of their A-level course, as well as the ecology content covered in Topics 4 and 5.
Biology pupil, E Young, writes the following:
'Last month, year 13 Biology students travelled to Whipsnade Zoo for the day to study ecology and complete the required practical for our A-Level.
We started off the day by exploring the effect of abiotic factors on the abundance of plants and biodiversity on the field. After splitting up into groups, we started the experiment - placing down our quadrats on different areas of the field and counting the species found in the sample area but also other abiotic factors such as pH and temperature.
After completing our sampling across the field and writing down our results, we came up with our conclusions: that moisture levels of soil have a direct effect on species diversity. After this, we were given two hours to explore the zoo in groups. It was amazing to see the variety of species the zoo were conserving, from Asian elephants to vast different species of butterflies and invertebrates!
This trip was extremely valuable, not just for the practical we completed but to have a greater understanding of ecology as a whole. We learned about the behaviours of different species but also the way they behave in their habitats.'
