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- Surveying beach populations using transects
Surveying beach populations using transects
Levels: 6-7
NoS achievement aims:
Understanding about science
,
Investigating in science
Contextual strands:
Living world
Topic: Rocky Shore
Rationale
Zonation is a concept used by biologists to systematically describe the distribution of living things across a specified abiotic (non-living) changing environment.
By carrying out a transect activity on the rocky shore, students can work collaboratively to gather enough information to enable them to determine a pattern. At the same time they can be encouraged to think of other ways scientists collaborate to enrich their understanding.
What you need
- A line transect (string or rope marked at regular intervals) for each group and quadrat.
- A rocky shore area for investigation.
- An example of how a transect and quadrat can be used.
Note: Supporting activity resources are provided below.
Focus
- How can the students in our class work together to collect data that will allow us to compare our results in a valid way?
- What do we need to know to specify and standardise our sampling protocols?
- How will we determine how much data is ‘adequate’?
- How do scientists determine how much data is ‘adequate’?
- How might ‘adequate’ results affect the conclusions we draw at the end of the investigation?
Exploration
The students work in groups to:
- lay out their line transect between the high and low tide marks
- at each interval, put down a quadrant
- within the quadrant, count the numbers of each species and/or the percentage coverage of rocks
- move to the next interval and repeat the procedure.
The students use their collected data to address the reflection questions (see below).
Reflection
- Why is one transect not sufficient to establish a zonation pattern?
- How is what you did:
- the same as scientists would do to establish zonation in an area?
- different from what scientists would do to establish zonation in an area?
- What factors had to be kept the same for each group? Why?
- What knowledge did you need to have to collect the data?
- How did you make sure everyone had the same understandings about how to sample?
- What type(s) of environmental gradient contribute to zonation on the rocky shore?
- If you were looking to quickly establish zonation patterns in your local area, what five species would you choose to sample and why?
Activity resources
- Diagram illustrating how to set up a transect line.
Setting up a transect line
(PDF 81 KB)