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IB Biology Core Unit 4

Course Options For teaching from September 2015

Dale Fort was built in 1856 in an attempt to deter the forces of Napoleon III from invading the west coast of Britain. The spectacular location near the entrance to Milford Haven uniquely provides a wide variety of on-site seashore habitats making it the perfect place for Marine Biology and Ecology fieldwork. At Dale Fort we pride ourselves on our flexible approach when designing fieldwork to meet the learning needs of students. The options listed here are popular with our groups and are designed to meet the requirements of your specification. However, if your requirements are not covered here please contact us to discuss alternatives.

FIELD STUDIES COUNCIL IB Biology Core Unit 4 Course

Dale Fort Field Centre

FSC Dale Fort, Dale, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire SA62 3RD Tel: 01646 636205 Email: enquiries.df@field-studies-council Website: http://www.field-studies-council.org/centres/dalefort.aspx

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DALE FORT FIELD CENTRE

EXEMPLAR COURSE PROGRAMME

IB BIOLOGY CORE UNIT 4 - 5 DAYS INTERNAL ASSESSMENTS AND PRACTICAL 5

SESSION ONE SESSION TWO SESSION THREE DAY ONE

Arrive lunchtime* Room Allocation. Introduction to the Centre. Waterproof/welly hire. Outline of course. (* packed lunch not normally provided on day one)

SPECIES, COMMUNITIES AND ECOSYSTEMS Students will explore the varied coastal habitats around the Dale Peninsula, where wildlife like seals, gannets and chough can be seen. They will make qualitative ecological observations and consider how to design quantitative investigations. Using local examples the value of long-term ecological studies will be discussed. From the deeper ecological understanding developed in this session objectives are set for the whole course which will: • make links to the IB syllabus • set personal learning goals • consider wider environmental

issues • consider the skills needed by

working ecologists FIELD SITE(S): Dale

CLASSIFICATION OF BIODIVERSITY Using local examples students will:

• Classify one plant and one animal species from domain to species level.

• Recognise features of porifera, cnidaria, platylhelmintha, annelida, mollusca, arthropoda and chordata.

• Construction of dichotomous keys for use in identifying specimens.

DAY TWO

ENERGY FLOW: FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS Students will collect data from a freshwater environment in order to calculate numbers of organisms at each trophic level and to construct food webs and biological pyramids. This session can also incorporate:

Practical 5: Setting up sealed mesocosms to try to establish sustainability. Time will be assigned every day to monitor mesocosms.

FIELD SITE: Watwick Pond

SPECIES, COMMUNITIES AND ECOSYSTEMS: ROCKY SHORE ECOLOGY Looking for patterns, trends and discrepancies. Students will collect data to investigate an association between two species. The data will be analysed using a Chi Squared test. FIELD SITE: Jetty Beach, Castle Beach or Black Rock

Choose from:

Spearman’s Rank

Advanced Field Surveying

Practical 4: Separation of photosynthetic pigments by chromatograph

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DAY THREE

SPECIES, COMMUNITIES AND ECOSYSTEMS - ROCKY SHORE ECOLOGY Looking for patterns, trends and discrepancies. Building on knowledge and skills already gained, students will use appropriate equipment to carry out an ecological study of the abundance and distribution of organisms in a rocky shore environment. They will discuss patterns found in relation to abiotic and biotic variables. Data analysis can include calculating arithmetic means, range and standard deviation (using the appropriate number of significant figures), student’s t-test and graphical representation. FIELD SITE(S): Castle and/or Jetty Beach or Black Rock (Dale Village)

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT – Planning and Research Students will choose and plan an individual ecological investigation to be carried out the following day. They will plan the most appropriate equipment and methods, identifying the variables to be controlled and how to achieve this. They will identify hazards and assess the risks of their planned work. A range of habitats can be used for this investigation.

DAY FOUR

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT – Data Collection and Recording Students will carry out their planned individual investigation.

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT – Data analysis

FIELD SITES: Various

DAY FIVE

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT – Data analysis and conclusions

Depart - lunchtime Please note: to ensure safe and quality learning experiences for students, the timetable may alter depending on weather conditions and tides

The teaching days at Dale Fort can vary in start and finish times. Most of our field sites are adjacent to or within easy walking distance from the field centre. As well as reducing transport costs and travel times, this allows teachers and FSC staff to plan in some flexibility to the days to meet students’ needs. Normally the teaching day would run from 9am to 6.30pm. Session Three can either be an evening or late afternoon session (dependent on tides, arrival time and field trip travel time during the day). Where evening sessions are not tutor-led, directed tasks and resources are available to further extend student learning.

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ON DAY TWO PLEASE SELECT FROM THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS FOR SESSION THREE: (We can of course be flexible and re-arrange these sessions to match your own requirements):

Spearman’s Rank The students will collect data to investigate a correlation. This data will then be analysed using a Spearman’s Rank test. Advanced Field Surveying This is a great opportunity for students to experience an additional practical technique outside the scope of the standard course. You can choose from estimating population size using the Lincoln Index, moth trapping and identification, small mammal sampling, bat detecting and sampling and observation of marine or freshwater plankton using microscopes. Practical 4: Separation of photosynthetic pigments by chromatograph In this session students will carry out a chromatography investigation to separate out pigments from either the fronds of rocky shore algae or from the leaves of a terrestrial plant (collected in an earlier session). The role of accessory pigments in photosynthesis will be considered and related to adaptations to low light levels.

FURTHER OPTIONS: Dale Fort Field Centre can also offer the following sessions which can be studied in addition to or instead of the above sessions: ‘RIB’ Plankton sampling (half day) Students will look at different trophic levels of marine plankton, which they can collect by plankton netting from the Field Centre RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat). The boat takes students for a 20 minute trip in the bay opposite the Field Centre. Students then use microscopes to examine and identify the plankton. This session complements the ‘energy flow: freshwater ecosystems’ session or could take place during the first afternoon or last morning - dependent on tides and weather. There is an additional cost of £7.00 per student. Seine Netting (half day or shorter) Students will help use a seine net to sample motile invertebrates and fish in the Gann Estuary. The data collected is part of a long term monitoring programme of this important SSSI. Conservation Walk: Dale – Marloes- Deer Park (whole or half day) Students will walk part of the outstanding Pembrokeshire Coast Path with spectacular views of the offshore islands of Skomer, Skokholm and Grassholm. They will study conservation management issues across a range of habitats including coastal meadows, marsh land and seal breeding beaches. Skomer Island (whole day) Students will visit this spectacular bird reserve and marine conservation zone, which can be reached by a short boat trip from Martin’s Haven. They will walk around the island exploring the conservation management issues affecting sea birds, marine life and terrestrial habitats. There is an additional cost of £9 per student to cover boat and landing fees. The trip is weather dependent, but a walk around the Deer Park (on the adjacent headland) can be substituted if necessary.

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THE FIELD STUDIES COUNCIL HAS TWO LARGE FIELD CENTRES IN PEMBROKESHIRE – DALE FORT AND ORIELTON. TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR COURSES AND FACILITIES VISIT OUR WEB PAGES AT: http://www.field-studies-council.org/centres/dalefort.aspx http://www.field-studies-council.org/centres/orielton.aspx PLEASE CONTACT US ON 01646 636205 or enquiries.df@field-studies-council.org