Lesson Overview

The aim of this lesson is for students to develop their understanding of how to complete a transect and to investigate the impact of abiotic factors on distribution and abundance of biodiversity on reefs. The context of the lesson is the work of the XL Catlin Seaview Survey which aims to compile a global reef record using 360 imagery.

Learning outcomes

• Describe what a transect is.
• Describe how to complete a transect.
• Explain reasons for completing a transect.

Lesson steps

1. The story so far (10 mins)
   Students set themselves targets based on the learning criteria of the lesson. Students estimate the percentage of a square filled with a blue shape, to introduce the idea of quadrats.
2. Conduct a transect (30 mins)
   Using Investigation Information, students learn how to conduct a transect. Students are to follow the instructions to conduct their own ‘transect’, analyse the findings and concluding whether they prove the hypothesis.
3. GCSE Style Exam Question (15 mins)
   Students demonstrate their learning, by answering an GCSE style exam question. Following this student’s will use the mark scheme to peer assess each other’s answers.
4. Self-reflection (5 mins)
   Students decide if they have met their targets set at the beginning of the lesson and reflect on the lesson’s importance to the context of the unit of work by answering the questions.

England

GCSE Science

AQA Trilogy

• 4.7.2.1 – Levels of organisation – A range of experimental methods using transects and quadrats are used by ecologists to determine the distribution and abundance of species in an ecosystem

AQA Combined Science: Synergy

• 4.4.2.4 – Describe how to carry out a field investigation into the distribution and abundance of organisms in an ecosystem and explain how to determine their numbers in a given area
• Biology AT3 – Use transect line and quadrats to measure distribution of a species

OCR Twenty-first Century

• 3.4 – Explain how some abiotic and biotic factors affect communities, including environmental conditions, toxic chemicals, availability of food and other resources, and the presence of predators and pathogens
• IaS1 – What needs to be considered when investigating a phenomenon scientifically?

OCR Gateway

• 6.1a – Explain how to carry out a field investigation into the distribution and abundance of organisms in a habitat and how to determine their numbers in a given area
• WS2c – Presenting observations using appropriate methods

Edexcel

• 9.5 – Core Practical: Investigate the relationship between organisms and their environment using fieldwork techniques, including quadrats and belt transects
• 9.6 – Explain how to determine the number of organisms in a given area using raw data from fieldwork techniques, including quadrats and belt transects