Year 12 Biology Field Trip

On the 13th and 14th June Year 12 Biology students went to Epping Forest to learn about field work techniques and to complete a required practical assessment.

On day one, we began with setting up mammal traps in pairs around a woodland area. We were shown how to place them in hidden spots to maximise chances of a catch. We then moved to a site called Pillow Mounds to carry out an investigation into the relationship between soil compaction and the abundance of a plant species. Back in the classroom we used Spearman’s Rank correlation coefficient to determine the significance of the relationship between the two variables. At the end of the day, we returned to the woodland area to check on our mammal traps. We were fortunate to catch a little vole which we named Lucky! It was safely released and the group watched it scurry back into the woods.

On the second day we use the capture-mark-release recapture method to calculate the woodlouse population size. We also carried out a required practical where we investigated the difference in plant height between two areas in the forest – one with high light intensity and one with low light intensity. This allowed us to practise the student t-test we had been learning in lessons on the data we collected, which provided an engaging real-life example of our in-class learning. Finally, we were led on a fascinating succession tour of Epping Forest by our instructor Oli, who explained the history of the trees and the different seral stages. Overall, this was a really enjoyable trip where we managed to enjoy some sunshine and time outdoors, as well as putting our A Level knowledge into practice.

Sophie L and Aimee R Year 12