Habitats in spotlight on biology trip

A-LEVEL biology students from Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy in Runcorn spent a day last week on a field trip at Preston Montford Field Studies Centre in Shrewsbury.

They were accompanied by head of Key Stage 4 science Sophie Hanson and science technician Jeanette McLean.

The day began with students being introduced to sampling techniques and they also had the chance to use specialist equipment such as quadrants, point frames, light meters, humidity testers and soil moisture pins.

They then investigated how the light intensity away from a tree affects the abundance of species and their habitat as a whole.

In the afternoon, the students collected their nets, donned wellies and walked to a pond, where they then carried out an experiment as a part of their A-level exam practical component.

Their aim was to discover whether there was a difference in the species found in clean water habitats compared to those found in polluted water habitats.

A school spokeswoman said they had great fun carrying out the experiments.

Once they had collected their samples and identified them using their keys, they then headed back to the classroom base to discuss their findings.

After analysing them in more detail they put together a presentation of their results, backed up by statistics and graphs.

Miss Hanson said: “A great day was had by all the students.

“They had fun at the same time as working very hard, and under quite tight time constraints too.

“We were fortunate that the weather was on our side as it helped the students to carry out their experiments to a really high standard.

“They were excited to be able to apply what they had been learning in the classroom to real life experiments, which helped to make everything seem much more relevant.”