Fieldwork Biology

FaunaHollandPart 2

IntroductionThe Braakman was a large tidal inlet in the

middle of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, on the south bank of the Westerschelde, west of the city Terneuzen.

We went to this area the 9th and 10th of septembre 2010. Now we are willing to tell you what we have found during these days.

Experiment 8 Birds and Mammals

Research question: Which birds and mammals are common in the Braakman?

Hypothesis: If we find birds and mammals in the Braakman, it will probably be horses, cows, bats, rabbits, gulls, canada geese and mallards.

Materials and method: During this experiment we were standing by a, so called, ‘gluurmuur’. From here we could see a lot of flying animal. We used a binocular to see the birds better and a bird guide to name them. We also searched for mammals, which we were able to find by looking out for droppings and footprints.

Experiment 8 Birds and Mammals

Some of the animals we found: Birds Mammals

Common kingfisher Alcedo atthis

Horse Equus ferus caballus

Gull Laridae

CowBos primigenius indicus

Canada Goose Branta canadensis

Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus

Great Egret Ardea alba

FoxVulpes vulpes

Grey HeronArdea cinerea

BatChiroptera

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Experiment 8 Birds and Mammals

Conclusion and discussion: We have discovered a lot of animals in the Braakman. Our hypothesis is accepted. Apart from that we also discovered why all these different animals live in the Braakman. For example the horses and cows that are used to eat the grass so it looks more natural than when a human mowes the grass.

Experiment 9 Flying insectsResearch question: Which flying insects will we come across inthe Braakman?Hypothesis: If there are flying insects in the Braakman, it will be Butterflies (Lepidoptera), wasps (Hymenoptera) or the zwartroze zandbij (Andrena clarkella).

Materials and method: At this trial we tried to catch the flying insects using a net. When we saw the insects close, we identified them using an insect guide.

Experiment 9 Flying insectsResults:Flying insects discoveredWasp (Hymenoptera), 23 x

Dragonfly (Odonata), 5 x

Atalanta (Vanessa atalanta)

Common yellow dung fly (Scatophaga stercoraria), 16 x

Green lacewings (Chrysoperla carnea), 2 x

Ladybirds (Coccinellidae), 12 x

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

Crane flies (Tipula paludosa), 7 x

Zwartroze-zandbij (Andrena clarkella)

European Peacock (Aglais io)

Comma (Polygonia c-album)

Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina)

Experiment 9 Flying insectsConclusion and discussion: This trial shows there are different kinds of flying insects in the Braakman, as we see in the results. So our hypothesis is accepted. To come across the flying insects, there is probably enough food, for example the nectar of the flowers. This is also a good place to reproduce.

Aglais ioPolygonia c-album

Maniola jurtina

Experiment 10 Crawling insects

Research question: Which crawling insects will we come across in the Braakman?Hypothesis: If there are crawling insects in the Braakman, it will be mosquitos (Nematocera), wasps (Hymenoptera), ants and beetles.

Vespula Vulgar Coleoptera

Formicidae

Experiment 10 Crawling insectsMaterials and method: We’ve used a net to catch the crawling and flying insects by dragging it through the grass and plants. Insects caught in the net, were put into a jar and were identified using an insect guide.

Experiment 10 Crawling insectsResults:

Conclusion and discussion: Our hypothesis is accepted.We’ve discovered these insects because there’s enough food and there are enough nesting places and partners. We’ve learnt about new insects and discovered the broad ecosystem of the Braakman.

Insects discovered Other animals discoveredCricket (Gryllus campestris) Domestic house spider (Tegenaria

domestica), 2 x

Bush-cricket (Tettigoniidae) Raft spider (Dolomedes fimbriatus)

Crane-fly (Tipulidae) Cellar spider (Pholcus phalangioides), 2 x

Cross spider (Araneus diadematus)

Harvestmen (Opiliones)

Experiment 11 InsectsResearch question: What insects will we find in the ground we’ve been

researching?Hypothesis: If there are insects present in the ground in the Braakman, it will be ants (Formicidae) and ground beetles(Carabidae).

Materials and method: We dug a hole in the ground where we put cans in that served as traps. In the cans we put pieces of cheese, meat and fruit to attract the insects. With the ‘insectenzuiger’ we were able to observe the insects. We identified the insects with an insect guide.

Experiment 11 InsectsResults:

Insects discovered Other animals discovered Ant (Formicidae) Woodlous (Oniscus asellus), 2 x

Mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor) Smooth newt, (Lissotriton vulgaris) 2 x

Strawberry Seed Beetle (Harpalus rufipes)

Raft spider (Dolomedes fimbriatus)

Wolf spider (Pardosa amentata)

Conclusion and discussion: Our hypothesis can be accepted. We found ants and ground beetles, but also a mealworm beetle and a strawberry seed beetle. In the Braakman, there’s enough food for these animals, such as: plants and death insects. The food in the traps has also attracted the insects.

Experiment 11 Insects

Formicidae Tenebrio molitor

Harpalus rufipes

Experiment 12 Micro-organisms

Research question: Which micro-organisms can be found in the soil?Hypothesis: If there are micro-organisms in the soil, it will be bacteria (Bacteria), water bears (Tardigrada), springtails (Collembola), giant roundworms (Ascaris lumbricoides) or mites (Acariformes)Materials and Method: We put a 70%-alcohol solution into an Erlenmeyer flask. Above it we placed a tripod with a crater. This crater was filled with the collected soil. On top of it we placed a light which was on for 24 hours, so that micro-organisms in the soil would come out of it and fall into the flask. After that, we put the solution in a Petri dish and looked for micro-organisms with a binocular magnifier.

Experiment 12 Micro-organisms

Results: There were no micro-organisms present in the soil.Conclusion and discussion: Our hypothesis isn’t accepted. The reason why we haven’t found any micro-organisms might be that, due to the rain, the passages for oxygen had been obstructed. This shows how large the influence of abiotic factors can be.

Acariformes

Ascaris lumbricoides Tardigrada

The EndAre there any questions?