The Upper Sixth biologists spent three days studying the ecology of very different habitats across Somerset and Devon: the sand dunes at Braunton Burrows, the river Embercombe and the rocky shore at Helwell Bay, as well as exploring the grounds of Nettlecombe Court itself.
The study of sand dune succession at Braunton last Saturday formed part of their required practical 12. The weather was kind, so we started with pupils making models of succession on the beach complete with labelled seral stages. Pupils worked hard collecting data on the biotic and abiotic factors along their a 512m transects, ably marked out by our ‘chief trundlers’. Evening downtime included some bat detection and spotting shooting stars under the incredible dark skies above Nettlecombe.
Sunday was spent at the river Embercombe where pupils carried out kick sampling and were introduced to many species of freshwater invertebrates, all with unique adaptations to the different microhabitats in the water. They carried out a required practical choice chamber experiment on freshwater shrimp or swimming mayfly and applied statistical tests to their findings. Back at the centre, woodlice were counted in a mark-release-recapture exercise and humane Longworth traps were set to capture small mammals in the Nettlecombe grounds. Packed full of warm hay, tasty protein snacks and apple, two of our traps were successful in capturing a wood mouse and a shrew. The mass of the mouse was then found to provide data for the FSC.
The rocky shore study on our final day looked at zonation. The U6 learnt about the changes in biodiversity on the shore and related the adaptations of the animals and seaweeds to their locations. This preliminary study will help to inform their planning for the other part of their required practical 12. The hermit crabs were the stars of the shore and pupils witnessed one crab exchanging shells with another.
Many thanks to Maria, our excellent FSC tutor and Mrs Johnson who accompanied me on the trip. The biggest thank you goes to the amazing group of Upper Sixth who worked hard, were keen biologists and great company across the extended weekend. We hope you enjoyed the ecological experience!
Written by Mrs Julia Metcalf, Head of Biology
Click through the Flickr album below for more pictures!
