2.4+Sand+Dune+Investigation+NCEA

= 2.4 Investigate an interrelationship or pattern in an ecological population or community =

NCEA Achievement Criteria

 * ** Achievement ** || ** Achievement with Merit ** || ** Achievement with Excellence ** ||
 * · Record and process sufficient field data to show an interrelationship or pattern.  || ·  Appropriately record and process sufficient field data to show an interrelationship or pattern.  || ·  Appropriately record and process sufficient field data to show an interrelationship or pattern.  ||
 * · Describe an interrelationship or pattern with reference to an environmental factor or the biology of an organism.  || ·  Explain an interrelationship or pattern with reference to an environmental factor or the biology of an organism.  || ·  Discuss an interrelationship or pattern with reference to an environmental factor and the biology of an organism.  ||
 * Explanatory Notes **

1 This investigation is to be carried out with supervision and must involve the student in the collection of primary data. 2 A community interrelationship or pattern could include: succession, zonation, stratification, distribution of different species, competition, predation, parasitism, or mutualism. 3 A population interrelationship or pattern could include: age structure, density, distribution of a species, habitat preference, adaptations or intra-specific competition. 4 If a community interrelationship or pattern is being investigated, students are required to provide detail on only one species from the community in their description, explanation, or discussion. 5 // Appropriate recording // involves including the field data itself with all the information that allows the field data to be used or the investigation to be repeated by another person. The information with the field data could include the location of sample sites in a stream transect, areas where samples are taken in a distribution study, or where measurements of size are taken in an age structure, or quadrat size in a density study. 6 // Appropriate // //processing// of field data means showing accuracy using a processing method that is suitable for the type of field data, and clearly showing the relationship or pattern. Suitable formats for showing the relationship or pattern could be a kite diagram, a bar graph, a pie chart, a profile diagram, or a table. Only one format is required to show an interrelationship or pattern. 7 // Biology of the organism // refers to any adaptation of an organism that relates to the interrelationship or pattern being investigated. 8 Terms: · // Describe // requires the student to recognise, name, draw, give characteristics of, or an account of. · // Explain // requires the student to provide a reason as to how or why something occurs. · // Discuss // requires the student to show understanding of links between environmental factors, the biology of the organism, and the interrelationship or pattern shown in the data. It may involve justifying, relating, comparing and contrasting, or analysing.