Monitoring Population Changes
Activity 16 - Monitoring Populations & using Population Changes as Indicators
Background for teachers
This activity is centred on the results of monitoring native breeding land bird species. As well as learning the importance of monitoring bird populations for the species’ conservation, pupils learn how monitoring bird populations can be used to indicate the general health and state of our environment and as a quality of life indicator.
A population census of over 100 of the most common breeding birds in the UK is carried out every year by volunteers. In Scotland the census is organised by the Scottish Ornithologists Club. The British Trust for Ornithology co-ordinates the census results throughout the UK. The census takes places annually and the results are published on the RSPB website, see State of UK’s birds 2006 for the latest results.
Pupils are asked to interpret bar charts and pie charts of breeding land bird census data and compare changes that have taken place in Scotland and the UK as a whole.
Then pupils are also asked to describe the trends in common bird populations in the UK since 1970 illustrated on line graphs. These trends indicate changes in the state of UK farming and woodland habitats. They can also be used together with other indicators, for instance indicators of air pollution, river quality and fish stocks to indicate changes in the general health and state of our environment. The UK government uses these indicators, including bird population trends as their quality of life indicators.
Curriculum
Biology Higher
Control and Regulation: monitoring populations
Monitoring Environmental Resources Higher
Investigating Ecosystems: monitoring of populations for conservation purposes
Curriculum for Excellence
This activity will help pupils achieve the four capacities of learning by:
- encouraging enthusiasm and motivation for learning;
- encouraging openness to new thinking and ideas;
- use of literacy and numeracy skills;
- use of technology for learning;
- thinking independently;
- making reasoned evaluations;
- developing knowledge and understanding of Scotland’s place in the world;
- evaluating environmental issues;
- applying critical thinking in new contexts, and
- solving problems.
Ages
16-18 years
Procedure
Display on a white board or give pupils handouts with four piecharts that show changes in the breeding abundance of native land and freshwater bird species in Scotland between 1994 and 2002. Figure 3 in Natural Heritage Trends: Breeding land birds
All the changes shown in the piecharts are statistically significant.
1. Ask pupils to look carefully at the pie charts and then describe what they can conclude from each chart.
Display on a white board or give pupils handouts showing a bar chart illustrating changes in abundance of 25 native bird species in Scotland between 1994 and 2002. Figure 2 in Natural Heritage Trends: Breeding land birds
All the changes shown in the bar chart are statistically significant.
Ask pupils to answer the following questions about the bar chart:
2. How many species have increased between 1994 and 2002 in a) Scotland b) the UK as a whole?
3. How many species have decreased during this time in a) Scotland b) the UK as a whole?
4. Convert all your species numbers in answers to questions 2-3 to percentages.
5. Look carefully at the changes in abundance for all the species between 1994 and 2002. Compare changes in bird populations for Scotland and the UK as a whole during the period.
6. Which four species have increased the most in a) Scotland b) the UK as a whole?
7.Which found species have decreased the most in a) Scotland b) the UK as a whole?
Bird species |
UK Breeding Bird Survey Trend % |
House martin |
19 |
Goldcrest |
37 |
Buzzard |
49 |
Raven |
57 |
Snipe |
14 |
Goldfinch |
21 |
Sedge warbler |
0 |
Mallard |
20 |
Starling |
-27 |
Wren |
11 |
Linnet |
-24 |
Pied wagtail |
17 |
House sparrow |
-6 |
Willow warbler |
-7 |
Meadow pipit |
-16 |
Curlew |
-37 |
Oystercatcher |
-10 |
Golden plover |
27 |
Lapwing |
-17 |
Kestrel |
-25 |
Swift |
-26 |
Source: The State of the UK’s birds 2006
Using the latest available State of the UK’s birds (see RSPB website) find updates to the UK trends for the 25 Scottish breeding birds shown on the bar chart. In State of the UK’s birds data are presented in a table ‘Trends in common breeding birds’ (p.12 in the 2006 edition) which lists species names alongside the BBS (Breeding Bird Survey) Trend between 1994 and the year of the latest survey. Look at the table provided by your teacher (see above for 2006), or download the above table of the latest available data.
8. Compare the Trends in UK common breeding birds, 1994-2006 (shown in the table above) with the UK trends 1994-2002 shown in the bar chart. Please note that grey heron, common gull, black-headed gull and hooded crow are not included in the 1994-2006 table.
9. Which five species trends have changed the most?
10. Which species a) faring better b) faring worse than they were up to 2002?
11. Using the UK wild bird populations framework indicator graph above describe trends in a) farmland birds b) woodland birds c) all 113 bird species.