ABSTRACT
The central aim of this chapter is to describe the various methods of field study which are appropriate to the particular ecological problem at hand. However, in order to undertake this fieldwork it is necessary that you have an understanding of how environmental factors determine which species are found in which ecosystems. There are also a number of specific concepts related to this broad understanding with which you should be familiar. These include: adaptation; niche specialisation; food chains; partitioning of resources; primary and secondary succession; and in particular how these interact to determine the structure of communities. However, to discuss all of the above ecological concepts is outside the scope of this chapter and it is recommended that you operate your field studies in tandem with a standard ecological text book such as Krebs (1989). A brief summary introduction to some of these ideas appears later in this introduction. These concepts and ideas will help you answer the central ecological question necessary to your study: ‘What lives where and why is it able to do so?’ From this basic question you will be able to move on to the more complex aspects of your study.
