Biological recording
{{Short description|Technique in biology for recording presence and distribution of all living organisms}}
Biological recording is the scientific study of the distribution of living organisms, biological records describe the presence, abundance, associations and changes, both in time and space, of wildlife.Burnett, J., Copp, C., Harding, P. (1995) Biological Recording in the United Kingdom Present practice and future development Summary Report, Coordinating Commission for Biological Recording available for [http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/7867/1/BR_in_UK_Summary.pdf download from Natural Environment Research Council] There has been a long tradition of biological recording in the United Kingdom dating back to John Ray (1627–1705), Robert Plot (1640–1696) and their contemporaries.
Methods
The basis of a biological record is the 'four Ws':{{Cite web |url=http://www.nature-shetland.co.uk/brc/biorecord.htm |title=Biological Records |access-date=2015-02-28 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031814/http://www.nature-shetland.co.uk/brc/biorecord.htm |url-status=dead }}
- What: the identification of the organism recorded
- Where: The locality where the organism was seen
- When: the date (and time) when the organism was recorded
- Who: the person or persons making the observation
Additionally a variety of additional information is often necessary to increase the value of any biological record, including:
- How: the method of recording the observation, e.g. pitfall trap or moth trap
Result
Minute apertures called stomata are seen in the temporary mount of lead peel. Each stomata is enclosed by two kidney-shaped guard cells. These guard cells differ from other epidermal cells in having chloroplast
Biological recording in the UK
In the UK biological recording is a popular hobby and much is organised by national recording schemes for many taxonomic groups of which almost 90 are registered with the national Biological Records Centre.[http://www.brc.ac.uk/recording-schemes biological recording schemes at BRC]
At a national level biological records are managed by the Biological Records Centre, originally set up at Monks Wood Experimental Station, but now based at Wallingford in Oxfordshire which has operated since 1964 to manage records of the country's biodiversity.{{cite web |last1=Roy |first1=D B |last2=Harding |first2=P T |last3=Preston |first3=C D |last4=Roy |first4=H E |title=Celebrating 50 years of the Biological Records Centre |url=http://www.brc.ac.uk/sites/www.brc.ac.uk/files/articles/brc-50th-anniversary.pdf |website=Biological Records Centre on Internet Archive |publisher=Centre for Ecology and Hydrology |access-date=3 January 2023 |archive-date=23 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623015503/http://www.brc.ac.uk/sites/www.brc.ac.uk/files/articles/brc-50th-anniversary.pdf |url-status=bot: unknown }} Following the CCBR report in 1995 the National Biodiversity Network was established as an ideal. This is overseen by the NBN Trust[http://www.nbn.org.uk National Biodiversity Network] which is responsible for the NBN Gateway{{Cite web |title=NBN Atlas - UK's largest collection of biodiversity information |url=https://nbnatlas.org/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=NBN Atlas |language=en-GB}} which in May 2016 passed 127 million records.
At a local level there are a number of field natural history clubs promoting biological recording, including Essex Field Club[http://www.essexfieldclub.org.uk Essex Field Club] and Sandwell Valley Naturalists' Club.{{Cite web |title=Sandnats: Sandwell Valley Naturalists |url=http://www.sandnats.org.uk/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=www.sandnats.org.uk}} On a professional level, most of the UK is covered by a network of Local Environmental Records Centres.{{Cite web |title=ALERC - Association of Local Environmental Records Centres |url=https://www.alerc.org.uk/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=ALERC - Association of Local Environmental Records Centres |language=en}} It was estimated in 1995 that over 60,000 individuals were actively and directly involved in biological recording of which the vast majority were voluntarily engaged out of personal interest.
References
Additional References
- [http://www.brc.ac.uk Biological Records Centre, Wallingford]
- [http://www.alerc.org.uk The Association of Local Environmental Records Centres]
- [http://www.nfbr.org.uk National Forum for Biological Recording]