Ecological Sampling
Measuring biotic components of a
system
Ecological Sampling
What is a sample?
“A portion, piece, or segment that is representative
of a whole”
Why do we sample?
it is usually impossible to measure the whole
One big assumption…
That the sample is representative of the
whole
It is necessary to take enough samples so
that an accurate representation is obtained
It is important to avoid bias when sampling
Sampling Methods
Transects and Quadrants
Plants and Non-motile animals
Lincoln Index
Capture –Mark- Recapture
Small animals
Aerial observations
Large trees and animals
Sampling along Transects
Samples taken at fixed intervals
Set up along an environmental gradient (e.g.
high to low on a mountain)
Line transect method
A measured line laid across the area in the
direction of the environmental gradient
All species touching the line are be recorded
along the whole length of the line or at
specific points along the line
Measures presence or absence of species
Belt transect method
Transect line is laid out and a quadrant is
placed at each survey interval
Samples are identified and abundance is
estimated
Animals are collected
For plants an percent coverage is estimated
Data collection should be completed by an
individual as estimates can vary person to
person
Quadrats
Used to measure coverage and abundance of
plants or animals
A grid of known size is laid out and all the
organisms within each square are counted.
Lincoln Index
Capture-Mark-Recapture
Animals are captured,counted, tagged and
released.
After a period of time another capture occurs.
Previously tagged animals are counted and
unmarked organisms are marked.
Abundance is calculated using the following
formula: n1 x n2 n =total marked after catch 1
1
n3 n2=total marked after catch 2
n3=total caught in catch 2 but
marked in catch 1
Measurements
Sampling methods measure
Density
Coverage
Frequency
Biomass
Diversity
Density (D)
The number of individuals per unit area
in =number of individuals for
D=ni/A species i
Eg. 10 dandelions/m2 A=the area sampled (could
Relative density i (Rdi)be the volume V)
The Density of species i, Di, Divided by the sum of
all the densities of the other species sampled
Rdi=Di/S D
Eg. 10/5+8+16
Coverage (C)
The proportion of ground that is occupied or
area covered by the plant/species
Ci=ai/A ai=the area covered by
species i
Relative coverage
A=the total area
The Coverage of species 1, Ci, divided by the sum
total of the coverage of the other species sampled
Frequency (f)
The number of times a given event occurs
Eg. the number of quadrants that contain maple
trees as a ration of all the quadrants
fi=ji/k ji=number of quadrants with
species i
Relative frequency k=total number of quadrants
The frequency of species i relative to the sum total
of the frequencies of the other species found
Biomass (B)
Can be calculated by measuring the mass of
the individuals per unit area
B= S W/A
More appropriate measure than density or
frequency when
Number of individuals in hard to determine
Photosynthesis and carbon fixation, energy and nutrient
transfer are more dependent upon biomass than the total
number of individuals
Biomass Measurement
methods
Fresh or wet weight
Used when organisms are alive
Dry weight
Used when the water content varies greatly
Oven dry at 105oC to remove water
Ash-Free Weight
Used when inorganic content varies greatly
Oxidize at 500oC until only inorganic ash remains
Diversity
The measure of variety of an ecosystem
Consists of 2 components
The number of different species or the richness of
species in a specific area
The relative abundance of the individuals of each
species in a specific area
Simpson's Diversity (D)
Measures species richness
D=N(N-1) D=Diversity
S n(n-1)
N=total number of organisms of all
species found
n=number of individuals of a
particular species
If D is high the area may be a stable ancient
site.
Low D may suggest pollution, recent
colonization, or agricultural management
