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Ecosystems and Material Cycles

Estimating population size from field data

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 2

Overview

Scaling a quadrat mean up to a whole site, working the mean per square metre from quadrats of different sizes, why the result is only an estimate, and transect counts.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

State the rule used to estimate the total number of plants in an area from quadrat data.

Key term

Ten quadrats of 1 m² placed in a 500 m² field contain 45 dandelions in total. Estimate the number of dandelions in the field.

Numbers

Twenty quadrats, each of area 0.25 m², contain 60 buttercup plants altogether. Calculate the mean number of buttercups per square metre.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    State the rule used to estimate the total number of plants in an area from quadrat data.

    Model answer

    Multiply the mean number of plants per square metre by the total area of the site in square metres.

  2. 2

    Ten quadrats of 1 m² placed in a 500 m² field contain 45 dandelions in total. Estimate the number of dandelions in the field.

    Model answer

    The mean is 4.5 per m², so the estimate is 4.5 × 500 = 2250 dandelions.

  3. 3

    Twenty quadrats, each of area 0.25 m², contain 60 buttercup plants altogether. Calculate the mean number of buttercups per square metre.

    Model answer

    The quadrats cover 20 × 0.25 = 5 m², so the mean is 60 ÷ 5 = 12 buttercups per m².

  4. 4

    A meadow measures 40 m by 25 m and quadrat sampling gives a mean of 3 clover plants per square metre. Estimate the clover population of the meadow.

    Model answer

    The meadow covers 1000 m², so the estimate is 3 × 1000 = 3000 clover plants.

  5. 5

    Five quadrats, each 0.5 m by 0.5 m, on a 200 m² lawn contain 2, 4, 3, 5 and 6 plantains. Estimate the number of plantains on the lawn.

    Model answer

    The mean is 4 per quadrat, which is 16 per m², so the estimate is 16 × 200 = 3200 plantains.

  6. 6

    Explain why a population size worked out from quadrat data is only an estimate.

    Model answer

    Only a small fraction of the area is actually counted, and that sample may not exactly match the whole site.

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