PLANT COMMUNITY QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT
Directions: Plot off a 3 x 3 foot square (or larger) in an ecosystem of your choice (lawn, meadow, vacant lot, prairie, woods, etc.). How many square feet does this represent? ________ ft2. List the number of different species (a correct id is not required, you may simply describe it if you don’t know its name) and the number of each present. You may have to estimate the latter number if there is one dominant species. You can do this by counting the number in one square foot and then multiplying that number by the total number of ft2 in the plot.
After you are done counting arrange your data according to the table on page 2 and calculate the relative abundance of each species as a percentage of the total. Use the following example:
Abundance of plant A = number of plant A present x 100
total number of plants present
Preliminary data:
Species description Number present
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Add additional page if necessary.
Final Data Table: arrange the species in order from most abundant to least abundant and calculate the relative percentage (frequency) of each present.
Species Quantity Relative frequency
TOTAL 100 %
Would you describe your ecosystem as being diverse or as being dominated by a monoculture? Explain.
What is the significance of an ecosystem being dominated by a monoculture or being a polyculture? Is one “better”? Give examples that illustrate your answer.
Make a bar graph (use excel) showing the relative abundance of the different plant species you counted. Put % on the y-axis and plant species on the x-axis.
Insert the graph into this report and submit to assignments in D2L in a WORD document.
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