Study of plant population density by quadrat method

Materials Requires:

Real Lab Procedure

  • In the selected site of study, hammer the nails firmly without damaging the vegetation.
  • Fix four nails to make a square.
  • Tie each end of the nails using a thread, to make a 1 m X 1 m quadrat.
  • Similarly make nine more quadrats randomly in the site of study.     
  • Count the number of individuals of a species “A” present in the first quadrat.
  • Record the data in the table.
  • Similarly count the number of individuals of the species “A” in other quadrats respectively and record the data in the table.
  • Count the number of individuals of a species “B” present in the all quadrat.
  • Record the data in the table.
  • Repeat the same procedure for species C and record the data in the table.
  • We can calculate the density of plant population by this equation:
  • Density =Total number of individuals of the species in all the sampling  unit (S) / Total number of sampling units studied (Q)

Observations

Plant Species Number of individuals in Each quadrats Total Number of Individuals (S) Total Number of Quadrats Studied (Q) Density D=(S/Q)
  I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX      
A 2 0 5 7 10 0 0 0 0 3 27 10 2.7
B 1 0 4 0 8 0 3 0 0 2 20 10 2.0
C 4 0 0 3 0 6 0 0 1 2 19 10 1.9

The density value thus obtained is then expressed as number of individuals per unit area.

Simulator Procedure (as performed through the Online Labs)

  • You can select the environment for study from the ‘Select the environment’ drop down list.
  • Click on the popup corresponding to each quadrat to enlarge the view.
  • Count the number of individuals of a species present in each quadrat and enter in the worksheet.
  • Click on the back button to show normal view of the quadrat.
  • Based on the values entered, the worksheet gives the plant population density for each species.
  • You can redo the experiment by clicking on the ‘Reset’ button.