Quadrat

Quadrats are square frames of wire usually 0.25 m2. These are placed
on the ground to look at the plants or slow-moving animals within
them. When looking at plants in a quadrat the following sampling can
be used:

o Number of an individual species: the total number of individuals

of one species (eg daisies) is recorded.
o Species richness: the number of different plant or animal species
is recorded but not the number of individuals within a species.
o Percentage cover: the percentage of the quadrat area that is
covered by one species (eg grass). This is easier to estimate if a
quadrat has wires making smaller sections. Percentage cover
rather than number of individuals is used when estimating plant
frequencies if it is difficult to identify
individual plants, such as grasses or moss.
Quadrat is used to find an estimate for
the biodiversity index in an area.
Quadrat should be place at random
places using grid method to remove bias.
Sometimes we want to see if the number of
species or percentage cover changes within an
area. This is often as a result of a change in
an abiotic factors.
Using a quadrat
A quadrat is usually a square made of wire. It may contain further
wires to mark off smaller areas inside, such as 5 × 5 squares or 10
× 10 squares. The organisms underneath, usually plants, can be
identified and counted. Quadrats may also be used for slow-moving
animals, eg slugs and snails.
 When using a quadrat:
o it should be placed randomly so that a representative sample is taken
o the validity and reproducibility of the results increases as the results
from more quadrats are analysed.

Procedure:

1. Choose an area on the school field where the grass is often cut.
Map the area and then lay a numbered grid over the map.
2. Use random numbers where to place your first quadrat. You can
use a computer generated random number table to do this.
3. Count the number of different plant species within this quadrat
(the species richness).
4. Return to your starting position and repeat steps two and three
a further 14 times using different random numbers.
5. Repeat steps one to four for a part of the school field which the
grass is infrequently cut.
6. Compare your results by calculating a mean for each location.
Example:

What are the totals and means for the two different locations?
A total of 25 and a mean of 1.7 on cut school field and a total of 52 and a mean of
3.5 on uncut school fields.
What conclusions can you draw here?
The mean of the number of plant species in the cut school field is lower than on the
uncut school field (1 mark). There is a mean of 1.7 different species per quadrat on
the cut grass (1 mark). The number of plant species per quadrat on the uncut field
is over twice this at 3.5 (1 mark). Therefore, there is greater species richness on the
school field in uncut areas (1 mark).
What limitations might there be in drawing these conclusions?
The two students only placed 15 quadrats. Completing more would allow them to
be more confident in their conclusions