Bio

163: Exercise 1
Analysis of Terrestrial Communities: Community Structure and Species Diversity

Objective: Describe the UPB Sabkil Monitoring Station community (subcommunity) by its dominant species,
life forms, stratification, zonation, dispersion patterns, foliage coverage, and foliage screening efficiency.

Procedures:

I. Vegetation analysis: Physiognomy – description and measurement of the form and appearance of
the vegetation

A. Dominant species.

1. Record such species and note how they might affect others in the community

2. Quantify the degree of dominance using diversity indices

3. Related activities: line intercept; percent cover; species richness; Simpson’s Index;
species accumulation curve

B. Horizontal pattern/zonation

1. Outline any zonation pattern/s apparent in your study area

2. Correlate the pattern/s with observable environmental gradients

3. Related activities: obtaining elevation, soil profile, soil moisture, soil pH, at intervals
of 10 m along the transect line

C. Stratification: Qualitatively describe the layering of vegetation (plant life forms)

1. Ground: mosses, lichens, fungi, liverwort

2. Herbs: ferns, annuals and perrenials (grass, broad-leaved vine or liana, succulent
cactoid)

3. Shrub: bushes, shrubs, young trees

4. Understory: small canopy & non-canopy species (woody, epiphyte)

5. Canopy: dominant trees (deciduous, evergreen)

II. Foliage density and screening efficiency

A. Foliage density: measure the thickness or height of the foliage of each stratum

B. Screening efficiency: Using a light meter, measure the light intensity in an open area and
compare it to an area under the vegetation at the same time and the same cloud conditions. Record
the screening efficiency as the percent of light transmitted in the habitat divided by the light intensity
in the open.

III. Coverage

A. Determine the amount of an area covered by a perpendicularly projected outline of

vegetation

B. The following terms may be used:

1. Dense – foliage outline covers more than 75% of the habitat area
 2. Medium-dense – 50—70%

3. Medium – 25—50%

4. Medium-sparse – 5—25%

5. Sparse – <5%

IV. Dispersion: quantitatively assess the spatial distribution (dispersion: random, clumped, even) of
plants:

D = Σ (S1... – A)2
(n-1)*A

where S is the sample data from the plot, A is the average sample size, and n is the total number of
samples taken.

A. <<1 = even/regular

B. >>1 = clumped

C. ~1 = random
Bio 163: Exercise 2
Analysis of Production: Biomass Measurements

Objective: Sample a plant subcommunity and graph the biomass of each major species as a function of the
rank of the species. Discuss the concept of dominance as it pertains to your results.

Procedures:

I. Trees

A. Establish a 10 m x 10 m plot (100 m2). Using a point-quarter sampling method, identify one
Pinus tree to be measured per quadrant.

B. Obtain the basal radius (at breast height), r, and the height of the tree, h

C. Compute the tree biovolume: V = πr2h/2

D. Note: You may download a clinometer app or make your own clinometer using a protractor.

II. Herbaceous plants

A. Within the 100 m2 plot, lay out three 1-m2 plots. Carefully dig up the soil to collect roots,
stems, and leaves of all grasses and forbs in each plot.

B. Separate and identify each species and gently dislodge the dirt from the roots.

C. Label each sample and the, in the laboratory, carefully wash the roots free of all dirt.

D. Oven-dry the samples and record the dry weights.

E. Estimate the biomass of each species, expressed as grams per square meter:

B = ΣW/A

where B is biomass, ΣW is the sum of the weights of the individual species in a sample, and A is the
total area sampled.