Question

4.1. In Seminar 6 we counted the number of stems (tree trunks) as a measure of species

abundance. Instead of counting the number of stems, Matlack (1993) used percent cover
when measuring shrub abundance. For woody plants, percent cover is an estimate of how
much ground surface area that the foliage of each species covers, as a proportion of the
total area being sampled. Why would a researcher choose one method over the other?
What are the advantages of each method of determining abundance? (2 marks)

Answer 1

A researcher would chose percentage cover over stem count because percentage cover is a less time consuming process and easy to calculate in case of species having number of clones.

Advantages of stem count:

• It gives exact number of individual present in the population.

Advantages of percentage area count:

• It gives the total surface area covered by the species and is less hectic.