Plant Community Quantitative
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 do this represent? ________ ft2. List the number of diffe rent 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/total number of plants present x 100
arrange the species in order from most abundant to least abundant and calculate the relative percentage (frequency) of each present.
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.