CORE PRACTICAL 10
Aim: To carry out a study on the ecology of a habitat by using quadrats and
transects to determine the distribution and abundance of organisms and
measuring abiotic factors that are appropriate to that habitat.
Equipment:
● 0.25 m2 (0.5 m × 0.5 m) or 1 m2 quadrat with grid which is used for
sampling the abundance and distribution of the organism
● Interrupted belt transect (20 m tape measure or rope marked at 1 m
intervals)- sampling line set up where there are environment
gradients
● Clipboard and paper to record results of the experiment
● Light meter to measure light intensity
● Thermometer to measure temperature of the soil
● Soil pH meter to measure the pH of the soil
● Soil moisture meter- used to measure the moisture content of the soil
● Datalogger to collect all the data which can be used to plot the graph
or insert in the table
Method:
1. Write down your decisions as well as a hypothesis and null hypothesis
for the relationship you are studying.
2. Choose a site where there is an evident gradient in the abiotic factor.
For example, This could be from a shaded area under a tree or on the
shaded side of a tall building to an area in full sunlight. This gradient
in the abiotic factor is important in determining the spread of
organisms in that particular area due to the abiotic factors which in
this case could be light intensity.
3. Lay the interrupted belt transect 20 m tape or marked rope as a
transect line with the 0 m mark in the full shade and the 20 m mark in
full light. The interrupted belt transect is advantageous as it allows a
greater distance to be covered in the same amount of time compared
to a continuous belt transect.
4. Choose the plant species you want to study and use a suitable measure
of abundance. If you use counts, individual plants must be easy to
distinguish between the species.
5. You begin at one end of the interrupted transect and lay the 1 m2
quadrat next to the 0 m mark of the tape or to avoid bias in your
results the sample could be random. For example, you could pick a
random sample site where the plant species you are looking for are
available and then divide the field into a grid using measuring tapes
and using a random number generator to select the coordinates for
the quadrat to be placed. However, in this experiment a non-random
Aim: To carry out a study on the ecology of a habitat by using quadrats and
transects to determine the distribution and abundance of organisms and
measuring abiotic factors that are appropriate to that habitat.
Equipment:
● 0.25 m2 (0.5 m × 0.5 m) or 1 m2 quadrat with grid which is used for
sampling the abundance and distribution of the organism
● Interrupted belt transect (20 m tape measure or rope marked at 1 m
intervals)- sampling line set up where there are environment
gradients
● Clipboard and paper to record results of the experiment
● Light meter to measure light intensity
● Thermometer to measure temperature of the soil
● Soil pH meter to measure the pH of the soil
● Soil moisture meter- used to measure the moisture content of the soil
● Datalogger to collect all the data which can be used to plot the graph
or insert in the table
Method:
1. Write down your decisions as well as a hypothesis and null hypothesis
for the relationship you are studying.
2. Choose a site where there is an evident gradient in the abiotic factor.
For example, This could be from a shaded area under a tree or on the
shaded side of a tall building to an area in full sunlight. This gradient
in the abiotic factor is important in determining the spread of
organisms in that particular area due to the abiotic factors which in
this case could be light intensity.
3. Lay the interrupted belt transect 20 m tape or marked rope as a
transect line with the 0 m mark in the full shade and the 20 m mark in
full light. The interrupted belt transect is advantageous as it allows a
greater distance to be covered in the same amount of time compared
to a continuous belt transect.
4. Choose the plant species you want to study and use a suitable measure
of abundance. If you use counts, individual plants must be easy to
distinguish between the species.
5. You begin at one end of the interrupted transect and lay the 1 m2
quadrat next to the 0 m mark of the tape or to avoid bias in your
results the sample could be random. For example, you could pick a
random sample site where the plant species you are looking for are
available and then divide the field into a grid using measuring tapes
and using a random number generator to select the coordinates for
the quadrat to be placed. However, in this experiment a non-random
