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GS 4253 Ecology & Environment: Ecological Sampling

The document outlines ecological sampling methods, emphasizing the importance of sampling in understanding populations of organisms. It details various techniques such as transects, quadrats, and the Lincoln Index for estimating population sizes and measuring ecological metrics like density, coverage, and diversity. The lecture aims to equip students with knowledge about sampling methods and their applications in ecology.

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9 views35 pages

GS 4253 Ecology & Environment: Ecological Sampling

The document outlines ecological sampling methods, emphasizing the importance of sampling in understanding populations of organisms. It details various techniques such as transects, quadrats, and the Lincoln Index for estimating population sizes and measuring ecological metrics like density, coverage, and diversity. The lecture aims to equip students with knowledge about sampling methods and their applications in ecology.

Uploaded by

hasankhan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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GS 4253

Ecology & Environment


Lecture 03
Ecological Sampling
Course Teacher
Md. Habibur Rahman Bejoy Khan
Assistant Professor
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Islamic University of Technology
Lecture Outcomes

● Students will be able to gain knowledge about different ecological sampling


methods
● Students will be able to learn about the different measurements from sampling
What is a sample?
Sample is the representative part of a specific population. Samples are important
when it is required to have ideas about a large population where it is impossible to
measure the whole. Sampling is a type of scientific surveying which can save time and
money and give information on the population of animals and plants.
Therefore it is necessary to choose samples wisely to have accurate idea about the
whole.

Ecological Sampling
Understanding the distribution and abundance of organisms in their environment is
one of the most fundamental tasks in the field of ecology. As a practical matter, it is
almost never possible to locate and count (or measure) every single individual in a
population. So sampling a subset of the population is generally the only means to gain
an understanding of the population as a whole.
Sampling Methods
1. Transects and Quadrants

Plants and Non-motile animals

2. Lincoln Index
Capture –Mark- Recapture
Small animals

3. Aerial observations
Large trees and animals
Transects
and Quadrats
Transects
Estimation of abundance and density of animals and plants population is essential for
conservation and management in ecology. The study introduce the methods of transect
sampling, a type of distance sampling method used in ecology. It is better to detect changes
over topography.

Transects are somewhat linearly placed between two points along an environmental
gradient to take samples at fixed intervals. An environmental gradient is a gradual change
in abiotic factors through space (or time). Environmental gradients can be related to abiotic
factors such as altitude, temperature, depth, ocean proximity and soil humidity. Species
abundances usually change along environmental gradients in a more or less predictive way.
Vegetation varies with the change of environment.

Majorly two types of transect methods are followed

1. Line Transect Method


2. Belt Transect Method
Line Transect Method

Generally the organisms


that actually touch the
line are considered in this
method. Therefore,
sampling is restricted only
to organisms that touch
the line. But organisms
near to the line may also
be in consideration by
measurement of
perpendicular distance
from the transect.
Line Transect Method
A line or strip is placed along the area to be
studied in the direction of the environment
gradient. This could be down the slope of a
hill, along the edge of a stream, or something
similar. Everything that's touching the line gets
measured. Along a transect, you might count
every single organism of interest, or you
might systematically sample by counting
organisms that occur every specific interval.

Population density can be found out along a


line by measuring the perpendicular
distances of the objects from the transect
line.
Belt Transect Method
Transect line is laid out and a quadrat is placed at each survey interval. The key difference
between belt and line transect is that belt transect uses a rectangular area that is quadrat centred
on a line to collect information while line transect uses a straight line to gather data.
Belt Transect Method
CLASS TASK

Comment on the
abundance of clovers
with respect to
distance from the tree
Quadrats
Quadrats
A grid of known size is laid out and all the organisms within each square or rectangle are
counted. The quadrats are usually distributed in random, uniform or stratified manner. The
number of individuals inside the quadrats are counted.
Lincoln Index
Lincoln Index
The Mark-Recapture technique is used to estimate the size of a population where it is impractical
to count every individual. The basic idea is that you capture a small number of individuals, put a
harmless mark on them, and release them back into the population. At a later date, you catch another
small group, and record how many have a mark. In a small population, you are more likely to
recapture marked individuals, whereas in a large population, you are less likely.

● Animals are captured,counted, tagged and released.


● After a period of time another capture occurs.
● Previously tagged animals are counted and unmarked organisms are marked.

Abundance is calculated using the following formula:


We assume that no change happens (deaths, immigration, emigration, marking
techniques provides no difference to chance of survival.
Class task
In a study conducted in a forest ecosystem, researchers marked 80
squirrels in the first sample (M = 80). In a subsequent sample, 60 squirrels
were captured, and out of those, 15 were found to be marked (C=15).
Calculate the estimated total population size using the Lincoln Index
formula.
Measurements from sampling
methods
Sampling methods help to measure

1) Density
2) Coverage
3) Frequency
4) Biomass
5) Diversity
Density (D)
Coverage ( C )
Frequency (F)
Biomass (B)
It can be calculated by measuring the mass of the individuals per unit area

B = Total weight/Area

More appropriate measure than density or frequency when


Number of individuals is hard to determine
Photosynthesis and carbon fixation, energy and nutrient transfer are more dependent upon
biomass than the total number of individuals

Biomass measurement methods:

Fresh or wet weight: Used when organisms are alive

Dry weight: Used when the water content varies greatly


Oven dry at 105 degree Celsius to remove water

Ash-Free Weight: Used when inorganic content varies greatly


Oxidize at 500 degree Celsius until only inorganic ash remains
Diversity (D)
The measure of biodiversity depends on the species richness & species evenness.

1. Species Richness ( R ):

The number of different species in a specific area.


Here,

R = Total number of different species in the community

1. Species Evenness (E ):

The relative abundance of the individuals of each species in a specific area. The more similar the
population size of each species, the greater the species evenness.
Here, for a given community,

E for a specific species = Total number of individuals in the selected species


Total number of individuals of all the species
Simpson’s Diversity Index
Simpson's Diversity Index is a measure of diversity. In ecology, it is often used to
quantify the biodiversity of a habitat. It takes into account the number of species present, as
well as the abundance of each species.
Simpson's Index (D) measures the probability that two individuals randomly selected from a
sample will belong to the same species (or some category other than species).

The range is from 0 to 1, where:


-High scores (close to 1) indicate high diversity.
-Low scores (close to 0) indicate low diversity.
Class Task

Find out the biodiversity in the water body

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