02 methods: field research - hu-berlin.de

Instructor: Prof. Dr. H. J. Schwartz

Natural Resource Management Ecological Surveys for Sustainable

Livestock Production

02 Methods: Field Research

Ecological Surveys for

Sustainable Livestock Production

02 Methods: Field research





Field research methods

Methods of analysis:

• 10 point frame

• sampling square

• direct and indirect measures

• destructive and non-destructive sampling

• transects, plots, plotless measures

• vertical photo (different distances)

• remote sensing





Lateral view of a ten-point frame and sampling

pattern with 1 by 1 m ground frame





10 point frame and sampling square





Elymus repens-Alopecurus pratensis

community Chrysanthemo-Rumicetum thyrsiflori

community

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Sw

ee

t

gra

sse

s

So

ur

gra

sse

s

Le

gu

mes

Mis

c. fo

rbs

Litte

r

Mis

c. fo

rbs

Sw

ee

t

gra

sse

s

So

ur

gra

sse

s

Le

gu

mes

Litte

r

April June August

Ten-point frame hits in two different wet-land

communities at three dates during the vegetation

period





Scales for subjective estimates of plant species frequency and cover

Frequency Cover

DAFOR AVFOR Braun-Planquet Domin

(d) dominant (a) abundant (+) < 1 % (+) 1 individuals

(a) abundant (c) common (1) 1 – 5 % (1) 2 individuals

(f) frequent (f) frequent (2) 6 – 25 % (2) > 1 %

(o) occasional (o) occasional (3) 26 – 50 % (3) 1 – 4 %

(r) rare (r) rare (4) 51 – 75 % (4) 4 – 10 %

(5) 76 – 100 % (5) 11 – 25 %

(6) 26 – 33 %

(7) 34 – 50 %

(8) 51 – 75 %

(9) 76 – 90 %

(10) 91 – 100%





Sward height and

sward density estimate

along a transect





Lateral photograph of a standing herb layer strip

(20 cm deep)





50

40

30

20

10

0 20 40 60 80 100

Horizontal density [%] of a 20 cm deep strip of herb

layer in relation to height above ground [cm]

Horizontal density [%]





Reflectance measurement of green biomass





Capacity meter for green biomass volumes





Destructive sampling

of various plant

components





1 2

34

5

6

7

Size of sampling area Nu

mb

er

of

sp

ecie

s f

ou

nd

Minimal

sampling area

Progressive increase of sampling area and related

increase of the number of recorded species

Source: Kent & Coker (1992)





Vegetation type Sample area size

Moss and lichens communities 0.5 x 0.5 m

Short grasslands, dwarf heath

lands

1 x 1 m to 2 x 2 m

Dwarf shrub and high

grasslands

2 x 2 m to 4 x 4

Bushlands, low woodlands 10 x 10 m

High woodlands, forests Up to 50 x 50 m or without

boundary

Recommended sample area size for different

vegetation types





Layout of a sampling transect with smaller

or larger sampling squares





1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

x [g/0.25m²]

x [g/0.25m²]

x [g/0.25m²] 10,9 6,7 4,9 14,7 12,3 3,9 11,7 7,7 7,3 10,9

x [g/0.25m²] 10,9 8,8 7,5 9,3 9,9 8,9 9,3 9,1 8,9 9,1

Biomass of single samples (x) and cumulative mean

biomass (x) of consecutive samples along a transect _





Layout of a permanent vegetation transect along a topographic gradient

Botanical monitoring and destructive sampling for biomass

determination are carried out side by side in 2 by 2m plots along a

permanently marked transect following the topographic gradient of

the test site.

botanical monitoring

1,0 m

0,5

0 10 20 30 m

destructive sampling

permanent marker

0





2

1

4 3

5

6 7

Vegetation transect along a topographic gradient





1

direction of

gradient

2

3 4

5

Layout of a data point cluster suitable for

gradient analysis





Vegetation mosaic induced by selective grazing of sheep;

cover estimate of unpalatable species by line intercept measurement





The Point Centered

Quarter (PCQ) method of

plot-less sampling of plant

density

a

b c

d

a+b+c+d

4 ( )

2

2

Density of a plant species =





Vegetation mosaic induced by selective grazing of sheep;

density estimate of unpalatable species by PCQ measurement





Layout for permanent

sampling plots on

grazed pastures

2 m

6 m

4 m 6 m

buffer zone

Legend

Sample plot for botanical

monitoring

Sub-plots for destructive

sampling





The Bitterlich-Stick

Bitterlich stick for estimating tree abundance. The stick is held to the eye and

pointed horizontally with the crosspiece end to each tree surrounding the

sample point. If the tree appears wider than the crosspiece it is counted

otherwise it is excluded. If a Bitterlich stick with the above suggested

configuration is used the number of trees counted from the sample point is a

direct estimate of abundance as basal area per hectare (m2 * ha-1).

Source: Pollen Monitoring Programme; http://wdc.obs-mip.fr/pmp/vegmapping.html

http://wdc.obs-mip.fr/pmp/vegmapping.html







~1 m resolution true color

aerial photograph of a

hypothetical 64 ha Focal

Area located in a portion of

the Yala River Basin with

provisional identification

of house hold locations

(red dots); below image

processed to highlight the

distribution of woody

vegetation cover in the

image.





58 m

115 m

230 m

460 m

Count once

cw

cl

c = (cl * cw)0.5

Include

Soil & litter

sample

Sampled

Tree/shrub

Unsampled

Tree/shrub

Count once

cw

cl

c = (cl * cw)0.5

Include

Soil & litter

sample

Sampled

Tree/shrub

Unsampled

Tree/shrub

Infiltration

test

Count once

cw

cl

c = (cl * cw)0.5

Include

Soil & litter

sample

Sampled

Tree/shrub

Unsampled

Tree/shrub

Count once

cw

cl

c = (cl * cw)0.5

14.38 m

Include

Soil & litter

sample

Sampled

Tree/shrub

Unsampled

Tree/shrub

Infiltration

test

58 m

115 m

230 m

460 m

Count once

cw

cl

c = (cl * cw)0.5

Include

Soil & litter

sample

Sampled

Tree/shrub

Unsampled

Tree/shrub

Count once

cw

cl

c = (cl * cw)0.5

Include

Soil & litter

sample

Sampled

Tree/shrub

Unsampled

Tree/shrub

Infiltration

test

Count once

cw

cl

c = (cl * cw)0.5

Include

Soil & litter

sample

Sampled

Tree/shrub

Unsampled

Tree/shrub

Count once

cw

cl

c = (cl * cw)0.5

14.38 m

Include

Soil & litter

sample

Sampled

Tree/shrub

Unsampled

Tree/shrub

Infiltration

test

Infiltration

test

Ground sampling design at the focal area

and plot levels of observation

02 methods: field research - hu-berlin.de

Documents