ENS 511 Plant Ecology

Assignment 2

ENS 511 Plant Ecology - Assignment 2

For this assignment, you will need access to Chapter 5 of Aims and Methods of Vegetation Ecology. You should read Chapter 5, Section 1 (pp. 45-47) and skim the rest of the chapter.

  1. Based on the information provided in section 5.2 (specifically the table on p. 48), what size plot do you think will be best for our vegetation analyses?

  2. How might we used a set of nested plots (decreasing in size) to sample trees, shrubs, herbs, and moss/lichens in our area of interest?

  3. Look through section 5.4. We will be using the Braun-Blanquet cover abundance scale. Note the measurements scale. What is one critique mentioned in this section of the text of this system, and a justification for its application?

For the next two questions, we’ll consider the USFS Forest Inventory Analysis program collections.

  1. Considering the information in the FIA Sampling and Plot Design Program, very briefly describe the number of Phases in the FIA sampling and how they differ from each other. Which phase do you think our intended sampling efforts best connect to?

  2. Look over the FIA Ground Measurements information and choose three variables you think would be good for us to include. Briefly explain why you chose these variables.