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Theory
A population is a group of individuals of the same species which inhabit a particular space at a particular
time. The number of individuals in a population never remains constant. It may increase or decrease due
to many factors like birth rate, death rate and migration. The number of individuals of the species in any
unit area at a given time is its population density. The unit area may be as small as 5 square centimeters
to as large as 10 square metres, depending on the size and nature of the plant community under study.
Counting all individuals in a population is the most accurate way to determine its size. However, this
approach is not usually feasible, especially for large populations or extensive habitats. Scientists usually
calculate plant populations with the quadrat method. A quadrat is a square that encloses an area within
a
Once analyzed, the sample data enables the scientist to calculate the population size and population
density for the entire population. Population density is calculated by counting all the individuals present
at a given time in a given space, divided by the number of units of area or space.
Density = (Total no.of individuals of the species in all the sampling unit (S))/(Total number of sampling
units studied (Q))
Learning Outcomes:
• Students do the experiment better in the real lab having gone through the animation and
simulation.
Shaquana Jeffers
Materials Requires:
Observations
Total
Number of
Total
Quadrats Density
Plant Number of individuals in Each Number of
Studied D=
Species quadrats Individuals
(Q) (S/Q)
(S)
A 2 0 5 7 10 0 0 0 0 3 27 10 2.7
B 1 0 4 0 8 0 3 0 0 2 20 10 2.0
C 4 0 0 3 0 6 0 0 1 2 19 10 1.9
The density value thus obtained is then expressed as number of individuals per unit area.
Observations:
Plant species Quadrat I Quadrat II Quadrat III Quadrat IV Quadrat V Quadrat VI Quadrat VII Total number of individuals(S) Total number of quadrats studied(Q) Density(D=S/Q)
Species 1 1 1 0 2 1 1 1 7 7 1.00
Species 2 0 1 1 1 1 1 2 7 7 1.00
Species 3 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 8 7 1.14
Species 4 1 1 0 0 2 3 1 8 7 1.14
Species 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 7 1.00
Species 6 3 2 4 3 2 2 3 19 7 2.71
The number of individuals of the species in any unit area at a given time.
The degree of uniformity of the occurrence of individuals of a species within a plant community.
Density=(Total no.of individuals of the species in all the sampling unit )/(Total number of sampling units studied )
Density=(Total number of sampling units employed for the study)/(Number of sampling units in which the species occurs)*100
Density=(Total number of sampling units employed for the study)/(Total no.of individuals of the species in all the sampling unit)
Density=(Total no.of individuals of the species in all the sampling unit)/(Total number of sampling units employed for the study)
*100
Shaquana Jeffers
A population is a group of individuals of the same species which inhabits a particular space at a particular time.
A population is a group of individuals of different species which inhabit a particular space at a particular time.
Number of individuals may increase or decrease due to many factors like birth rate, death rate and migration.
A community consists of many populations of different species living in the same location at the same time.