4.3 Quadrates samples

Key points
1. The quadrating technique can be used to sample the population distribution of organisms within their habitats.
2. The quadrat sample must be random, so there is no bias
3. It also has to be representative, a large enough sample which is similar to the true population
4. A grid system works very similarly to the X Y coordinates on a graph, and the grids are supposed to be equal sizes.
5. A random number generator can be used to randomly choose a number on the x axis and on the y axis, so that there is a quadrat to be examined without bias
6. Once the quadrat has been found, counting the organisms, in this case daisies, will show you how many there are.
7. A representative sample must be found, ideally the bigger the better
8. It can be found in about 10 quadrats
9. The data must be collected in a table, like this:

Quadrat                  Number of daisies (per mete squared)
     1                                                       x
     2                                                       y
     3                                                       n

10. Once the collection has finished, we would add up the 2nd colomn, and divide the total by the number of quadrats., to find the mean.