Cyperaceae co-occurrence in subarctic Quebec and Labrador

During the summer of 2011, we sampled 700 focal plants in a 500 km2 area surrounding Schefferville, Quebec. Twenty individuals of each of the 35 most common sedge species (family Cyperaceae) in the Schefferville area were selected using a combination of the 'ignorant man' method and random walks. Once arriving at each potential plot, one focal species was randomly selected out of all of the sedge species growing within a 1.5-m wide area. Circular 1.0-m2 and 0.2-m2 quadrats were centred over each focal species, and percentage cover of each co-occurring sedge species was estimated by consensus of two or three independent observers.