The Study of Plant Abundance Using Quadrats in the Stong Pond Grasslands of York University

On Monday September 21st 2015, at approximately 3:30pm, on the sunny day with partial clouds at a temperature of 21 degrees Celsius, an experiment including 25 grassland plots of various different vegetation were examined in the grasslands around Stong Pond. A one by one meter quadrat was randomly placed around different areas of the grassland to determine the abundance and distribution of vegetation and grass. To randomize the selection of the grassland plots chosen, a plastic bowl was thrown backwards while facing the sun. The quadrat was then placed around the bowl and the results were noted. This experiment was repeated 25 times. Among the examined plots, there were many varieties of plants including the Common Plantain (Plantago major), Common Thistle (Cirsium vulgare), Canadian Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), Late Purple Aster (Aster prenathoides), Heather Aster (Aster ericoides), and Wild Carrot (Daucus carota). The total coverage of vegetation and grass was visually estimated with the assistance of lab members Danika Gordon, Karen Lin, and Raman Singh.2015年9月21日周一，约下午3时30分，当日晴间多云、气温21摄氏度，研究人员于斯汤池塘（Stong Pond）周边草原开展实验，对25个包含不同植被类型的草地样地进行调查。研究人员采用1米×1米的样方框（quadrat）随机放置于草原不同区域，以测定植被与草本的丰度和分布。为实现样地选取的随机性，实验人员面朝太阳向后抛掷塑料碗，随后将样方框置于碗的落点处并记录相关结果。该实验流程共重复25次。在所调查的样地中，涵盖多种植物类群，包括大车前（Common Plantain, Plantago major）、普通蓟（Common Thistle, Cirsium vulgare）、加拿大一枝黄花（Canadian Goldenrod, Solidago canadensis）、晚紫菀（Late Purple Aster, Aster prenathoides）、欧石楠紫菀（Heather Aster, Aster ericoides）以及野胡萝卜（Wild Carrot, Daucus carota）。在实验室成员达妮卡·戈登（Danika Gordon）、卡伦·林（Karen Lin）与拉曼·辛格（Raman Singh）的协助下，研究人员通过目视法完成了植被与草本总盖度的估算。