Systematic sampling technique had the fastest estimated sampling time. Calculated time = 12 hrs. 37 minutes.
% error of density for the different sampling strategies:
Systematic :
Eastern Hemlock: 7.2%
Sweet Birch: 4.3%
Red Maple: 5.8%
Striped Maple: 164%
Random:
Eastern Hemlock: 9.6%
Sweet Birch: 18.5%
Striped Maple: 114.3%
White Pine: 98.8%
Haphazard:
Eastern Hemlock: 9.6%
Sweet Birch: 18.5%
Striped Maple: 114.3%
White Pine: 97.7%
The Accuracy changed with species abundance, as the common species had a lower percentage error in contrast to the rare species. Therefore, this suggests that the rare species were probably not sampled.
Was one sampling strategy more accurate than another?
As seen above, the random and Haphazard technique has a close percentage errors. For high-density species systematic is more accurate, and for low-density species Haphazard sampling strategy is more accurate.
This is a great exercise to help you with your experimental design and understand sampling techniques. One thing to note is that while one sampling technique may be faster, it is not by much. The extra time it takes to sample randomly and therefore be able to include randomization in your study is not that much. Also, you can see the error associated with rare species and how you need more samples depending on what your question is.