Location: Spring Creek, Saskatchewan, Canada
Sampling Strategies Used:
Plots and Quadrats: I divided Spring Creek area into defined plots or quadrats and assessed the presence and abundance of plant species within these designated areas.
Haphazard Sampling: Haphazard sampling involved a more random approach, where we selected locations within Spring Creek without specific patterns or order.
Systematic Sampling: Systematic sampling, conversely, entailed taking measurements at evenly spaced intervals within Spring Creek, following a structured and systematic approach.
The results revealed that “Haphazard Sampling” was the fastest method. The ability to pick random locations allowed for rapid data collection, making it the most efficient.
Comparison of Percentage Error:
Most Common Species: Observations indicated that Systematic Sampling had the least percentage error when assessing the most common species in Spring Creek. The structured approach of systematic sampling proved more accurate when dealing with more dense species within this ecosystem.
Rarest Species: The Plots and Quadrats exhibited the least percentage error for the two rarest species in Spring Creek. This method enabled me to focus on specific plots and quadrats which meant that sampling of the less common species was more accurate.
Impact of Species Abundance:
The study showed significant impact of species abundance on the accuracy of sampling strategies. Systematic Sampling was preferred when dealing with abundant species from an efficiency perspective, while Plots and Quadrats were better suited for rare species from an accuracy perspective.
The choice of sampling strategy has been shown to significantly affect the accuracy and efficiency of data collection in these types of studies. Different methods excel in different scenarios based on the information being gathered and why. Their performance seems to be closely tied to species abundance.
Haphazard Sampling is the fastest method.
Systematic Sampling is ideal for common species.
Plots and Quadrats are well-suited for rare species.