Tables and Graphs
In this post, I will discuss the creation and interpretation of a table summarizing my data collection on butterfly populations:
Table Creation:
• Columns: The above figures indicate sample location, observed butterfly species, abundance, and levels of human activity.
• Rows: Single specimens of the quadrats.
Percentage Errors for Common Species:
| Species | Systematic (%) | Random (%) | Stratified (%) |
| Monarch | 12.00 | 28.00 | 22.00 |
| Painted Lady | 18.00 | 32.00 | 20.00 |
Percentage Errors for Rare Species:
| Species | Systematic (%) | Random (%) | Stratified (%) |
| Red Admiral | 45.00 | 38.00 | 50.00 |
| Skipper | 55.00 | 48.00 | 40.00 |
Interpretation:
• Systematic Sampling: If it were performed for frequently encountered species, the results were constant, but for rare species, like Red Admiral, the error was slightly higher.
• Random Sampling: It was indicated to present higher errors anyway but was more favorable towards the idols, particularly the rare ones.
• Stratified Sampling: Skipper has some improvement regarding the error rate, but the error rate has increased for Red Admiral. They depict fair accuracy, especially for the common species of the plant.
Thus, this exercise raised awareness of how crucial data organization and visualization are in ecological studies.