goERIMENT Study of Plant

Population
5
INTRODUCTION
) Population is defined as a nearly permanent aggregation of individuals of the same kind
which inhibit a particular space or geographical area at a particular time. It is subordinate
to a species as a unit of cooperative aggregation of individuals.
() The number of individuals in apopulation never remain constant. It may increase or decrease
due to many factors like birth rate, death rate, migration etc.
(üi) The number of individuals of aspecies present per unit area or space of agiven time is called
population density.
(v) Population density is calculated by counting all the individuals present at agiven time in a
given space or area divided by the number of units of area or space.
D=
S
Here, D=population density, N=number of individuals and S=units of space.
() The population density and percentage frequency of different plant species can be determined
by laying quadrats/segments of suitable size and recording the number of individuals of
each species occurring in the quadrat.
(vi) The percentage frequency iscalculated as follows:
Percentage frequency
Total number of quadrats/segments in which species occurred
x 100
Total number of quadrats/segments studied

EXPERIMENT 5.1
(www) Objective. To study population density andpercentage frequency of differentplant species
ofa given area.

REQUIREMENTS
Metre scale, string or cord, nails, paper, pencil etc.
PROCEDURE
(a) Determination of the size of Quadrat. Prepare a Lshaped structure in the field of 1 m
x1m by using 3 nails and tying a string with
the arm of Land then the other. them. Now measure 10 cm on one side of
Prepare 10 x 10 sg. cm area using another piece of
 Comprekcnsiue Laboratoryy
38 Manual in
occurringin this area.Increase
this, area to
Bio
Countthe number
similarly record
ofspecies
additional species occurring in
Ixl sq. marea covered.
Record the
this area. Repeat the
observationsas follows: 20x20s
samne
1m

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 1m
Fig. 5.1. Procedure to find
out minimum size of the
quadrat.
Table 5.1. Total number of
S
species and the area
No. Area
1 10 x10sq. cm Total no. ofspecies
2 20 x 20 sq. cm
3 30 x 30 sq. cm
up to
100 x100sq. cm
Using the above
size of the
quadrats on Xrecorded
increase. This
data, prepare a
axis. At one point of graph,graph. Number of species are plottedoonYaxiss
point denotes curve starts
consideration. minimum area of the quadrant flattening agad
or shows only wD
suitable for the study of an area
 39

CoreExperiments

100 cm
50 75
25
quadrat.
curve to determine the size of the
Fig. 5.2. Species area
and percentage frequency. Take a quadrat of
of Population density
() Determination randomly at number of places. Count the number of each plant species
be
suitable size, lay it quadrat is large, the quadrat can
number of plants in the
present in the quadrat. If the total of all the sub-units will give the number
divided into smaller sub-units and the sum observation table.
species in the quadrat. Record the data in the
of individuals of a individuals in all the quadrats
studied
Total No. of
Population Density = Total No. of quadrats studied
species occurred x 100
Total No. of quadrats in which
Percentage Frequency = Total No. of quadrats studied

50
cm

50 cm
Fig. 5.3. Aquadrat.
40 Comprekenslue Laboratl

Nail

Species No. 1
Species No. 2
Species No. 3
Species No. 4
Species No.5
50 cm

-String

Nail
50 cm

Plants outside
the quadrat
quadrat.
Fig. 5.4.Occurrence of plant species in a

OBSERVATION AND RESULT

Table 5.2. Different plant species, their population density
and percentage frequency occurring ina given area

S. Plant No. ofindividuals |Totalno. of Total no. of Total no. of Population Frequency
No.species per quadrat individuals quadrats in quadrats density percentage
in all the which studied (B) * N/B A/B x 100
IV
quadrats species
studied occurred
(N) (A)
1 22 21 13 2523
2 2 2 29
3. 3
4
3 27 S
5 23 3
6.
7.
8

PRECAUTIONS
1. The measurement of quadrats should be accurate.
2 The string or cord used should not be very thick.
3. One individual of a species should be
counted only once in the quadrat.
 VIVA VOCE

Q.1. Define population.

total of. allthe individuals of a species occuring in an area constitute the population
Ans. The sum
of that species.
Q.2. What is population density ?
Ans. It is the number of individuals per unit area of a species.
smaller units ?
0.3. Why a quadrat of large size is generally further divided into
Ans. In smaller units, the individuals of different species can be counted more accurately.
Q.4. What is demography?
Ans. Statistical study of human population is called demography.
Q.5. What is natality ?
Ans. Natality is the birth rate of a species or the rate by which new individuals are added to a
population by birth.
Q. 6. What is mortality?
Ans. Mortality is the death rate or the rate by which individuals die from a population.
Q.7. What is a quadrat ?
Ans. Aquadrat is a sample plot of a specific size used for the study of population or a community.