Ecological sampling methods
Considerations before starting
Purpose of the study
Cost-effective and time-effective
Patterns of ecological variability (temporal or spatial)
Practical considerations (site access)
A,B and C might be sufficient if we are looking for
a particular released contaminant.
If looking for concentration levels across the
lagoon – more sites are needed (D,E and F)
Density and distribution of organisms in the
area (dispersion pattern)
Dispersion patterns continued
What pattern do you think is most common in
nature? Why?
Consider how this would influence your
sampling method. What if you don’t know the
distribution of a population?
How much of the area should I sample?
- Comes back to the purpose of the study
o Qualitative/quantitative
o Are you looking for correlation?
o Discrete or continuous data?
o Are you testing a hypothesis?
Simple random sampling
Simple random sampling is
most useful when the
population of interest is
relatively
uniform/homogeneous; i.e., no
major patterns or increased
likelihood of an organism
being in a particular location.
Advantages and disadvantages
- Unbiased data
- Easy to understand and implement
- Data analysis is quite straight forward.
- Difficulty in getting truly random samples
- Limited by the population pattern (i.e. homogeneous
distribution)
- Hard to see any clear trend in an environmental
pattern/gradient for example. If study is repeated, the
same samples may not be identified
Stratified sampling
In stratified sampling, the target
population is separated into
nonoverlapping strata, or
subpopulations that are known or
thought to be more
homogeneous.
Strata may be chosen based on
spatial or temporal proximity of
the units or based on preexisting
information or professional
judgment about the site or
process.
Advantages
- Useful for when the population is heterogenous/non-
uniform and area can be subdivided into strata
(layers) or areas.
- Greater precision in estimate of population means
i.e. you know where things are living
- Considers all the different areas within the
environment
Disadvantages
- Possible that observer can overestimate the significance of a
section of habitat so the number of samples from each different
area should be representative of the size of the area in relation
to the whole environment.
- It can sometimes be difficult to establish what is a different area
of a habitat and some identified areas can be difficult to reach
(canopy/subcanopy)
- Must have a prior knowledge of the area or some pre-existing
information about the area and the relative sizes of different
parts of the environment.
Systematic sampling
In systematic sampling, samples
are taken at regularly spaced
intervals over space or time.
It can be used to determine the
distribution of a population if this
is unknown
Advantages
- Useful for when the population distribution is
unknown (i.e. you can work out how they are
distributed).
- Gives a more complete coverage of the population
than random sampling
- Useful for identifying an environmental gradient or
proving a relationship exists
Disadvantages
- Often involves many samples and can be time
consuming.
- May not be as efficient if you already have a level of
prior knowledge
- Could potentially have bias (if an organism always
feeds in the morning it would be more likely to be
observed at that time or area)
Quadrats and transects
There are two general types of sampling techniques
used to select individuals from a population situated
in space: quadrats and transects. They are often
used simultaneously though.
Use of quadrats
Quadrat size is selected based on the features of the
organisms in the population to be sampled.
The quadrat is either placed randomly or
systematically in the sampling area (the habitat of
the species of interest) and all the individuals within
the quadrat are counted and/or measured.
Quadrats are most useful when the area is fairly
uniform and movement within the area is easy. They
are useful for populations which are non-motile
Use of transects
The transect method is most useful when the area
to be sampled is zoned in some way or has some
sort of gradients running through it.
Once the line has been randomly laid, points along
the line are selected (or quadrats could be used too).
The points might be randomly or uniformly placed,
depending on the question being asked.
Belt transect
A belt transect is like the line transect method but
gives information on abundance as well as presence,
or absence of species. It may be considered as a
widening of the line transect to form a continuous
belt, or series of quadrats.
Sample size - How can you determine the
appropriate sample size?
