M. Fenner, EVALUATION OF METHODS FOR ESTIMATING VEGETATION COVER IN A SIMULATED GRASSLAND SWARD, Journal of Biological Education, 31(1), 1997, pp. 49-54
Estimating cover is a common method used in the field to measure the r
elative contribution of species in a plant community. This paper descr
ibes a practical class in which a photographic 'mock-up' of a grasslan
d sword is used to investigate and quantify the effectiveness of a ran
ge of techniques. The results show thai the commonly used methods diff
er greatly in their accuracy, variability, and efficiency, and that pl
ant species differ in the ease with which they can be assessed. The ex
ercise provides students of ecology with an introduction to the issues
which arise in field estimates of cover.