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Difficulty: EasyPopulation Dynamics and Ecological Sampling

An ecology student deployed a 1 m21\text{ m}^2 quadrat 10 times in a farmland ecosystem in Nigeria to estimate the population of a weed species. The total count of the weed recorded across all 10 quadrats was 50. What is the estimated population density of the weed per square metre?

  1. 5 weeds/m25\text{ weeds/m}^2Answer
  2. B
    50 weeds/m250\text{ weeds/m}^2
  3. C
    500 weeds/m2500\text{ weeds/m}^2
  4. D
    0.2 weeds/m20.2\text{ weeds/m}^2

Answer

The population density of the weed is 5 weeds/m25\text{ weeds/m}^2.
Population density is computed by dividing the total number of individuals counted by the total sampled area. In this scenario, 50 weeds/(10×1 m2)=5 weeds/m250\text{ weeds} / (10 \times 1\text{ m}^2) = 5\text{ weeds/m}^2.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Calculate the total surface area sampled by all quadrats.
Total Area = 10 quadrats×1 m2/quadrat=10 m210 \text{ quadrats} \times 1\text{ m}^2/\text{quadrat} = 10\text{ m}^2.
Population density calculation requires knowing the total area over which samples were taken.
2
Divide the total count of organisms by the total sampled area.
Density = 50 weeds10 m2=5 weeds/m2\frac{50\text{ weeds}}{10\text{ m}^2} = 5\text{ weeds/m}^2.
Population density is defined as the number of individuals of a species per unit area.

Key Concept

Quadrat Sampling and Population Density
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Population Dynamics and Ecological Sampling

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