Determining diversity of Pterocarpus indicus and

Columba livia using different terrestrial sampling

techniques
J.M.S. Raymundo1, W.C. Ricafort, III1, A.M.M. Role1, M.D.S. San Miguel1, C.C. Sumabat1
1

Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, University of Santo Tomas, Espaa, Manila,
Philippines
Abstract
Three terrestrial sampling methods were utilized to determine the diversity of two species:
narra(Pterocarpus indicus) and fan-tail pigeon (Columba livia). Different types of candies were used to
represent various organisms in a given area and the selected species were counted using three methodspoint-quarter, line transect, and quadrat method . The diversity indices: Shannon-Weaver, Simpsons, and
Jaccards index were then calculated. This study aims to learn some of the methods in taking
representative samples from the real world, gain an accurate assessment of the composition of the entire
forest by looking at a few samples from that forest, and to be able to compare three field sampling
techniques to sample two species in a small-scale man-made forest.
Introduction
In ecology, there are many factors that affect population distribution globally. Some factors
include: physical conditions such as climate, abundance of nutrition, and environmental conditions. To be
able to know the size of a population of all organisms present in a given area, it is estimated by the use of
sampling methods, or counting a subset of the population of interest. There are three main methods in
sampling that was used in the experiment. Namely: Quadtrat, Belt or Line Transect, and Point-Quarter
methods. These techniques were used in determining population distribution, specifically non-mobile
organisms.
Quadrat sampling applies to a square plot. It may be single or it can also be divided into subplots.
This method is appropriate for estimating the abundance of plants and other organisms that are
sufficiently sedentary that we can usually sample plots faster than individuals move between plots. This
approach allows estimation of absolute density.
Belt or Line Transect method is a cross section of a given area used to study vegetation. This
method is one-dimensional and considered as the simplest method. This method uses lines laid out
randomly or systematically over the area.

Lastly, the point-quarter method is considered as the most useful plotless method in sampling
widely spaced organisms. This is to measure the density of an area of the population of interest.
Materials and Methods
Species sampling. Various candy brands were used to represent different organisms. The narra was
symbolized by iCool while the fan-tailed willow by Butterball. Line transects, each measuring 20m, were
placed in seven sites inside a room. This was subdivided into four 5 meter sections. One quadrat and one
point-quarter were also designated along the line transect. The number of narra and fan-tail pigeons
situated inside the transect, quadrat, and point were then counted and noted.
Diversity indices. The Shannon-Weaver index (H), Simpsons index (D), and Jaccard index(J) were then
calculated.
A

D = n(n - 1)/ N(N - 1)

J=a/(a+b+c)

Figure 1. The different formulas used to compute for diversity: A. Shannon-Weaver(H), B. Simpsons Index(D), C.
Jaccard Index(J).

Results and Discussion

There are many terrestrial sampling methods which are used to accurately gather data of different
plant and animal species present at a certain sampling site. Some of the frequently used methods which
were used in the experiment are the Point-quarter method, Quadrat method, and Transect method. The
point- quarter method is used to sample data within four different directions. Quadrat method, is a
sampling technique where in data gathering is limited to a quadrat or area. Since plants grow in
aggregation, the limiting factor of a quadrat may influence species richness when data is gathered. The
transect method was found to be least effective as a sampling technique since almost none of the
organisms fell under the transect line. This may be a result of the small extent of the transect due to a
small strip width considered. The estimation of an effective strip width that may be used to calculate for
the effective area for the transect is crucial for the method to be reliable. As a consequence, the diversity
of the data obtained using the line transect method was not included anymore in this study. On the other
hand, the point-quarter and quadrat methods showed better results in terms of total number of individuals
gathered. For the point-quarter method, a total of fifteen individuals were observed while for the quadrat
method, there were 31 individuals noted.

Table 1. Diversity values of each site using data from two methods: point-quarter and quadrat
method.
Point-Quarter Method

Quadrat Method

Site

Line Transect Method

RDi (%)
H

RDi (%)

H
P.indicus

C.livia

RDi (%)

J
P.indicus

C.livia

P.indicus

C.livia

0.3465

0.5000

0.0556

50

50

0.3662

0.0882

100

0.3465

0.5000

0.0222

50

50

0.3662

0.0222

100

0.3465

0.5000

0.0119

50

50

0.3466

0.5000

0.0488

50

50

0.3466

0.3750

0.0411

75

25

50

50

0.3466

0.5000

0.0282

50

50

100

0.3465

0.0548

100

0.3579

0.4898

0.0548

57

43

0.2703

0.6667

0.0256

67

33

0.2703

0.4444

0.0256

50

50

100

0.22
98

0.22
98

0.22
98

0.5

0.0
135

0.0
141

0.0
128

Species diversity is measured to assess biological integrity of different bodies of water. It is

quantified through the use of different diversity indices in which some of these quantification techniques
were used in the experiment. One of the diversity indices used is the Shannon Weaver Index which
provides information regarding community diversity. When the index increases, species richness
increases as well which shows that the Shannon- Weaver index expresses increase in diversity. Using the
point-quarter method, the diversity indices for the different sites were computed. Sites 1,2, 3, and 6 had
the highest Shannon-Weaver values, with values of 0.3465. This is followed by site 7 with H=0.2703.
The other sites either showed zero diversity or no diversity due to the presence of only one species or
there were no organisms observed at all for those particular sites. Sites 1 and 2 were the most

diverse(H=0.3662) when data from the quadrat method were utilized. Site 6 followed closely with
H=0.3579 and sites 3, 4, and 5 with H=0.3466 while site 7 had the lowest diversity value (H=0.2703).
Another useful measurement of diversity is the Simpsons Index. It is often used to indicate the
dominant species or taxa. In this index, as the dominance of a certain species increases, diversity
decreases. For the point-quarter method, site 7 had the highest Simpsons index with D=0.6667 which is
succeeded by site 1 (D=0.5). The same as before, the other sites exhibited zero or no diversity at all with
only 1 species present or due to no observed species on those points. With the quadrat method, the
Simpsons diversity indices are as follows: sites 3 and 5 (D=0.5), site 6(D=0.4898), site 7(D=0.4444), site
4(D=0.375), and sites 1 and 2 (D=0). The high value of D for site 7 signifies that it has the least diversity
among all the sampling sites.
The Jaccard Similarity Coefficient is used in comparing the similarity among sample sets
between sampling sites. This coefficient shows that as similarity in the sample set between sites being
compared increases, the diversity between the sites decreases. Based on the results obtained, most of the
Jaccards coefficients computed are close to zero but far from one. The highest coefficient value obtained
was 0.0882 which is still far from one yet close to zero which may imply the high diversity among
species from different sites.
Using the point-quarter method, P.indicus and C.livia were both seen in sites 1,2,3, and 7 while in
site 6, only P.indicus was observed. For the quadrat method, both were noted in sites 3 to 7. Site 1 only
had C.livia while site 2 only had P.indicus. Lastly, for the transect method, only site 4 has both species.
Site 5 only had C.livia while site 7 only had P.indicus.
The most efficient method for collecting data on P.indicus and C.livia was the quadrat method
since it was able to note more specimens and as such, the data gathered is more reliable and may be more
reflective of the actual conditions-including the diversity and abundances-in the different sampling sites.
The line transect method was not able to gather as much information compared to the quadrat and pointquarter methods making it difficult to assess the conditions of the sampling areas. The point-quarter
method was also not able to gather as much information compared with the quadrat method and as such,
would make it difficult as well to make an estimate on the sampling sites diversity and other indices.

Conclusion

There are three terrestrial sampling techniques that can be used to assess the composition of the
forest and these are the quadrat, point-quarter and transect line. Each method or technique is used in
appropriate studies and research. In this particular study, the line transect method was shown to be the
least efficient while the quadrat method was the most efficient.
References
Baker, J.M., & Wolff, W.J. (1987). Biological surveys of estuaries and coasts. New York:
Cambridge University Press.

Davis, W.S., & Simon, T.P. (1995). Biological assessment and criteria: Tools for water resource
planning and decision making. USA: CRC Press LLC.

Fidelibus, M. W., & Mac Aller, R.T.F. (1993). Methods for plant sampling. Restoration in the
Colorado Desert: Management Notes, 13(2), 190-197.

Point-Centered Quarter Method | Global Rangelands Knowledge System.Retrieved March 06,

2016, from http://globalrangelands.org/inventorymonitoring/pointcentered

Quadtrat Sampling in Population Energy. Retrieved March 6, 2016, from

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~bio21/exercises/Sampling.handout.pdf

What are the Factors Affecting Population Distribution? Retrieved March 06, 2016, from
http://www.preservearticles.com/2011120518156/what-are-the-factors-affecting-populationdistribution.html

Williams, B., Nichols, J., & Conroy, M. (2002). Analysis and management of animal
populations:Modeling, estimation, and decision making. USA: Academic Press.