User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
The area around the stormwater pond is called Marshall Springs. The type of sampling strategies that I am going to use is area-based sampling. I will be taking 16 samples. They will consist of 1m x 1m quadrats. I will have 4 quadrats in each zone that I have picked, natural wetland, riverine (lower elevation), riverine (higher elevation), and grassland. I will use random and systematic methods to determine the most abundant species of vegetation in each quadrat along with the soil moisture. I will only tabulate the species that are present for, let’s say, above 10% coverage in the quadrat. I will be looking at the percent coverage of vegetation in each quadrat and not the number of individuals.
Given the area of the park and region I am looking at I could have increased the size of the quadrats or the number of quadrats which could better reflect the actual percent coverage of vegetation in each region and more accurately display the soil moisture. The soil moisture is also only reflective of the current state. If we were to be experiencing a rainfall or drought then obviously the soil moisture would fluctuate.
I will also be trying to calculate the moisture content of the soil in each zone. I will collect 1 cup (250ml) of dry soil and weigh it. I will then collect samples from each quadrat and determine the moisture content present. My fiancée worked at a garden center through her degree and helped me with calculating moisture content as she said that different plants require different moisture content in order to optimize growing potential.
