The Line-Intercept Method: A Tool for Introductory Plant Ecology Laboratories

Abstract:: This ABLE major workshop took participants to Bogg's Rock, a granitic flatrock community that is in the early serial stages of succession. The line-intercept method of sampling was employed to allow the rapid characterization of the community structure. After species composition was defined, a simple statistical procedure was used to test one of several factors that might be controlling species distribution.

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Measuring Community Structure

Abstract:: A plant community can be sampled using a "wandering quarter" survey, a plotless survey method that requires no set-up and minimal equipment. Participants zig-zag from tree to tree, always heading in the same general compass direction. Data collected can be used to calculate several common measures of plant community structure, including species richness, species diversity, relative basal area, stems per hectare, relative dominance, and importance value. Hypotheses about the effect of various abiotic parameters, such as altitude, or aspects, or the effect of various forest management techniques, can be tested by comparing the parameters of community structure.

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Abstract:: This course will introduce the student to research methodologies frequently used in the social sciences, and especially those used in the field of psychology. This course covers the basics of conducting research, touching upon statistics and their importance (although it does not require a comprehensive knowledge of the subject). The course will conclude with a section on experimental design. By the end of this course, the student should understand why research methodology is important in scientific research, be comfortable reading procedural and methodological sections of journal articles, and understand how to employ different research methods. (Psychology 202A)