What is found on the school lawn?

Researchers want to know what plants grow in a habitat. They cannot count every plant. So, they count the plants in a random sample of square meters called quadrats. This data is summarized and used to describe the total plant population. The more quadrats sampled, the more accurate the description

Because researchers want to compare data, they must collect the quadrat data according to standard procedures. You will be working in a research team of three to four students to develop your skills taking quadrat data. Read the procedure and decide who will do steps 3 and 4 below.

School Lawn Quadrat Activity Procedure

  1. You will need:

    • Quadrat tool or four (4) meter sticks
    • Data sheets
    • Metric rulers
    • Pencils
    • Colored pencils or crayons for color coding

  2. Mark off a square meter of school lawn using meter sticks or a quadrat tool.

  3. Some students will record your data beginning with the grid sheet. Draw the location of all the materials you find in your quadrat. Use a color or pattern to show what each object is and make a key noting the object and its color or pattern.

  4. Other students will count how many of each object there is in the quadrat.
    HINT: If you come across something that is difficult to count, like grass or rocks, measure a smaller square of it with a ruler. Use a square centimeter for really small things. Count the number of objects in the small square and multiply that number by the number of small squares that make up the bigger one. This is called sampling!

  5. Record the percent of the area covered by each material.
    From the grid sheet, count the number of squares that each object occupies. Remember, each square is equal to 1% coverage. Include the total area each covers. If the total area a plant takes up is less than one square, record it as 0.