An Evaluation of Plotless Sampling Using Vegetation Simulations and Field Data from a Mangrove Forest.

In vegetation science and forest management, tree density is often used as a variable. To determine the value of this variable, reliable field methods are necessary. When vegetation is sparse or not easily accessible, the use of sample plots is not feasible in the field. Therefore, plotless methods,...

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Autores principales:	Renske Hijbeek, Nico Koedam, Md Nabiul Islam Khan, James Gitundu Kairo, Johan Schoukens, Farid Dahdouh-Guebas
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2013
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/03d13b461f334b8ebbff0de1052355b7
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:03d13b461f334b8ebbff0de1052355b72021-11-18T07:39:44ZAn Evaluation of Plotless Sampling Using Vegetation Simulations and Field Data from a Mangrove Forest.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0067201https://doaj.org/article/03d13b461f334b8ebbff0de1052355b72013-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0067201https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203In vegetation science and forest management, tree density is often used as a variable. To determine the value of this variable, reliable field methods are necessary. When vegetation is sparse or not easily accessible, the use of sample plots is not feasible in the field. Therefore, plotless methods, like the Point Centred Quarter Method, are often used as an alternative. In this study we investigate the accuracy of different plotless sampling methods. To this end, tree densities of a mangrove forest were determined and compared with estimates provided by several plotless methods. None of these methods proved accurate across all field sites with mean underestimations up to 97% and mean overestimations up to 53% in the field. Applying the methods to different vegetation patterns shows that when random spatial distributions were used the true density was included within the 95% confidence limits of all the plotless methods tested. It was also found that, besides aggregation and regularity, density trends often found in mangroves contribute to the unreliability. This outcome raises questions about the use of plotless sampling in forest monitoring and management, as well as for estimates of density-based carbon sequestration. We give recommendations to minimize errors in vegetation surveys and recommendations for further in-depth research.Renske HijbeekNico KoedamMd Nabiul Islam KhanJames Gitundu KairoJohan SchoukensFarid Dahdouh-GuebasPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 8, Iss 6, p e67201 (2013)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Renske Hijbeek Nico Koedam Md Nabiul Islam Khan James Gitundu Kairo Johan Schoukens Farid Dahdouh-Guebas An Evaluation of Plotless Sampling Using Vegetation Simulations and Field Data from a Mangrove Forest.
description	In vegetation science and forest management, tree density is often used as a variable. To determine the value of this variable, reliable field methods are necessary. When vegetation is sparse or not easily accessible, the use of sample plots is not feasible in the field. Therefore, plotless methods, like the Point Centred Quarter Method, are often used as an alternative. In this study we investigate the accuracy of different plotless sampling methods. To this end, tree densities of a mangrove forest were determined and compared with estimates provided by several plotless methods. None of these methods proved accurate across all field sites with mean underestimations up to 97% and mean overestimations up to 53% in the field. Applying the methods to different vegetation patterns shows that when random spatial distributions were used the true density was included within the 95% confidence limits of all the plotless methods tested. It was also found that, besides aggregation and regularity, density trends often found in mangroves contribute to the unreliability. This outcome raises questions about the use of plotless sampling in forest monitoring and management, as well as for estimates of density-based carbon sequestration. We give recommendations to minimize errors in vegetation surveys and recommendations for further in-depth research.
format	article
author	Renske Hijbeek Nico Koedam Md Nabiul Islam Khan James Gitundu Kairo Johan Schoukens Farid Dahdouh-Guebas
author_facet	Renske Hijbeek Nico Koedam Md Nabiul Islam Khan James Gitundu Kairo Johan Schoukens Farid Dahdouh-Guebas
author_sort	Renske Hijbeek
title	An Evaluation of Plotless Sampling Using Vegetation Simulations and Field Data from a Mangrove Forest.
title_short	An Evaluation of Plotless Sampling Using Vegetation Simulations and Field Data from a Mangrove Forest.
title_full	An Evaluation of Plotless Sampling Using Vegetation Simulations and Field Data from a Mangrove Forest.
title_fullStr	An Evaluation of Plotless Sampling Using Vegetation Simulations and Field Data from a Mangrove Forest.
title_full_unstemmed	An Evaluation of Plotless Sampling Using Vegetation Simulations and Field Data from a Mangrove Forest.
title_sort	evaluation of plotless sampling using vegetation simulations and field data from a mangrove forest.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2013
url	https://doaj.org/article/03d13b461f334b8ebbff0de1052355b7
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An Evaluation of Plotless Sampling Using Vegetation Simulations and Field Data from a Mangrove Forest.

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