Insect Count and Diversity in a Woodlot using Quadrat Sampling.

Meta Data:

Replicate: For this lab, there were 25 independent quadrat counts in the woodlot. It is used  to show that each row corresponds to a different quadrat.

Total Number of Insects Counted: This is a discreet variable. In this experiment, the total number of insects inside a quarter of a quadrat (0.25m²) were counted.

Number of different Recognizable taxonomic units (rtus): This is a discreet variable. In this experiment, the insect diversity present in each quarter of a quadrant (0.25m²) was recorded. This corresponds to the number of different recognizable taxonomic units per sample (i.e. flies, bees, spiders, etc).

Equipment utilized: quadrat

Methods:

The total number of insects and number of different recognizable taxonomic units  was observed at the Dandby woodlot area of York University (Keele Campus). Upon arrival, the quadrat was placed at a random location and observations were taken. Consequent observations were performed by moving the quadrat about two meters forward (each time). Furthermore, only a quarter of the quadrat was observed - corresponding to an area of 0.25m² (0.5m x 0.5m). This methodology was maintained constant for all the 25 quadrat observations.

Study Site: Observations were recorded on Monday, September 26^th, 2016, between 2:30 and 5:30pm on the Dandby woodlot of York University. The weather was cloudy, with periods of rain. In addition, the temperature was about 18°C.

Hypothesis: It was hypothesized that the more insects there are in a sample, the greater the number of different rtus will be.

Predictions:

1) Areas with a low number of insects will show a reduced number of different rtus.

 2) Areas with a high number of insects will show an increased number of different rtus.

3) Increased sunlight exposure results in an increased number of insects observed, and an increase in the number of different rtus.

Group Members: Geeth Raveendhran, and Arnub Shuvo.