One plant species in the habitat is selected for study. Hundred tosses of the Quadrat are made by the different groups in the class. At each toss, a record is made of the number of times the selected species appears. At the same time, the diameter of the stem of each specimen is found by measuring it directly, using a pair of calliphers.
Note if callipers are not available, the diameter of the stem can be found by measuring the circumference of the stem and using formula to calculate it. (To measure circumference, tie a string round the stem and measure the length of the string.)
From the data, the average diameter of the stem of the species is found. From thus , the average area of the transverse section of it'd stem can be found d. The percentage cover of the species per quadrat is then calculated
• by multiplying the average area of the cross section of the stem by the number of plants per quadrat, and
• expressing the product as a percentage.
