Rangeland Ecology & Management

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Belt Transects to Determine Density

When the sampling layout is based on belt transects, density is calculated by dividing species tallies by belt transect area to estimate average density (number of individuals/transect area). In this case, each belt transect is regarded as a separate sample unit contributing to the values used in statistical analysis of density data.

References and Further Reading

Bonham, C.D. 1989. Measurements for terrestrial vegetation. John Wiley Sons, New York. pp. 145-146.

Bureau of Land Management. 1996. Sampling vegetation attributes. Interagency Technical Reference, BLM/RS/ST-96/002+1730. pp. 101-102.

Lindsey, A.A. 1955. Testing the line-strip method against tallies in diverse forest types. Ecology 36:485-495.