Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments

Chapter 20. Sampling Plant Populations in a Community

Equipment and Materials

You’ll need the following items to complete this field session. (The standard kit for this book, available from www.thehomescientist.com, includes the items listed in the first group.)

Materials from Kit

• Centrifuge tubes (specimen containers)

• Magnifier

• Ruler

Materials You Provide

• Gloves

• Assistant

• Camera (optional, with macro feature)

• Hammer or mallet

• Marking pen (for labeling)

• Field guides to plants and trees (for your region)

• Plastic bags (specimen containers)

• Pocket knife

• Scissors

• Stakes (see text)

• String or cord (250 feet or 75 meters)

• Tape measure (50-foot or 15-meter)

Background

In this field session we’ll define a survey area and do sample counts of the plant populations within that ...