Sample-Plot Technique Applied to Alpine Vegetation in Wyoming
Cain SA. 1943. Sample-Plot Technique Applied to Alpine Vegetation in Wyoming. American Journal of Botany. 30(3):240-247
A study of sample-plot technique with respect to the alpine fell-field vegetation of the Snowy Range of the Medicine Bow mountains, Wyoming, led to the following conclusions: (a) The minimal area for this community is about 32 sq. m. (b) When small scattered plots are used, the minimum size that will yield satisfactory data is about 1/10 sq. m. (c) The minimum number of plots necessary to yield a representative floristic list appears to be small, but it is necessary to use at least twenty per stand in order to have satisfactory frequency percentages and coverage averages. Likewise, the more stands investigated, the better the descriptive data obtained. The alpine fell-field community is not dominated by one or two species. There are a dozen or so species that may be of high frequency and coverage in various stands of the community. The species of greatest statistical importance in the community as a whole are Arenaria sajanensis, Selaginella densa, and Sieversia turbinata, as shown by frequency, coverage, and constancy. The alpine fell-field community of the Snowy Range appears to be typical of the vegetation of similar situations in the Southern Rocky Mountains.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Cain, S.
- Units
- SODN
- Keywords
- Methods (General Field)