TEAMS GLOSSARY
Dominance =Total percent cover of a species / Total area sampled.
The plant with the highest value here covers the highest percentage of
the ground.
Frequency =Total # quadrats in which a species occurs / Total
# quadrats. The plant with the highest value here is found the most often.
Density =Total # plants of a certain species / Total area
sampled. The plant with the highest value here is takes up the most area
in the habitat
Relative Dominance =100 x Dom. of a species / Sum of the Dom.
of all species. The number indicates the most dominant plant compared
to all plants for the habitat.
Relative Frequency =100 x Freq. of a particular species /
Sum of the Freq. of all species. The number indicates which plant, among
all the plants, is found most often in the habitat.
Relative Density =100 x Density of a particular species /
Sum of the Densities of all species. This number indicates which plant
compared to all others takes up the most area in the habitat.
Importance Value =Relative Dominance + Relative Frequency +
Relative Density. This number is used to find the plant that comparatively
is the most important to habitat sampled.
Habitat is the place where particular plants and
animals live. In the habitat, different living things have different niches.
Niche is how a living thing earns its living.
Forb = Any broad-leaved herbaceous plant
that is not a grass, especially one that grows in a prairie or meadow.
Grass = A narrow-leaved plant that grows
in fields and gardens, is eaten by grazing animals such as cows, sheep
and bison. Grasses are monocot. Generally speaking, plants can first be
identified by looking at their seed leaves. The plants that emerge with a
pair of seed leaves belong to the dicot (two seed leaves) family. If the
plant emerges with a single leaf or blade it is grouped as a monocot (one
seed leaf). These groupings can help in initial identification because, the
grasses belong to the monocots, where the forbs (plants other than grasses)
usually belong to the dicots.
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