4.1. in seminar 6 we counted the number of stems (tree trunks) as a measure of species
abundance. instead of counting the number of stems, matlack (1993) used percent cover
when measuring shrub abundance. for woody plants, percent cover is an estimate of how
much ground surface area that the foliage of each species covers, as a proportion of the
total area being sampled. why would a researcher choose one method over the other?
what are the advantages of each method of determining abundance? (2 marks)