A line across an area along which a study can be made of the distribution and abundance of plant species. The line is marked out with a tape and its position indicated on a map of the area. A profile transect is made along a slope and the species present at various levels are recorded. The plants actually touching the tape may be recorded or * quadrats may be placed along the transect at regular intervals. A belt transect is a strip of ground, 1 m or 0.5 m wide, between two parallel transect lines. The species are recorded a section at a time. Scale diagrams, such as profile diagrams or belt transect histograms, can be constructed from the recorded results and the distribution of the species related to any habitat factors that have also been recorded. |
