MEASURING UNDERSTORY LEAF OBSTRUCTION IN ECOLOGICAL STUDIES: A COMPARISON BETWEEN TWO METHODS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4257/oeco.2023.2702.12Palavras-chave:
digital photography, foliar obstruction, habitat complexity, microhabitat, square wooden frameResumo
The square wooden frame and the digital photography are methods widely used to measure density or foliar obstruction of the understory (FOU) in structurally complex habitats. Here we compared these two methods by measuring FOU in two grids in the Garrafão, an area of Atlantic Forest in the Serra dos Órgãos National Park, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Measures of FOU obtained were described by calculating the mean, median, and minimum and maximum values. FOU were compared between grids and methods using Mann-Whitney U tests for independent samples. Spearman correlations were used to compare methods. We found that FOU measurements obtained through the two methods are correlated, suggesting that both methods provide a measure that reflects the FOU. The advantages and disadvantages of using each method are discussed.
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