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Estimating plant biomass: A review of techniques
Author(s) -
CATCHPOLE W. R.,
WHEELER C. J.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
australian journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1442-9993
pISSN - 0307-692X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-9993.1992.tb00790.x
Subject(s) - biomass (ecology) , vegetation (pathology) , sampling (signal processing) , environmental science , homogeneous , ecology , computer science , mathematics , biology , medicine , filter (signal processing) , pathology , combinatorics , computer vision
Many different techniques have been used to estimate biomass for ecological, agricultural and forestry research. The most suitable technique depends on available budget, accuracy required, structure and composition of the vegetation, and whether species and component biomass are required. A survey of the methods that have been used to estimate biomass is given, and the advantages and disadvantages of direct sampling, calibrated visual estimation and double sampling techniques are discussed. The relative cost and accuracy of each technique are summarized and recommendations are made for the use of the techniques in different vegetation complexes, such as discrete shrubs or trees, patchy vegetation, homogeneous vegetation, and species‐rich inhomogeneous heathland.