Chapter 2 - The sampling programme and the measurement and description of dispersion

This chapter discusses the planning of ecological surveys. It starts by emphasising the need for clarity about the question that the work will address. Elementary statistical issues relevant to the planning of surveys are presented followed by an in-depth discussion of the sampling programme, covering issues such as the number of samples to be taken and their distribution. The pattern of distribution of animals is an important issue that will affect the sampling programme and the accuracy of the results obtained. Methods for detecting the pattern of distribution and dealing with clumped populations are discussed.

2.1 Preliminary sampling 2.2 The sampling programme 2.3 Data processing 2.4 Jackknife and bootstrap techniques 2.5 Dispersion 2.6 Sequential sampling 2.7 Sampling a fauna