Plant pops

This KS4 ecology activity is designed to give students a sense of the challenges facing ecologists when sampling the population of different plants.

With elements of a competitive game, it is a useful alternative when a field trip or access to the school field is not possible.

The aim is to assess the accuracy of using quadrats as a technique for estimating the population of a plant species. The activity helps students understand the significance of positioning quadrats randomly and that populations can only be estimated as it is not possible in practice, to count all the individuals in an area.

An engaging activity to do on a wet day which will get students thinking.