Transect
Path along which organisms are recorded
A transect is a path along which one counts and records occurrences of the objects of study (e.g. plants).
It requires an observer to move along a fixed path and to count occurrences along the path and, at the same time (in some procedures), obtain the distance of the object from the path. This results in an estimate of the area covered and an estimate of the way in which detectability increases from probability 0 (far from the path) towards 1 (near the path). Using the raw count and this probability function, one can arrive at an estimate of the actual density of objects.
The estimation of the abundance of populations (such as terrestrial mammal species) can be achieved using a number of different types of transect methods, such as strip transects, line transects, belt transects, point transects, gradsects and curved line transects.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Transect”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Ed Williams measuring a transect (9664326339).jpg by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region, Public domain
- Transects of fire boundary above Backhouse Tarn.jpg by Alisterhaz, CC BY-SA 3.0
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