Cambridge O Level Biology · Syllabus 5090 · Relationships of Organisms with One Another and with the Environment
Percentage Cover
What is Percentage Cover?
The proportion of the ground inside a quadrat that is covered by a particular species, expressed as a percentage. It is estimated using a quadrat divided into a hundred small squares, so that each square represents one per cent, and applying a single consistent rule about which squares to count. Percentage cover is used instead of counting individuals when plants overlap, when the boundaries between individuals cannot be seen, or when a species grows as a mat or a colony rather than as separate plants.
This definition is part of the Relationships of Organisms with One Another and with the Environment chapter in Cambridge O Level Biology.