queensland museum learning Science Skills Topic How to name habitats Care: In your 10 m x 10 m quadrat: It is illegal to destroy, to damage or remove marine plants such as mangroves from their habitats — even dead parts (Fisheries Act 1994). You should wear sturdy enclosed shoes, a long-sleeved shirt and long pants to avoid being scratched or bitten by mosquitoes. Apply a DEET-based insecticide. Be aware that saltwater crocodiles live in mangroves in some parts of Queensland. 1. Identify the common plant group (for example, Avicennia) using the key or handbook. 2. Identify the structure of the vegetation by: a. estimating the height of the tallest tree or shrub A person of known height stands next to the tree — use the person as a reference to estimate tree height. Record the data. b. estimating canopy cover Canopy cover is equal to the percentage of your quadrat under shade. For example, 70% shade means 70% canopy cover. This method works well in Queensland when the sun is directly overhead from 10am to 2pm. Record this data. 3. Use the table below to name the habitat’s structure. 4. Combine 1 and 2 to name the habitat. For example, in an Avicennia forest, the most common tall plant is Avicennia, growing to at least 10 m high, with a 70% canopy. Avicennia forest with canopy cover of about 70% at Wynnum, south-east Queensland. QM Structural characteristics of vegetation Vegetation type of tallest plants Canopy cover of tallest plants Dense (70–100%) Mid-dense (30–70%) Sparse (10–30%) Very sparse (0–10%) Medium-height trees (10–30 m) Closed forest (Rainforest) Open forest with heath understorey (Eucalypt forests) Woodland (Paperbark swamps) Open woodland Low trees (<10 m) Low closed forest Low open forests (Mangroves) Low woodland (‘Wallum’) Low open woodland (‘Wallum’) Tall shrubs — woody shrubs with many stems (>2 m) Closed scrub — Tall shrubland with heath understorey (Mallee heath) Tall open shrubland with heath understorey Low shrubs (<2 m) Closed heath Open heath (Heath) Low shrubland — Non-woody plants – grasses, sedges or herbs Closed grassland (Sporobolus saltmarsh) Sedgeland (Saltmarsh or rushes) Open herbland (Coastal dune grassland) — (Adapted from Clifford, H.T. and Specht, R.L. 1979. The vegetation of North Stradbroke Island. University of Queensland Press: St Lucia. queensland museum | po box 3300 | south brisbane bc | queensland 4101 | australia © Queensland Museum 2007