Limitations Subjective and dependent upon the experience and knowledge of the vegetation type by the surveyor. Quadrat size is important. If the quadrat is too small the variation will be high and conversely a large quadrat will be too time consuming. Unable to conduct statistical analysis for change over time because of the bias. Tend to over estimate frequency if a species is recorded at every point.
Frequency is dependent on the spatial distribution of the species and plant size.
Additional Comments Quadrat size should be no larger than 10m x 10m when numerous species are present for cover estimates. Surveyor defines what constitutes an individual. Defining an individual can often be difficult for some species, such as sodforming grasses and clonal shrubs. The LCTA belt transect is a form of a density quadrat for estimating density of woody species. Provides information on the distribution of the species.