quadrat

American  

[kwod-ruht] / ˈkwɒd rət /

noun

1. Printing.  quad.

2. Ecology.  a square or rectangular plot of land marked off for the study of plants and animals.

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quadrat British  

/ ˈkwɒdrət /

noun

1. ecology an area of vegetation, often one square metre, marked out for study of the plants in the surrounding area

2. the frame used to mark out such an area

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Etymology

Origin of quadrat

First recorded in 1675–85; variant of quadrate

Example Sentences

The study defines populations as the number of individuals in a given species in a 10,000-square-kilometer unit of habitat, known as a quadrat.

From New York Times

The show, “Depth of Field,” originated last year at the Josef Albers Museum Quadrat in Bottrop, Germany, with the participation of John T. Hill, executor of the Evans estate, as the lead consulting curator, in collaboration with Heinz Liesbrock, director of the Josef Albers Museum, and Mr. Abbott.

From New York Times

He told the family about a dog he'd adopted, a stray that followed him on the dangerous patrols around Quadrat in Nad Ali, Helmand.

From BBC

Squires said the monitoring involves quadrat analysis of the sands, where students identify 1-meter-square sections of land and measure plant diversity, surface temperature, root depth and take plant cuttings to measure biomass, and then send the results to the Environmental Protection Agency.

From Washington Times

The quadrat method of studying small mammal populations.

From Project Gutenberg