Abstract
We assessed the performance of ten incidence-based estimators of tree species richness in simulated simple random sampling with fixed-area plots. Stem diameter-limited tree species and location data came from two species-rich wet tropical forest compartments in Panama and India. Lower limits of stem diameter were 1 cm and 30 cm, respectively. Estimators varied widely in their estimates of richness and their rankings changed frequently across sites and sample designs. A gamma-Poisson estimator was overall best according to a performance score of three accuracy statistics and sample size. However, until corroborated by further studies, Chao's 1981 non-parametric estimator is recommended for forest inventories with fixed-area plots.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 417-431 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | International Forestry Review |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2006 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Mixed-models
- Plot size
- Probability of occurrence
- Sample coverage
- Sample size
- Variance estimator