A team of 102 scientists spent a year surveying a small area of the San Lorenzo rain forest in Panama to count the number of species of arthropods living there. After collecting 129,494 specimens—using nets, traps, shovels, tree-climbing harnesses, helium balloons, and other creative gear—it took the team eight years to sort and identify the arthropods. Rather than measuring the entire 6000-hectare (ha) forest, the researchers sampled arthropod diversity by intensively collecting as many arthropods as they could in 12 plots that measured 20 m × 20 m square. If 1 ha=10,000 m², how many hectares of forest did they sample in all?
a. 20 m×20 m×12=4800 ha
b. 4800 m²×10,000 m²/1 ha=48,000,000 ha
c. 20 m×20 m=400 ha
d. 4800 m² x ha/10,000 m² = 0.48 ha

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Start by calculating the area of one plot. Each plot is a square with dimensions 20 m × 20 m. Use the formula for the area of a square: Area = side × side. This gives the area of one plot in square meters.
2. Step 2: Multiply the area of one plot by the total number of plots (12) to find the total area sampled in square meters. Use the formula: Total Area = Area of one plot × Number of plots.
3. Step 3: Convert the total area sampled from square meters to hectares. Recall that 1 hectare (ha) = 10,000 m². Use the conversion factor: Total Area in hectares = Total Area in square meters × (1 ha / 10,000 m²).
4. Step 4: Simplify the calculation by dividing the total area in square meters by 10,000 to get the total area in hectares.
5. Step 5: Verify the units in your final answer to ensure that the result is expressed in hectares (ha), which is the desired unit for the problem.

Key Concepts

Area Calculation

To determine the total area sampled by the researchers, one must calculate the area of a single plot and then multiply it by the number of plots. Each plot measures 20 m by 20 m, which gives an area of 400 m². By multiplying this area by the 12 plots, the total sampled area can be found.

Unit Conversion

Understanding unit conversion is essential for translating the area from square meters to hectares. Since 1 hectare equals 10,000 square meters, converting the total area sampled from square meters to hectares involves dividing the area in square meters by 10,000.

Sampling Methodology

The sampling methodology used by the scientists is crucial for understanding biodiversity assessments. By selecting specific plots within a larger area, researchers can estimate the diversity of species in the entire forest based on the data collected from these smaller, representative sections.