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Ecological Resource Types from Design Perspective
Finite population of discrete entities
- resource units that can be represented by a point
- All small lakes in the 48 conterminous US
- All 8-digit USGS HUC's west of Mississippi River
Continuous areal population
- Resource units that are 2-dimensional
- All forested lands in Washington State
- All coastal estuarine resources for East Coast States
Continuous linear network population
- 1-dimensional entities embedded in 2-dimensions
- All wadeable streams in New England States
- All constructed waterway canals in Florida
Implications for the Design Process
The design process is largely the same for all three types, however, they differ in the sampling site selection process and resulting estimates match the resource type:
- Finite Populations: Number or % Population Numbers
- Area Populations: Area (acres, hectares) or % Population Area
- Linear Network Populations: Length (miles, kilometers) or % Population length