Application of fractal geometry in determining optimal quadrat size for vegetation sampling

Geometry in ecological patterns of landscape and vegetation is not truly fractal, and varies across a range of scales, whereas fractal geometry provides tools for predicting and describing ecological patterns. In this study, fractal analysis is used to assess presence of pseudo random quadrats or spatial dependence which hamper generality and performance of classical inferential statistics. Fractal dimension (FD) as a function of scale is used to determine quadrat size which eliminates spatial dependence. The semivariograms are plotted with fractograms to correlate structures of spatial dependence of the properties studied. The use of FD as a degree of spatial dependence of variables is the basis of applications of fractals.