transect

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transect(isonome) A line used in ecological surveys to provide a means of measuring and representing graphically the distribution of organisms, especially when they are arranged in a linear sequence (e.g. up a seashore, or across a woodland margin) or to investigate an environmental gradient (e.g. of salinity across a salt marsh). Recordings are made at intervals along the line. A transect is particularly useful for detecting transitions or distribution patterns. See belt transect and line transect.

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transect

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