Elements of a population refer to the ‘parts’ that make up the target population. Elements of a discrete population are easy to describe in that they are the individuals that make up the population. Each lake or wetland in a population of lakes or population of wetlands is a population element. For continuous resources, population elements are points on the target resource, e.g., points on a stream network. An important rule in the definition of the population elements is its explicit definition so that members of a field crew can determine whether the site visited is a member of the target population.
One of the individuals which, in the aggregate, compose a population: the smallest unit yielding information which, by suitable aggregation, leads to the population under investigation. OECD Source: A Dictionary of Statistical Terms, 5th edition, prepared for the International Statistical Institute by F.H.C. Marriott. Published for the International Statistical Institute by Longman Scientific and Technical.
Element of a population
