In the hillside of coastal sage scrub, relative density and relative frequency of plant species compare considerably. The plant community that covers the coastal prairie of the California coast is typical of dominant species and is typical of high relative density with a lower relative frequency. The rationale is that dominant plants have a low frequency that insinuates that they are randomly distributed across the entire area, with shrubs being evident. However, they have a relatively high density in comparison to other plants located on the same hillside. It is, therefore, important to notice that the relative frequency and relative density of the coastal sage scrub has an inverse relationship – high relative density with low relative frequency.
Expressed in terms of percent, dominance is the area that plants of the coastal sage scrub cover. For instance, in a density quadrant, relative density, dominance, and frequency help to show the actual importance value that is critical in highlighting the composition of the hillside plants and vegetation. Stohlgren explicates that the trend is similar to study areas that an ecologist may want to research. It is also important to note that the importance value refers to the sum of relative dominance, density, and frequency of a given study area. The value should not surpass 300 in all study areas. In other words, the importance value is indifferent in all areas of the hillside and used as a parameter that quantifies the species composition of any habitat.