Question

Describe the three different patterns of dispersion and provide an example of each. Which pattern of dispersion is most common in nature?

Answer 1

Dispersion is the pattern of distribution of organisms over a specific area. There are 3 different patterns of dispersion are found in nature : uniform dispersion, random dispersion and clumped dispersion.

Uniform dispersion

When in population individuals are spaced evenly or equally from one another in an area, it is called as uniform dispersion pattern. Some plants which secret toxins to inhibit the growth of plants nearby them shows uniform dispersion pattern.

Random dispersion pattern

When the organisms are present in an area without any pattern or with an unpredictable pattern, than it is called as random dispersion pattern. Generally the plants whose seeds are dispersed by wind like the dandelion plants shows random dispersion pattern.

Clustered dispersion pattern

When the organisms live in cluster over a specific area, it is called as clustered dispersion pattern. In such dispersion pattern when some organisms are found in a specific area than we may not found any organism or we may found some organisms in its nearby area. Their living creates patches in an area. We generally see, if there are some (let's 3 to 4 ) trees in a garden, than monkeys divided themselves into those trees and live in those trees. It is called as clustered dispersion pattern. But if we will consider only one tree, than we may found uniform dispersion pattern among them. W

The clustered dispersion pattern is mostly found in nature. Most organisms prefer to live in suitable area and as suitable area are not found everywhere and are found only in some specific sites of a large area, so they live by forming clusters and show clustered dispersion pattern. Humans also live in clustered dispersion pattern. (As we see people live in villages/forming clusters over a large area). But if we will consider only a town or village, we may see random or uniform dispersion pattern as per the population of that village or town.