The Ecology of a Montane Grassland in Sri Lanka: II. The Pattern of Four Major Species

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Abstract
The pattern of 4 communities in a montane grassland in Sri Lanka was investigated with special reference to the importance of human impact. Several scales of pattern were present. The 20-40 cm scale of pattern of Cymbopogon nardus, Pennisetum polystachyon and Themeda tremula was attributed to their tussock-size and that of Eulalia trispicata to dispersal of its seeds as aggregates. The 80-cm scale of pattern of C. nardus and E. trispicata was related to variation in soil compactness. In the 2 less-disturbed communities, C. nardus occurred more in hollows than on hummocks, while the reverse was true for E. trispicata and T. tremula, causing their pattern at the 160-320 cm scale. In the 2 more-disturbed communities, the aggressive weed P. polystachyon occurred more in hollows, from which it excluded C. nardus. Apparently, the habitat-reversal of C. nardus is caused by human modification of the micro-distribution of natural species.