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The article presents E. C. Pielou's devised valuable index of non-randomness of the distribution of a plant population which intends to test for a departure of a plant distribution from randomness and serves as a measure of the amount of non-randomness in the distribution in the case of a non-random distribution. Pielou has only cited the sampling errors of the point-to-plant distances. It is noted that the devised index is computed from the information supplied by a sample of point-to-nearest-plant distances as well as the second sample of quadrat counts.

It appears from large scale sampling and from detailed mapping that the distribution of Enchytraeids over areas of the order of 100 sq. m and of 0.5 sq. m was non-random (under-dispersed). The range of absolute numbers was smaller in the small that in the large areas while it was almost identical when expressed in standard measure. Small scale density gradients are superimposed upon large scale ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]