overdispersion (contagious distribution) In plant ecology, a situation in which the pattern formed by the distribution of individuals of a given plant species within a community is not random but shows clumping, so that large numbers of both empty and heavily populated quadrats are recorded. See also PATTERN ANALYSIS.

overdispersion(contagious distribution) In plant ecology, a situation in which the pattern formed by the distribution of individuals of a given plant species within a community is not random but shows clumping, so that both empty and heavily populated quadrats are recorded. See also pattern analysis.