Aggregation of Plant Parasitic Nematodes and Taylor's Power Law

Taylor's Power Law was used to determine the aggregation of several nematode species at a number of sites. The results showed that the amount of aggregation of Longidorus elongatus apparently differed according to the distance between sampling points and was probably influenced by soil type. The nematodes appeared to be nearly randomly distributed when judged by samples taken close together, while those taken increasingly further apart suggested an increasingly aggregated distribution until a b' value of just over 2 was reached. Aggregation then tended to remain relatively constant. At one site significant differences were observed in the amount of aggregation exhibited by different nematode species.