Abstract
SUMMARY (1) The distribution of tree species in a montane forest on an isolated hill range in the north-central dry zone lowland of Sri Lanka is described using reciprocal averaging ordination and pattern analysis. (2) Ordination showed that most vegetational variation is related to the degree of exposure to wind, with edaphic and micro-climatic differences being responsible partly for heterogeneity between habitats. (3) Pattern analysis of saplings of Cleistanthus pallidus, C. patulus and Eugenia rotundata showed one scale of pattern, at a block size of 8-16 m, which is related to the restricted dispersal of seeds; mature plants showed no significant departure from a random distribution. The high density pattern of saplings disappears as plants grow older owing, presumably, to density-dependent mortality. (4) The hill range provides an altitudinal range of environments, simulating a zonation from dry to humid climates and supporting a large number of species which are otherwise distributed over a vast area with diverse climates.
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