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A technique used to study the distribution of plants in a particular area where there are obvious variations in species distribution. Continuous quadrats are laid out to cover the chosen area and the abundance of each species in each quadrat is recorded. The abundance values of each species are plotted on separate pieces of squared paper. Isonomes (which resemble contour lines) are then constructed by joining up roughly equal abundance values. Isonomes of certain environmental factors, such as the topography of the area, can also be constructed. By superimposing the isonomes of one species onto those of another it can be seen if there are any correlations between the distributions of the two species. Similarly, by superimposing the isonomes of a species onto the isonomes of an environmental variable it may be seen whether that particular environmental factor is correlated with the species distribution.
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