Spatial pattern changes of grazing cattle population I

Summary A cattle population presents three spatial patterns according to their behaviour. These patterns are as follows: the random spatial pattern which occurs when the cattle move during grazing (feeding), the aggregated spatial pattern which occurs when they rest, and the regular or quasi-regular spatial pattern which occurs when they separate into two or more subgroups. In this study, these three states of behaviour were represented by a mathematical model, and a method to test the pattern statistically was derived.