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Due to the imbalanced energy consumption among nodes in wireless sensor networks, some nodes die prematurely, which decreases the network lifetime. To solve this problem, existing clustering protocols usually construct unequal clusters by exploiting uneven competition radius. Taking their imperfection on designing the uneven competition radius and intercluster communication into consideration, this paper proposes an improved distributed unequal clustering protocol (IDUC) for wireless sensor networks, where nodes are energy heterogeneous and scattered unevenly. The cores of IDUC are the formation of unequal cluster topology and the construction of intercluster communication routing tree. Compared with previous protocols, IDUC is suitable for various network scenarios, and it can balance the energy consumption more efficiently and extend the lifetime of networks significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]