Multivariate analysis in community ecology / Hugh G. Gauch, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gauch, Hugh G., Jr., 1942-

Series:

Cambridge studies in ecology ; 1.

Cambridge studies in ecology ; 1

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Biotic communities--Mathematics.

Biotic communities.

Ecology--Mathematics.

Ecology.

Multivariate analysis.

Physical Description:

x, 298 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge [Cambridgeshire] ; New York : Cambridge University Press, [1982]

Summary:

Ecologists are making increasing use of computer methods in analyzing ecological data on plant and animal communities. Ecological problems natually involve numerous variables and numerous individuals or samples. Multivariate techniques permit the summary of large, complex sets of data and provide the means to tackle many problems that cannot be investigated experimentally because of practical restraints. Ecologists are thus enabled to group similar species and similar sample sites together, and to generate hypotheses about environmental and historical factors that affect the communities.

This timely book presents a full critical description of three methodologies-direct gradient analysis, ordination, and classification-from both theoretical and practical viewpoints. Both traditional and new methods are presented. Using a wide range of illustrative examples, Hugh Gauch provides an up-to-date synthesis of this field, which will be of interest to advanced students and ecologists. These mathematical tools are also used in a wide variety of other areas, from natural resource management and agronomy to the social and political sciences.

Contents:

Historical perspective 2

The two-way data matrix 4

Aspects of community data 7

Multivariate methods 12

Evaluation of multivariate methods 29

The human factor 30

Successive refinement 35

Purposes of multivariate analysis 37

2 Sampling methods 43

General considerations 44

Standard community sampling procedures 63

Environmental and historical data 70

3 Direct gradient analysis 72

Basic purposes and example 72

Methods 78

Results 79

Data set properties 96

Simulated data 102

Discussion 104

4 Ordination 109

Five conceptual spaces 110

The purposes of ordination 118

Ordination techniques 120

Evaluation of ordination techniques 164

Interpretation and presentation of results 168

5 Classification 173

Classification theory 174

Classification techniques 181

Evaluation of classification techniques 203

Discussion 209

6 Applications 211

General recommendations 211

Applied community ecology 221

Related fields 231

Distant fields 236

Discussion 240

Appendix Available computer programs 246.

Notes:

Includes index.

Bibliography: pages 248-294.

ISBN:

052123820X

OCLC:

7577964