Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Comparison of species ordinations resulting from alternative indices of interspecific association and different numbers of included species

  • Published:
Vegetatio Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Several measures of interspecific association are compared. Dispersion and covariance are limited in value because they respond to the commonness of the species compared. Correlation is not so limited but it responds to discrepancies in commonness among the species. The practical result of these relationships between commonness and association is that only the most common species can occupy periferal positions in a species ordination. Rare species are relegated to positions near the center not on the basis of their phytosociological pattern but simply because of their rarity. Both Cole's index of association and the tetrachoric correlation overcome the problem imposed by the relationship between ordination position and species commonness and they both produce very similar results. The effect of differing numbers of species on the ordination configuration is examined using both Pearson's correlation and Cole's index. The basic pattern of the ordination is set with the first few species when Cole's index is used, however, since rare species are given more weight in the analysis with this index, the addition of several very rare species can change the configuration of the ordination.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Austin, M. P. & I., Noy-Meir. 1970. Principal component ordination and simulated vegetational data. Ecology 51: 551–552.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, R. T. & J. T., Curtis. 1952. The upland conifer-hardwood forests of northern Wisconsin. Ecol. Monogr. 22: 217–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, J. B. 1961. The nature of data, or how to choose a correlation coefficient. Psychometrika 26: 347–372.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colé, L. C. 1949. The measure of interspecific association. Ecology 30: 411–424.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curtis, J. T. & R. P., McIntosh. 1951. An upland forest continuum in the prairie-forest border region of Wisconsin. Ecology 32: 476–496.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elderton, W. P. 1953. Frequency Curves and Correlation. Harren Press, Washington, D.C. 272 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goff, F. G. 1971. Derivation of species succession vectors. American Midland Naturalist 87: 397–412.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodall, D. W. 1970. Statistical plant ecology. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 1: 99–124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gower, J. C. 1966. Some distance properties of latent root and vector methods used in multivariate analysis. Biometrika 53: 325–338.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lambert, J. M. & M. B., Dale. 1964. The use of statistics in phytosociology. Adv. Ecol. Res. 2: 55–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orlóci, L. 1967. Data centering: A review and evaluation with reference to component analysis. Syst. Zool. 16: 208–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orlóci, L. 1968. Definitions of structure in multivariate phytosociological samples. Vegetatio 15: 281–291.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, K. 1914. Tables for Statisticians and Biometricians. Cambridge University Press.

  • Preston, F. W. 1948. The commonness and rarity of species. Ecology 29: 254–283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seal, H. L. 1964. Multivariate Statistical Analysis for Biologists. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 207 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokal, R. S. & P. H. A., Sneath. 1963. Principles of Numerical Taxonomy. W. H. Freeman, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swan, J. M. A. 1970. An examination of some ordination problems by use of simulated vegetational data. Ecology 51: 89–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whittaker, R. H. 1967. Gradient analysis of vegetation. Biol. Rev. 42: 207–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, W. T. & J. M., Lambert. 1961. Multivariate methods in plant ecology. III. Inverse association — analysis. J. Ecol. 49: 717–729.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yarranton, G. A. 1965. Prineipal components analysis of data from saxicolous bryophyte vegetation at Steps Bridge, Devon. Can. J. Bot. 45: 93–115.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division, 37830, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA

    F. Glenn Goff

Authors
  1. F. Glenn Goff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Nomenclature of species is given in Table 1.

Research supported by the Eastern Deciduous Forest Biome Project, US-IBP, funded by the National Science Foundation under Interagency Agreement AG-199, BMS69-01147 A09 with the Energy Research and Development Administration — Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Research also supported by the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration under contract with the Union Carbide Corporation. Contribution No. 240 from the EDFB, US-IBP. Publication No. 790. Environmental Sciences Division, ORNL.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Goff, F.G. Comparison of species ordinations resulting from alternative indices of interspecific association and different numbers of included species. Vegetatio 31, 1–14 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00127870

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00127870

Keywords

Search

Navigation