Abstract
Ranking methods have been justified on grounds that since they supply weights which measure species importance, they actually supply the user with the information required to produce a short list of species to economize the analysis without unduly distorting the results. But the weights supplied have relevance only in the population for which they were determined. As further limitation, they can be applied as logical input only in certain methods of data analysis with which they happened to be compatible. Weights representing the independent components of the total sum of squares (Orlóci 1973) are examples. These can be used for input in data analysis only under such circumstances of application in which the sum of squares represents a meaningful concept.
Contribution from the Working Group for Data-Processing in Phytosociology, International Society for Vegetation Science.
The author thanks the National Research Council of Canada for support given.
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© 1980 Dr. W. Junk bv Publishers, The Hague
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Orlóci, L. (1980). Ranking Species Based on the Components of Equivocation Information. In: van der Maarel, E., Orlóci, L., Pignatti, S. (eds) Data-processing in phytosociology. Advances in vegetation science I, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9194-1_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9194-1_13
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