Geometric Models in Ecology: I. The Theory and Application of Some Ordination Methods

Abstract

Simple ordination, a new procedure called "position vectors technique; and principal components analysis are described. The geometric distance, cosine angle and scalar product coefficients are considered including derivation of a similarity coefficient for Q-type ordinations. A simple measure of ordination efficiency is described, and the ecological informativeness of the different ordinations is evaluated in connection with the Newborough sand dunes in North Wales.