Multivariate Methods in Plant Ecology: I. Association-Analysis in Plant Communities

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Abstract
The method of Goodall (Aust. J. Bot., 1 (1953), 39-63) of subdividing a set of sample quadrats into homogeneous groups, in which all species-associations were made non-significant or indeterminate, is analyzed theoretically. A new sorting method is proposed, consisting of hierarchical division of the spp. with the highest aggregated value of the chosen association-index in the class under study. The properties of suitable indices are briefly considered; and in this hand-computed exploratory study, [SIGMA]x2 (constructed from corrected X2 values) is used, non-significant and indeterminate values being taken as zero and equal weight being given to positive and negative associations. The statistical efficiency of the method is confirmed by its application to 2 heathland communities, and the nature of the ecological information obtained is assessed.

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