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NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF SURFACE POLLEN SPECTRA FROM BANKHEAD MOSS, FIFE
Author(s) -
CASELDINE C. J.,
GORDON A. D.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1978.tb01578.x
Subject(s) - transect , bog , vegetation (pathology) , moss , pollen , spectral line , ordination , principal component analysis , physical geography , ecology , geology , environmental science , geography , biology , peat , mathematics , physics , statistics , medicine , pathology , astronomy
SUMMARY An investigation is described which examined the extent to which surface pollen spectra from three transects across a small raised bog reflected the vegetation communities on the bog. Three classification studies of the spectra are described: (i) a principal components analysis; (ii) two hierarchical partitioning methods; (iii) a constrained classification, in which groups of spectra must be formed from neighbouring samples along the transects. Advantages and limitations of these classificatory procedures are discussed, and a synthesis of the results is advocated. The groups of spectra suggested by this approach are found to correspond closely to a grouping of spectra according to the vegetation community from which they were drawn, indicating the existence of characteristic pollen assemblages which are closely related to vegetation communities.