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Measuring similarity among plots including similarity among species: an extension of traditional approaches
Author(s) -
Ricotta Carlo,
Pavoine Sandrine
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of vegetation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1654-1103
pISSN - 1100-9233
DOI - 10.1111/jvs.12329
Subject(s) - similarity (geometry) , contingency table , generalization , table (database) , matching (statistics) , plot (graphics) , mathematics , phylogenetic tree , statistics , computer science , biology , data mining , artificial intelligence , mathematical analysis , image (mathematics) , biochemistry , gene
Aims Presence/absence coefficients of (dis)similarity are generally based on various combinations of the matching/mismatching components of the classical 2 × 2 contingency table. While a few extensions of the contingency table to species abundance data were proposed, a generalization of such coefficients that includes species resemblances is still lacking. Methods In this paper we introduce a new family of plot‐to‐plot (dis)similarity coefficients, which include species abundances and interspecies resemblances in the calculation of the matching/mismatching components of the contingency table. Within this family, the behaviour of five similarity coefficients is examined by graphical comparisons based on simulated data. Conclusions This new family of similarity coefficients can equally apply to functional or phylogenetic resemblance among species, thus providing a unified framework for comparing species turnover among plots.