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Nearest Neighbor Assessments of Spatial Confirgurations of Circles rather Than Points
Author(s) -
Simberloff Daniel
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1936604
Subject(s) - k nearest neighbors algorithm , distortion (music) , mathematics , nearest neighbour , statistics , statistical physics , physics , computer science , artificial intelligence , amplifier , optoelectronics , cmos
Classical nearest neighbor analysis, assuming points, underestimates expected mean nearest neighbor distance for circles and overestimates its standard error. The extent of distortion may be sufficient to lead to incorrect conclusions, such as regularity for an arrangement which is, in fact, clumped. Analytic expressions are derived which are accurate for small circles, and the results of simulations are plotted for use when circles are large.