No label defined (Q4792004)

The book introduces the most commonly used techniques for dealing with multivariate data; the sort of multi-species, multi-chemical data sets that are routinely encountered in environmental investigations. It assumes no prior knowledge of multivariate analysis, and requires no mathematics beyond simple linear equations. The topics covered include diversity indices, multiple regression, cluster analysis, and the common ordination techniques (principal components analysis, detrended correspondence analysis and canonical correspondence analysis). Other less used ordinations (Bray-Curtis, correspondence analysis) are introduced where this helps understanding the most commonly used techniques. Where suitable, the author shows how to construct biplots and triplots, and how to run Monte Carlo testing. Each technique is illustrated by worked examples and the key features of the output from software packages are explained. The appendices list and explain the acronyms. I recommend this as a reference handbook for use by environmentalists because it has the broadest coverage of relevant topics among applied texts at this level. The emphasis is not on mathematical details, but on ensuring readers understand why and when various methods should be used.