Use of ordination and classification procedures to evaluate phytoplankton communities during Superflux II

Abstract

Cluster analysis and an ordination procedure were performed on two data matrices to investigate real and environmental spatial relationships. Multiple regression analysis was used to relate the measured environmental variables to the phytoplankton community changes. Qualitative type phytoplankton data proved to be less structured in both of these spaces, relative to the biomass data. The salinity gradients of the northern transects covaried significantly with the phytoplankton association changes. In the southern transects the light variable was most important in explaining the variance in the ordination axes. These data suggest the close relationships between phytoplankton community changes and the physical hydrology of the area