The Influence of Matrix Size on Statistical Properties of Co-Occurrence and Limiting Similarity Null Models.

ABSTRACT: Null models exploring species co-occurrence and trait-based limiting similarity are increasingly used to explore the influence of competition on community assembly; however, assessments of common models have not thoroughly explored the influence of variation in matrix size on error rates, in spite of the fact that studies have explored community matrices that vary considerably in size. To determine how smaller matrices, which are of greatest concern, perform statistically, we generated biologically realistic presence-absence matrices ranging in size from 3-50 species and sites, as well as associated trait matrices. We examined co-occurrence tests using the C-Score statistic and independent swap algorithm. For trait-based limiting similarity null models, we used the mean nearest neighbour t

SUBMITTER: Lavender TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4778770 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature