Direct gradient analysis

9 important questions on Direct gradient analysis

What is the goal of direct ordination?

To test hypotheses about the relationship between the species composition at a site and the underlying environmental gradients.

What is the constrained version of PCA?

Redundancy Analysis (RDA).

What is the constrained version of CA?

Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA).
  • Higher grades + faster learning
  • Never study anything twice
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Discover Study Smart

Which 2 ordinations are done in constrained ordination?

  1. one on the modelled(constrained) part
  2. one on the residual (unconstrained) part.


Both parts are necessarily smallerthan the total variation in species abundances!

What is ignored during the calculation of the constrained eigenvalues?

Community structure that is unrelated to the environmental variables.

This is why the first unconstrained eigenvalue may jump in magnitude. 

What tests can be done on a constrained model?

  1. Testing the overall significance of the model
  2. Testing individual model terms sequentially
  3. The marginal effect of a single variable
  4. Testing constrained (canonical) axes

What is test 3 (marginal tests)?

The marginal effect is the effect of a particular term when all other model terms are included in the model.
  • Tested by eliminating each term from the model containing all other terms
  • The marginal effects are independent of the order of the terms, but correlated terms will get higher p-values

What is test 4 (test of canonical axes)?

The first axis is tested in terms of variance explained compared to residual variance.
  • The second axis is tested after partialling out the first axis
  • The third axis is tested after partialling out the first and second axis
  • ... and so on

How is the pseudo-F-value calculated?

The mean eigenvalue of the constrained axes divided by the mean eigenvalue of the unconstrained axes.

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

  • A unique study and practice tool
  • Never study anything twice again
  • Get the grades you hope for
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Remember faster, study better. Scientifically proven.
Trustpilot Logo