PRIMER – Multivariate Statistics for Ecologists

PRIMER 6 is a collection of specialist routines for analysing species or sample abundance.1

Description

PRIMER 6 (Plymouth Routines In Multivariate Ecological Research) consists of a wide range of univariate, graphical and multivariate routines for analysing the species/samples abundance (or biomass) matrices that arise in biological monitoring of environmental impact and more fundamental studies in community ecology, together with associated physico-chemical data.The methods make few, if any, assumptions about the form of the data2

PRIMER 6 multi-dimensional scaling.3

The basic routines of the package cover:

• hierarchical clustering into sample (or species) groups (CLUSTER);
• ordination by non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) and principal components (PCA) to summarise patterns in species composition and environmental variables;
• permutation-based hypothesis testing (ANOSIM), an analogue of univariate ANOVA which tests for differences between groups of (multivariate) samples from different times, locations, experimental treatments etc;
• identifying the species primarily providing the discrimination between two observed sample clusters (SIMPER);
• the linking of multivariate biotic patterns to suites of environmental variables (BEST);
• comparative (Mantel-type) tests on similarity matrices (RELATE);
• standard diversity indices;
• dominance plots;
• species abundance distributions;
• aggregation of arrays to allow data analysis at higher taxonomic levels, etc.

A further unique feature of PRIMER 6 is the ability to calculate biodiversity indices based on the taxonomic distinctness or relatedness of the species making up a quantitative sample or species list, indices whose statistical properties are robust to variations in sampling effort. These routines allow formal hypothesis tests for change in biodiversity structure at a location (as measured by average and variation in taxonomic 'breadth' of the species list), from that 'expected' from a larger, regional species pool. It provides a possible way of comparing biodiversity patterns over wide space and time scales, when sampling effort is not controlled.4

Function

• Analysis tools
• User interface
  • Personal use
  • Visual presentation

Why use this tool?

• Analysis of species abundance

Who will use this tool?

• Data users
  • Expert
• Special skills are required

How will the tool be used?

• Desktop application
• Windows .NET environment
• User input required

Where in the data chain could this tool be used?

• User’s machine

When could this tool be used?

• As a post process, after data is with the user

Availability

• PRIMER-E: http://www.primer-e.com/
• Demo: http://www.zen87707.zen.co.uk/primer-e/demo/demo.htm
• Contact: admin@primer-e.com
• Cost: Government licence GB£420 single use
• Version 6.1

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