Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Causes of Similarity-Dissimilarity Effect01:26

Causes of Similarity-Dissimilarity Effect

394
The similarity-dissimilarity effect, a fundamental concept in social psychology, explains how interpersonal similarities and differences influence attraction and social interactions. This effect is supported by three key psychological perspectives: balance theory, social comparison theory, and consensual validation.Balance Theory and Cognitive ConsistencyBalance theory, developed by Fritz Heider, posits that individuals seek cognitive consistency in their relationships. When two people share...
394
Methods to Assess Microbial Communities01:19

Methods to Assess Microbial Communities

66
Microbial communities, comprising bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotic microorganisms, inhabit diverse ecosystems and play crucial roles in environmental and biological processes. Their diversity is defined by three main parameters: species richness (the number of distinct species), species abundance (the relative quantity of each species), and species evenness (how uniformly individual species are distributed in various locations). These factors together shape the structure and ecological balance...
66
Multiple Comparison Tests01:13

Multiple Comparison Tests

3.5K
Multiple comparison test, abbreviated as MCT, is a post hoc analysis generally performed after comparing multiple samples with one or more tests. An MCT will help identify a significantly different sample among multiple samples or a factor among multiple factors.
It would be easy to compare two samples using a significance alpha level of 0.05. In other words, there is only one sample pair to be compared. However, it would be difficult to identify a significantly different sample if the number...
3.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Testing the basic assumption of the hydrogeomorphic approach to assessing wetland functions.

Environmental management·2001
Same author

Open marsh water management in Massachusetts: adapting the technique to local conditions and its impact on mosquito larvae during the first season.

Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association·1985
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 5, 2026

Design and Use of an Apparatus for Quantifying Bivalve Suspension Feeding at Sea
07:20

Design and Use of an Apparatus for Quantifying Bivalve Suspension Feeding at Sea

Published on: September 5, 2018

9.1K

Using similarity measures in benthic impact assessments.

T Hruby1

  • 1Massachusetts Audubon Society, 159 Main Street, 01930, Gloucester, MA, USA.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
|November 21, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Cluster analysis in environmental impact studies lacks objectivity due to subjective choices. Developing objective criteria for similarity measures and algorithms is crucial for reliable ecological assessments.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Environmental Science
  • Marine Biology

Background:

  • Ecological impact assessments often rely on similarity measures and cluster analysis to evaluate environmental changes.
  • Previous studies have used various coefficients and algorithms to interpret community data, but results can be inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the objectivity of cluster analysis in ecological impact studies.
  • To assess the impact of clam digging on intertidal infauna using different similarity measures.
  • To re-analyze power plant effluent impact data with various similarity coefficients.

Main Methods:

  • Employed eleven similarity measures to analyze infauna community data from a mud-flat impacted by clam digging.
  • Utilized a divisive polythetic algorithm for clustering similarity matrices and generating dendrograms.

More Related Videos

Methods for Image-based Surveys of Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Their Habitat Exemplified by the Drop Camera Survey for the Atlantic Sea Scallop
07:43

Methods for Image-based Surveys of Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Their Habitat Exemplified by the Drop Camera Survey for the Atlantic Sea Scallop

Published on: July 2, 2018

11.4K
Measuring the Structure, Composition, and Change of Underwater Environments with Large-area Imaging
09:19

Measuring the Structure, Composition, and Change of Underwater Environments with Large-area Imaging

Published on: April 18, 2025

1.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 5, 2026

Design and Use of an Apparatus for Quantifying Bivalve Suspension Feeding at Sea
07:20

Design and Use of an Apparatus for Quantifying Bivalve Suspension Feeding at Sea

Published on: September 5, 2018

9.1K
Methods for Image-based Surveys of Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Their Habitat Exemplified by the Drop Camera Survey for the Atlantic Sea Scallop
07:43

Methods for Image-based Surveys of Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Their Habitat Exemplified by the Drop Camera Survey for the Atlantic Sea Scallop

Published on: July 2, 2018

11.4K
Measuring the Structure, Composition, and Change of Underwater Environments with Large-area Imaging
09:19

Measuring the Structure, Composition, and Change of Underwater Environments with Large-area Imaging

Published on: April 18, 2025

1.5K
  • Re-analyzed existing power plant effluent data using five different similarity coefficients.

    • Main Results:

    • Clustering dendrograms produced conflicting conclusions regarding the impact of clam digging, with 3 coefficients indicating impact and 8 not.
    • Re-analysis of effluent data showed that 3 out of 5 coefficients indicated a difference in benthic communities, while 2 did not.
    • The choice of similarity coefficient and clustering algorithm significantly influenced the interpretation of ecological impacts.

    Conclusions:

    • The objectivity of cluster analysis in environmental impact studies is questionable due to inherent subjective choices in methods and interpretation.
    • There is a need for objective criteria, based on intrinsic and ecological properties, to guide the selection of similarity measures and algorithms.
    • Analysis of variance of similarity matrices is proposed as a more objective alternative to clustering for impact assessments.