Répartition des Appendiculaires au large des côtes de Californie

• Published in: Journal of plankton research 1980-04, Vol.2 (2), p.145-167
• Main Authors: Fenaux, R., Dallot, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0142-7873; 1464-3774
• DOI: 10.1093/plankt/2.2.145

Twenty-seven taxa of appendicularians have been identified from the cruise CALCOFI n° 7202 and their distribution has been studied by various numerical methods, with the purpose of defining simultaneously the groups of associated species and the groups of stations possessing similar characteristics. Two large recurrent groups have been defined by the method of Fager and McGowan, corresponding approximatively to the major water masses present: central Pacific waters and equatorial Pacific waters. The method of Williams and Lambert permits the separation of 11 southern stations and a northern group divided into 2 subgroups depending on the presence or absence of O. dioica. The rank correlations give results very similar to those obtained with point correlations. Finally, principal component analysis allow good separation of the northern and southern zones by the factorial plan 1–3, while representation of the stations by the factorial plan 2–3 separates the two northern subgroups depending on the presence or absence of O. dioica. The results obtained by the different methods are therefore very much alike, but it is difficult to conclude they are a result of the specific cruise, or whether they represent a general phenomenon.