Ecography (1998) 21, 117-123

Jean-Pierre Rossi and Patrick Quénéhervé (1998)
Relating species density to environmental variables in presence of spatial autocorrelation: a study case on soil nematodes distribution
Ecography 21 (2), 117-123
Abstract: The relationships between soil nematodes and soil texture, carbon content and depth were assessed in both a cultivated and uncultivated plots. Simple correlation coefficient analyses indicated a negative linear correlation between the plant-parasitic species Helicotylenchus retusus Siddiqui and Brown and soil clay content in the uncultivated site. However, Mantel tests showed this correlation to be spurious and only due to the presence of a common spatial pattern in the variables distribution. Both H. retusus density and soil clay content appeared to be independently driven by a common, unknown cause. The use of suitable statistical methods to analyse spatially dependent variables proved to be particularly fruitful in that they prevent spurious correlations and allow us to test different causal models involving the set of variables at hand.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Jean-Pierre Rossi

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
environment - cropping system/rotation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Helicotylenchus retusus