Dynamics and spatio-temporal variability of environmental factors in Eastern Australia using functional principal component analysis Szabo, Judit K., Fedriani, Eugenio M., Segovia-González, M. Manuela, Astheimer, Lee B. and Hooper, Mike J. 2010, Dynamics and spatio-temporal variability of environmental factors in Eastern Australia using functional principal component analysis, Journal of Biological Systems, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 763-785. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads Title Dynamics and spatio-temporal variability of environmental factors in Eastern Australia using functional principal component analysis Author(s) Szabo, Judit K. Fedriani, Eugenio M. Segovia-González, M. Manuela Astheimer, Lee B. Hooper, Mike J. Journal name Journal of Biological Systems Volume number 18 Issue number 4 Start page 763 End page 785 Total pages 23 Publisher World Scientific Place of publication Singapore Publication date 2010 ISSN 0218-3390 Keyword(s) Functional PCA GIS Rainfall Soil Vegetation Summary This paper introduces a new technique in ecology to analyze spatial and temporal variability in environmental variables. By using simple statistics, we explore the relations between abiotic and biotic variables that influence animal distributions. However, spatial and temporal variability in rainfall, a key variable in ecological studies, can cause difficulties to any basic model including time evolution. The study was of a landscape scale (three million square kilometers in eastern Australia), mainly over the period of 19982004. We simultaneously considered qualitative spatial (soil and habitat types) and quantitative temporal (rainfall) variables in a Geographical Information System environment. In addition to some techniques commonly used in ecology, we applied a new method, Functional Principal Component Analysis, which proved to be very suitable for this case, as it explained more than 97% of the total variance of the rainfall data, providing us with substitute variables that are easier to manage and are even able to explain rainfall patterns. The main variable came from a habitat classification that showed strong correlations with rainfall values and soil types. © 2010 World Scientific Publishing Company. Language eng Field of Research 060299 Ecology not elsewhere classified Socio Economic Objective 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences HERDC Research category C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal Copyright notice ©2010, World Scientific Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30067958 Document type: Journal Article Collections: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment School of Life and Environmental Sciences Related Links Link Description Connect to published version Go to link with your DU access privileges   Connect to Elements publication management system Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Versions Version Filter Type Mon, 01 Dec 2014, 13:09:52 EST Mon, 01 Dec 2014, 13:18:59 EST Mon, 01 Dec 2014, 14:07:38 EST Mon, 01 Dec 2014, 14:13:18 EST Thu, 04 Dec 2014, 12:51:22 EST Thu, 04 Dec 2014, 12:54:01 EST Thu, 04 Dec 2014, 12:54:38 EST Thu, 11 Dec 2014, 09:06:51 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 0 times in TR Web of Science Cited 2 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 275 Abstract Views, 3 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Mon, 01 Dec 2014, 13:09:52 EST