This text brings together many techniques of multivariate analysis appropriate for ecological data. The techniques include the familiar, and some less familiar, methods for ordination and classification, and also some special techniques (for example, methods for analyzing asymmetric association matrices and for comparing several different ordinations). A key is provided to assist in choice of methods. A particular strength of the book lies in the numerous illustrative examples.

The International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), established in 1962, is an intergovernmental organization of four teen countries: Albania, Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey and Yugoslavia. Four institutes (Bari, Italy; Chania, Greece; Montpellier, France and Zaragoza, Spain) provide post-graduate education at the Master of Science level. CIHEAM promotes research networks on Mediterranean agricultural priorities, supports the organization of specialized education in member countries, holds seminars...

The last ten years have seen an enormous increase in the development and application of multivariate methods in ecology; indeed the perceived importance of these methods for elucidating the complex interactions observed in community studies is shown by the number of recent books devoted to introducing the more common multivariate techniques to ecologists (Williams, 1976; Orloci, 1978; Whittaker, 1978a, b; Gauch, 1982; Legendre and Legendre, 1983; Pielou, 1984) and by the chapters added to new editions of more general texts on quantitative ecology (e.g. Greig-Smith, 1983; Kershaw and Looney,...