Distribution of Edaphic Diatoms in a Mississippi Salt Marsh: A Canonical Correlation Analysis1

A canonical correlation analysis was performed to examine the degree to which edaphic diatom distribution in Graveline Bay Marsh, Mississippi could be related to environmental factors. It was possible to collapse the complex data base into two interpretable, orthogonal dimensions and to identify five distinct diatom communities. Diatom distribution on the marsh was primarily regulated by elevation and height of the overstory spermatophyte canopy. Although redundancy in the species data given the environmental data was relatively low (23% for the first two canonical variables), similar values were obtained for studies of benthic and planktonic diatoms in Yaquina Estuary, Oregon. The present study represents the first application of multivariate statistics to the study of salt marsh diatoms and demonstrates its usefulness in an environment where gradients are difficult to perceive.