Multidimensional analysis of diatom morphologic and morphometric phenotypic variation and relation to niche

There have been few past studies of relationships between phenotypic variation and population niche. In this study, phenotypic variation was separated into morphometric and morphologic variation which was related to niche for fourteen diatoms using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The degree of environmental influence was explored further via fuzzy coding of the variables and analyzed by a second CCA. Overall, the relationship between phenotypic variation and niche breadth varied on a dimension-by-dimension basis. Generally, morphometric characters of diatoms were influenced by genetic factors, while morphologic characters were environmentally influenced. CCA proved to be a useful method to depict relationships between phenotypic variation and niche.