@article {KNZ00627, title = {Permutation of two-term local quadrat variance analysis: general concepts for interpretation of peaks}, journal = {Journal of Vegetation Science}, volume = {9}, year = {1998}, pages = {41 -44}, abstract = {Many ecological studies use Two-Term Local Quadrat Variance Analysis (TTLQV) and its derivatives for spatial pattern analysis. Currently, rules for determining variance peak significance are arbitrary. Variance peaks found at block size 1 and at > 50 \% of the transect length are the only peaks whose use is explicitly prohibited. Although the use of variance peaks found at block sizes > 10 \% of the transect length have also been warned against, many researchers interpret them regardless. We show in this paper that variance peaks derived from TTLQV are subject to additional {\textquoteleft}rules of thumb{\textquoteright}. Through the use of randomization and permutation analyses on real and simulated data of species abundance in contiguous plots along a single transect, we show that variance peaks found at block sizes 1, 2 and 3 occur frequently by chance and thus likely do not indicate biologically meaningful patterns. The use of multiple replicate transects decreases the probability of Type II error.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Permutation analysis, Spatial pattern, Variance peak}, doi = {10.2307/3237221}, author = {Campbell, J.E. and Franklin, D.J.G. and Newman, J.A.} }