Date of Award
2006
Degree Name
Physical Science
College
College of Science
Type of Degree
M.S.
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Mike Little
Second Advisor
Dan K. Evans
Third Advisor
Scott Sarra
Abstract
Periphyton assemblages were assessed on the Stony River, a high-gradient stream in the Potomac drainage of Grant County, WV. Periphyton samples were collected from nine sites along the mainstem and in two tributaries. Chlorophyll-a, dry weight, taxonomic identifications, and bioaccumulated metals concentrations data were compiled. These data were related to water quality parameters measured at each site during the study. Fuzzy C-means and k-nearest neighbor clustering on the combined, normalized dataset produced similar results. Clustering separated species occurring in each tributary from each other and those dominating the mainstem. Nearly every bioaccumulated metal was associated with one of these tributary clusters; phosphorus and silicon were exceptions with silicon being associated with diatoms. The remaining clusters formed a continuum of community composition along the mainstem different from the spatial arrangement of sites. Additionally, taxa occurring in small quantity force clusters to form near the center of the data-space, confounding results.
Subject(s)
Biochemistry.
Stony River (Grant County, W. Va.)
Periphyton.
Recommended Citation
Hughes, M. Joseph, "Determining Biogeochemical Assemblages on the Stony River, Grant County, WV, using Fuzzy C-Means and k-Nearest Neighbors Clustering" (2006). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 654.
https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/654
