Table 3. Partial least square regression results for the Mersey estuary.
| Total | Annelida | Nematoda | Platyhelminthes | Fungi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring tidal range | 0.85 | 0.47 | 0.98 | 1.08 | 1.51 (R2=0.47**) |
| Mean velocity | 1.24 (R2=0.37*) | 0.92 | 1.32 (R2=0.6**) | 1.22 | 1.41 (R2=0.41*) |
| Peak velocity | 1.12 (R2=0.3*) | 0.86 | 1.28 (R2=0.56**) | 1.02 | 1.46 (R2=0.44**) |
| Mean bed shear stress | 1.32 (R2=0.42**) | 1.1 (R2=0.35*) | 1.35 (R2=0.62***) | 1.14 | 1.18 (R2=0.29*) |
| Peak bed shear stress | 1.25 (R2=0.38*) | 1.08 (R2=0.34*) | 1.33 (R2=0.6**) | 1.05 | 1.22 (R2=0.31*) |
| D50 | 0.21 | 0.69 | 0.04 | 1.12 | 0.88 |
| D10 | 0.1 | 0.57 | 0.14 | 1.25 (R2=0.27*) | 0.87 |
| Salinity range | 0.75 | 0.59 | 0.48 | 0.81 | 0.11 |
| Macrofauna SR | 1 | 1.49 | 0.85 | 0.46 | 0.17 |
| Macrofauna biomass | 1.38 | 1.22 | 1.29 | 1.1 | 0.34 |
| Macrofauna abundance | 0.82 | 1.4 | 0.67 | 0.19 | 0.07 |
Abbreviations: D10 and D50, particle diameter at 10% and 50% in the cumulative distribution of grain sizes; SR, species richness.
Data are presented only for phyla with 10 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in total or more. Above are reported the importance score (variable importance in projection (VIP)) for the first latent variable (see Materials and methods). Positive associations are underlined and negative associations are shown in italics. In brackets are R2 values as well as significance level: *P<0.05; **P<0.01; ***P<0.001.