Chapter 1 - Núria BONADA

Local scale: Fluctuating asymmetry in H. exocellata
Table 3. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) and p-values associated between measured traits and
chemical parameters. Significant correlations are presented in bold.
1FemurL 1FemurW 1TibiaL 2FemurL 2FemurW 2TibiaL 2TibiaW
Suspended Solids r-Pearson 0.635 0.646 0.673 0.412 0.28 0.536 0.581
p-value 0.006 0.005 0.003 0.101 0.276 0.027 0.014
Ammonium r-Pearson 0.323 0.306 0.218 0.424 0.427 0.394 0.37
p-value 0.206 0.232 0.4 0.09 0.088 0.118 0.144
N-nitrites r-Pearson 0.487 0.475 0.402 0.503 0.454 0.521 0.514
p-value 0.092 0.101 0.173 0.08 0.119 0.068 0.072
N-nitrates r-Pearson 0.135 0.135 0.132 0.104 0.084 0.122 0.129
p-value 0.619 0.617 0.625 0.701 0.757 0.651 0.635
Chloride r-Pearson 0.681 0.652 0.493 0.84 0.828 0.8 0.762
p-value 0.003 0.005 0.044 0 0 0 0
Oxygen r-Pearson 0.291 0.306 0.363 0.093 0.002 0.191 0.233
p-value 0.258 0.232 0.152 0.723 0.993 0.462 0.369
Conductivity r-Pearson 0.78 0.753 0.596 0.906 0.875 0.885 0.854
p-value 0 0 0.012 0 0 0 0
P-phosphates r-Pearson 0.54 0.513 0.368 0.684 0.682 0.646 0.612
0.107 0.129 0.296 0.029 0.03 0.044 0.06
2TarsusL 2TarsusW 3FemurL 3TibiaW 3TarsusL 3TarsusW
Suspended Solids r-Pearson 0.491 0.634 0.658 0.666 0.652 0.662
p-value 0.046 0.006 0.004 0.004 0.005 0.004
Ammonium r-Pearson 0.409 0.324 0.284 0.262 0.112 0.274
p-value 0.103 0.205 0.269 0.31 0.67 0.288
N-nitrites r-Pearson 0.519 0.488 0.458 0.44 0.303 0.45
p-value 0.069 0.091 0.115 0.133 0.314 0.123
N-nitrates r-Pearson 0.116 0.134 0.136 0.135 0.118 0.135
p-value 0.669 0.62 0.617 0.618 0.664 0.617
Chloride r-Pearson 0.822 0.683 0.613 0.572 0.292 0.594
p-value 0 0.003 0.009 0.016 0.255 0.012
Oxygen r-Pearson 0.154 0.29 0.324 0.339 0.396 0.331
p-value 0.556 0.26 0.205 0.183 0.116 0.194
Conductivity r-Pearson 0.901 0.782 0.715 0.675 0.392 0.697
p-value 0 0 0.001 0.003 0.12 0.002
P-phosphates r-Pearson 0.666 0.541 0.478 0.441 0.185 0.461
0.035 0.106 0.163 0.202 0.609 0.18
DISCUSSION
The high level of kurtosis and the high skewness values found in some characters, even
though the mean of R-L differences were not different from zero, may be related to the
precision of the measurement system used (see Cuervo, 2000). A lower precision system may
only display big differences in R-L measures and overlook the small ones, whereas in very
precise systems rarely an individual displays in a trait a R-L of 0 although the global mean is
not different of 0. However, independently of the measurement technique used, Palmer &
Strobeck (1992) pointed out that leptokurtic distributions might be obtained as a result of a
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