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15.6 Line plots for samples

There is a new facility in PRIMER 8 to create Line plots in two different ways:

  • with one line for every variable (across all samples); or
  • with one line for every sample (across all variables).

This is a considerable improvement on the line plot dialog in PRIMER 7, which only could be implemented to draw lines for variables (Fig. 15.6).

09e._Line_Plot_compare_P7_P8.png

Fig. 15.6 Comparison of the Plots > Line Plot... dialog window in PRIMER 7 (at left) vs PRIMER 8 (at right).

We saw this tool earlier in section 13.3, in the analysis of mussel size-classes at different sites in the Gulf of Alaska (the data file is called 'Gulf_of_Alaska_mussels.pri', located in the folder 'Examples_P8' > 'Gulf_of_Alaska_mussels').

From the mussel data sheet, after standardising the original raw count data to cumulative percentages (the variables are the sizes classes here), resulting in a sheet called 'Data1', we can choose to create a line plot with a line for each sample (the sites here) by clicking Plots > Line Plot..., like so:

09c._Line_plot_menu_item.png

In the 'Line Plot'dialog window, we simply choose to view lines for the ($\bullet$ Samples), and then click 'OK'.

09b._Line_plot_P8.png

Note: change the above dialog if the wording changes Note in the above dialog that we also have the option to output multiple line plots corresponding to groupsof samples identified via a factor (or groups of variables identified by an indicator, if we are drawing lines for variables).

The resulting line plot for this example is shown below:

09d._Line_Plot_mussel_data_take2.png

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