ZT

ZT performs simple and partial Mantel tests to evaluate correlations among distance matrices and to account for confounding matrices in comparative analyses.

Key Features:

• Simple Mantel test: Calculates the correlation between two distance matrices.
• Partial Mantel test: Calculates the correlation between two distance matrices while controlling for a third distance matrix.
• Non-independence handling: Accounts for the non-independence of distance matrix entries that violates assumptions of traditional statistical tests.
• Multiple matrix comparison: Enables comparison among multiple distance matrices to detect associations and potential spurious correlations.
• Support for distance-based analyses: Operates on distance matrices used in clustering and ordination analyses.

Scientific Applications:

• Population genetics: Evaluates correlations among genetic, geographic, and environmental distance matrices to investigate spatial and evolutionary patterns.
• Ecology: Assesses relationships among ecological distance matrices such as environmental and spatial distances.
• Anthropology: Tests associations among distance matrices used in anthropological analyses.
• Psychometrics: Compares psychological distance matrices to evaluate similarity and association structures.
• Sociology: Compares social distance matrices to test hypotheses about social structure and relatedness.

Methodology:

Implements simple Mantel tests to correlate two distance matrices and partial Mantel tests to correlate two matrices while controlling for a third matrix.