Classification of Reynolds phytoplankton functional groups using individual traits and machine learning techniques

The Reynolds Functional Groups (RFG) classification scheme is an informative and widely used method in ecological studies of freshwater phytoplankton. It clusters species with similar traits, as well as common environmental sensitivities and tolerances. However, researchers face the difficulty to classify species into RFG because it relies in expert opinion, taxonomical knowledge and environmental information, which are not always accessible....