diff --git a/R/ordination-methods.R b/R/ordination-methods.R
index 9f51fec7..b70a0cf7 100644
--- a/R/ordination-methods.R
+++ b/R/ordination-methods.R
@@ -247,12 +247,13 @@ ordinate = function(physeq, method="DCA", distance="bray", formula=NULL, ...){
 #' to perform a
 #' Double Principle Coordinate Analysis (DPCoA), relying heavily on 
 #' the underlying (and more general) function, \code{\link[ade4]{dpcoa}}.
-#' The distance object ultimately provided as the cophenetic/patristic
-#' (\code{\link[ape]{cophenetic.phylo}}) distance between the species. 
-#' 
-#' In most real-life, real-data applications, the phylogenetic tree 
-#' will not provide a Euclidean distance matrix, and so a correction
-#' will be performed, if needed. See \code{correction} argument. 
+#' The distance object ultimately provided is the square root of the 
+#' cophenetic/patristic (\code{\link[ape]{cophenetic.phylo}}) distance 
+#' between the species, which is always Euclidean. 
+#'  
+#' Although this distance is Euclidean, for numerical reasons it 
+#' will sometimes look non-Euclidean, and a correction will be performed. 
+#' See \code{correction} argument. 
 #'
 #' @param physeq (Required). A \code{\link{phyloseq-class}} object
 #'  containing, at a minimum, abundance (\code{\link{otu_table-class}}) and 
@@ -265,14 +266,14 @@ ordinate = function(physeq, method="DCA", distance="bray", formula=NULL, ...){
 #'  and return a new \code{dist}ance object that is Euclidean.
 #'  If testing a distance object, try \code{\link[ade4]{is.euclid}}.
 #' 
-#'  In most real-life, real-data applications, the phylogenetic tree 
-#'  will not provide a Euclidean distance matrix, and so a correction
-#'  will be needed. 
-#'  Two recommended correction methods are
+#'  
+#'  Although the distance matrix should always be Euclidean, for numerical 
+#' reasons it will sometimes appear non-Euclidean and a correction method must 
+#' be applied. Two recommended correction methods are
 #'  \code{\link[ade4]{cailliez}} and \code{\link[ade4]{lingoes}}.
 #'  The default is \code{cailliez},
-#'  but not for any particularly special reason. If the patristic 
-#'  distance matrix turns out to be Euclidian, no correction will be 
+#'  but not for any particularly special reason. If the
+#'  distance matrix is Euclidian, no correction will be 
 #'  performed, regardless of the value of the \code{correction} argument.
 #'
 #' @param scannf (Optional). Logical. Default is \code{FALSE}. This
@@ -335,7 +336,7 @@ DPCoA <- function(physeq, correction=cailliez, scannf=FALSE, ...){
 	if(taxa_are_rows(OTU) ){ OTU <- t(OTU) }
   
 	# get the patristic distances between the species from the tree 
-	patristicDist <- as.dist(cophenetic.phylo(tree))
+	patristicDist <- sqrt(as.dist(cophenetic.phylo(tree)))
 	
 	# if the patristic distances are not Euclidean, 
 	# then correct them or throw meaningful error.
@@ -638,4 +639,4 @@ function(physeq, formula, distance, ...){
     return(capscale.phyloseq(physeq, formula, distance, ...))
   }
 })
-################################################################################
\ No newline at end of file
+################################################################################