| Analyzing Ecological Data 2007 Edition Contributor(s): Zuur, Alain (Author), Ieno, Elena N. (Author), Smith, Graham M. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0387459677 ISBN-13: 9780387459677 Publisher: Springer OUR PRICE: $265.99 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: May 2007 Annotation: This book provides a practical introduction to analysing ecological data using real data sets collected as part of postgraduate ecological studies or research projects. The first part of the book gives a largely non-mathematical introduction to data exploration, univariate methods (including GAM and mixed modelling techniques), multivariate analysis, time series analysis (e.g. common trends) and spatial statistics. The second part provides 17 case studies, mainly written together with biologists who attended courses given by the first authors. The case studies include topics ranging from terrestrial ecology to marine biology. The case studies can be used as a template for your own data analysis; just try to find a case study that matches your own ecological questions and data structure, and use this as starting point for you own analysis. Data from all case studies are available from www.highstat.com. Guidance on software is provided in Chapter 2. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Medical | Biostatistics - Science | Life Sciences - Ecology |
| Dewey: 577.015 |
| LCCN: 2006933720 |
| Series: Statistics for Biology and Health |
| Physical Information: 1.8" H x 6.4" W x 9.4" (2.50 lbs) 672 pages |
| Themes: - Topical - Ecology |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: 'Which test should I apply?' During the many years of working with ecologists, biologists and other environmental scientists, this is probably the question that the authors of this book hear the most often. The answer is always the same and along the lines of 'What are your underlying questions?', 'What do you want to show?'. The answers to these questions provide the starting point for a detailed discussion on the ecological background and purpose of the study. This then gives the basis for deciding on the most appropriate analytical approach. Therefore, a better start- ing point for an ecologist is to avoid the phrase 'test' and think in terms of 'analy- sis'. A test refers to something simple and unified that gives a clear answer in the form of a p-value: something rarely appropriate for ecological data. In practice, one has to apply a data exploration, check assumptions, validate the models, per- haps apply a series of methods, and most importantly, interpret the results in terms of the underlying ecology and the ecological questions being investigated. Ecology is a quantitative science trying to answer difficult questions about the complex world we live in. Most ecologists are aware of these complexities, but few are fully equipped with the statistical sophistication and understanding to deal with them. |