Ecological Statistics

Contemporary theory and application

Edited by Gordon A. Fox, Simoneta Negrete-Yankelevich, and Vinicio J. Sosa

An intermediate level text covering linear, generalized linear, linear mixed-effects, and generalized mixed models; implemented in R and set within a contemporary framework
Emphasizes the conceptual basis of statistics and provides a strong theoretical basis for the application of statistics in ecology
A common chapter structure and substantive integration between chapters gives the book a unified voice
Supporting presentations and other materials (including data files and R code) are made available on the web
Based on a successful teaching course

Ecological Statistics

Contemporary theory and application

Edited by Gordon A. Fox, Simoneta Negrete-Yankelevich, and Vinicio J. Sosa

Description

The application and interpretation of statistics are central to ecological study and practice. Ecologists are now asking more sophisticated questions than in the past. These new questions, together with the continued growth of computing power and the availability of new software, have created a new generation of statistical techniques. These have resulted in major recent developments in both our understanding and practice of ecological statistics.

This novel book synthesizes a number of these changes, addressing key approaches and issues that tend to be overlooked in other books such as missing/censored data, correlation structure of data, heterogeneous data, and complex causal relationships. These issues characterize a large proportion of ecological data, but most ecologists' training in traditional statistics simply does not provide them with adequate preparation to handle the associated challenges. Uniquely, Ecological Statistics highlights the underlying links among many statistical approaches that attempt to tackle these issues. In particular, it gives readers an introduction to approaches to inference, likelihoods, generalized linear (mixed) models, spatially or phylogenetically-structured data, and data synthesis, with a strong emphasis on conceptual understanding and subsequent application to data analysis.

Written by a team of practicing ecologists, mathematical explanations have been kept to the minimum necessary. This user-friendly textbook will be suitable for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of ecology, evolution, environmental studies, and computational biology who are interested in updating their statistical tool kits. A companion web site provides example data sets and commented code in the R language.

Ecological Statistics

Contemporary theory and application

Edited by Gordon A. Fox, Simoneta Negrete-Yankelevich, and Vinicio J. Sosa

Introduction, Vinicio J. Sosa, Simoneta Negrete-Yankelevich, and Gordon A. Fox
1. Approaches to statistical inference, Michael A. McCarthy
2. Having the right stuff: the effects of data constraints on ecological data analysis, Earl D. McCoy
3. Likelihood and Model Selection, Shane A. Richards
4. Missing Data: Mechanisms, Methods and Messages, Shinichi Nakagawa
5. What you don't know can hurt you: censored and truncated data in ecological research, Gordon A. Fox
6. Generalized linear models, Yvonne M. Buckley
7. A statistical symphony: instrumental variables reveal causality and control measurement error, Bruce E. Kendall
8. Structural equation modeling: building and evaluating causal models, James B. Grace, Samuel M. Scheiner, and Donald R. Schoolmaster, Jr.
9. Research synthesis methods in ecology, Jessica Gurevitch and Shinichi Nakagawa
10. Spatial variation and linear modeling of ecological data, Simoneta Negrete-Yankelevich and Gordon A. Fox
11. Statistical approaches to the problem of phylogenetically correlated data, Marc J. Lajeunesse and Gordon A. Fox
12. Mixture Models for Overdispersed Data, Jonathan R. Rhodes
13. Linear and generalized linear mixed models, Benjamin M. Bolker
Appendix

Ecological Statistics

Contemporary theory and application

Edited by Gordon A. Fox, Simoneta Negrete-Yankelevich, and Vinicio J. Sosa

Author Information

Gordon Fox received his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University California, Davis. He is currently Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of South Florida. His research involves theoretical issues in ecology and population biology, and empirical studies of plant populations. He teaches at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and supervises M.S. and Ph.D. students. He is co-author (with J. Gurevitch and S. M. Scheiner) of the textbook The Ecology of Plants, and co-editor (with C. K. Kelly and M. G. Bowler) of Temporal Niche Dynamics and Ecological Process. Fox is an associate editor of Ecology, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Simoneta Negrete-Yankelevich received her doctorate from the University of Edinburgh, and was a postdoctoral fellow within the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Belowground Biodiversity project (GEF-UNEP-TSBF). She is currently a researcher in the Functional Ecology Network of the Instituto de Ecologia A.C. in Mexico and a member of the Mexican National System of Researchers. She works on issues related to the temporal and spatial dimensions of disturbance in tropical agroecosystems. She coordinates and participates in research projects related to the long term effects of human disturbance on soil biota, fertility and functioning in the tropics. She teaches statistics courses for graduate students on linear models, spatial statistics, and multivariate statistics, and supervises M.S. and Ph.D. theses related to spatial issues in soil ecology.

Vinicio J. Sosa received his Ph.D. from the University of Miami, and has an Applied Statistics Specialization from the Instituto de Investigaciones en Matematicas Aplicadas y en Sistemas (IIMAS) at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM). He is a researcher in the Instituto de Ecologia A.C. in Mexico and a member of the Mexican National System of Researchers (SNI II). Sosa has extensive experience in applied ecological problems, especially on environmental impacts of infrastructure development. His current research focuses on the effect of landscape fragmentation on flying vertebrate communities, and on mutualistic relationships between columnar cacti and bats. He teaches graduate-level statistics courses for the Instituto de Ecologia, A. C., and acts as consulting statistician within the Instituto. He is associate editor of Acta Zoologica Mexicana.

Contributors:

Benjamin M. Bolker
Departments of Mathematics & Statistics and Biology
McMaster University
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1
Canada

Yvonne Buckley
School of Natural Sciences
Trinity College , University of Dublin
Dublin 2
Ireland

Gordon A. Fox
Department of Integrative Biology (SCA 110)
University of South Florida
4202 E. Fowler Ave.
Tampa, FL 33620
USA

James Grace
US Geological Survey
700 Cajundome Blvd.
Lafayette, LA 70506
USA

Jessica Gurevitch
Department of Ecology and Evolution
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY 11794-5245
USA

Bruce E. Kendall
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management
University of California
Santa Barbara CA 93106-5131
USA

Marc Lajeunesse
Department of Integrative Biology (SCA 110)
University of South Florida
4202 E. Fowler Ave.
Tampa, FL 33620
USA

Michael A. McCarthy
School of Botany
The University of Melbourne
Parkville VIC 3010
Australia

Earl McCoy
Department of Integrative Biology (SCA 110)
University of South Florida
4202 E. Fowler Ave.
Tampa, FL 33620
USA

Shinichi Nakagawa
Department of Zoology
University of Otago
340 Great King Street
P.O. Box 56
Dunedin
New Zealand

Simoneta Negrete-Yankelevich
Instituto de Ecología (INECOL), A.C.
Carretera antigua a Coatepec 351
El Haya Xalapa 91070
Veracruz
México

Jonathan Rhodes
University of Queensland
School of Geography, Planning, and Environmental Management and ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions
Brisbane
Queensland 4072
Australia

Shane Richards
School of Biological & Biomedical Sciences
Durham University
South Road
Durham, DH1 3LE
UK

Samuel M. Scheiner
Division of Environmental Biology
National Science Foundation
Arlington, VA 22230
USA

Donald R. Schoolmaster Jr.
National Wetlands Research Center
U. S. Geological Survey
700 Cajundome Blvd.
Lafayette, LA 70506
USA

Vinicio J. Sosa
Instituto de Ecología (INECOL), A.C.
Carretera antigua a Coatepec 351
El Haya Xalapa 91070
Veracruz
México

Ecological Statistics

Contemporary theory and application

Edited by Gordon A. Fox, Simoneta Negrete-Yankelevich, and Vinicio J. Sosa

Reviews and Awards

"We would be glad to adopt this as a textbook and recommend it as a resource for graduate students who need to strengthen their understanding of modern statistical approaches that can inform ecological problems."--The Quarterly Review of Biology

"In this well-written and well-edited book, the authors successfully convey an understanding of statistics, rather than just a menu of statistical procedures. Ideas are explained preferentially by examples and illustration, and mathematical formalism is held at a minimum EL This book is a source of coherent statistical understanding."--Conservation Biology

"This is a rich selection of the new canon of ecological statistics. Most examples are illustrated with the relevant R code, all of which is available online. As a result, this is not just an introduction to the theory underlying new approaches - it is a hands-on introduction to their use! Importantly, the chapters - though cross-referenced - are self-contained. As such, many practising ecologists will be able to dip in to a chapter that covers a particular problem that they are facing. That is a real strength of this book and suggests that most ecological research groups will benefit from access to at least one copy." --British Ecological Society Bulletin

"Ecological Statistics: Contemporary Theory and Applications is an amazing piece of work that deftly performs the unenviable task of presenting the "need to know" methods of a complex field. ... This book would be a valuable addition to any course asking students to expand their statistical comfort zone, but also easily lends itself to self-study for those wishing to join the conversation of ecological statistics." --Plant Science Bulletin

"Ecological Statistics opens with a commendable introduction that makes some great points and provides an insightful big-picture perspective." --BioScience

Ecological Statistics

Contemporary theory and application

Edited by Gordon A. Fox, Simoneta Negrete-Yankelevich, and Vinicio J. Sosa

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