Statistical Computation for Environmental Sciences in R: Lab Manual for Models for Ecological Data

(Paperback, Lab Manual)

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The environmental sciences are undergoing a revolution in the use of models and data. Facing ecological data sets of unprecedented size and complexity, environmental scientists are struggling to understand and exploit powerful new statistical tools for making sense of ecological processes. In Models for Ecological Data, James Clark introduces ecologists to these modern methods in modeling and computation. Assuming only basic courses in calculus and statistics, the text introduces readers to basic maximum likelihood and then works up to more advanced topics in Bayesian modeling and computation. Clark covers both classical statistical approaches and powerful new computational tools and describes how complexity can motivate a shift from classical to Bayesian methods. Through an available lab manual, the book introduces readers to the practical work of data modeling and computation in the language R. Based on a successful course at Duke University and National Science Foundation-funded institutes on hierarchical modeling, Models for Ecological Data will enable ecologists and other environmental scientists to develop useful models that make sense of ecological data. * Consistent treatment from classical to modern Bayes * Underlying distribution theory to algorithm development * Many examples and applications * Does not assume statistical background * Extensive supporting appendixes * Accompanying lab manual in R

Reviews

"In summary, Models for Ecological Data is an important text for those interested in ecological problems, which require computationally intensive methods. The level of the text is such that the reader should have a strong quantitative background (masters degree or higher in a quantitative discipline). The accompanying lab manual is a must for those who have this text and want to put the material to practice. The text and accompanying lab manual would serve as a good textbook for a graduate course in quantitative ecology provided that the students have the necessary mathematical background."--Timothy J. Robinson, Journal of the American Statistical Association

Author Bio

James S. Clark is H. L. Blomquist Professor in the Nicholas School for the Environment, Professor of Statistics and Decisions Sciences, and Professor of Biology at Duke University. An award-winning researcher on the ecological impact of climate change, he is the author of more than one hundred papers for leading journals, including "Science, Nature, and Ecology". In 2005, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.