Wiley Data Analysis in Vegetation Ecology

Evolving from years of teaching experience by one of the top experts in vegetation ecology, Data Analysis in Vegetation Ecology aims to explain the background and basics of mathematical (mainly multivariate) analysis of vegetation data. The book lays out the basic operations involved in the analysis, the underlying hypotheses, aims and points of views. It conveys the message that each step in the calculations has a specific, straightforward meaning and that patterns and processes known by ecologists often find their counterpart in mathematical operations and functions. The first chapters introduce the elementary concepts and operations and relate them to real-world phenomena and problems. Later chapters concentrate on combinations of methods to reveal surprising features in data sets. Showing how to find patterns in time series, how to generate simple dynamic models, how to reveal spatial patterns and related occurrence probability maps. Review "All students sampling vegetation data should be aware that this is a really nice book summarizing the approaches used in vegetation ecology ... I enjoyed reading this book and can recommend it for students of botany or general ecology. It is also well suited teaching material." ( Folia Geobot , 1 December 2011) "This book will be a valuable addition to the shelves of early postgraduate candidates and postdoctoral researchers." ( Austral Ecology ,1 November 2012) From the Back Cover Data Analysis in Vegetation Ecology Evolving from years of teaching experience by one of the top experts in vegetation ecology, Data Analysis in Vegetation Ecology explains the background and basics of mathematical (mainly multivariate) analysis of vegetation data. The book describes the basic processes involved in the analysis, the underlying hypotheses, aims and viewpoints within the subject. It conveys the message that each step in the calculations has a specific, straightforward meaning and that patterns and processes know by ecologists often find their counterpart in mathematical processes and functions. The first chapters introduce the elementary concepts and operations and relate them to real-world phenomena and problems. Later chapters concentrate on combinations of methods to reveal surprising features in datasets. These include how to find patterns in time series, how to generate simple dynamic models, how to reveal spatial patterns and related occurrence probability maps. An accessible and straightforward introduction to data analysis in vegetation ecology Written by a world renowned expert in the field Complex concepts and operations are explained using clear illustrations and case studies relating to real world phenomena Highlights both the potential and limitations of the methods used, and the final interpretations Includes suggestions for the use of the most widely used statistical software in vegetation ecology and how to start analysing data Accompanying website available at www.wiley.com/go/wildi