Bayesian Inference: With Ecological Applications

by William A. Link, Richard J. Barker (Contributor)

Statistical theory is primarily a product of the twentieth century. The prevailing school of thought builds on the frequentist philosophy developed by R.A. Fisher, the eminent biological theorist and experimentalist. Fisher's philosophy has been so thoroughly embraced that it has been labeled the "classical" approach, even though the alternative Bayesian philosophy antedates it by more than a century. Frequentist thinking has prevailed over Bayesian primarily because of the practical difficulty of fitting all but the simplest Bayesian models. Wildlife statistics has been almost entirely conducted in the frequentist mode. However, wildlife data are most naturally described in terms of hierarchical models, and these models are best analyzed using Bayesian tools. The advent of fast personal computers and easily available software has nearly removed the difficulties in fitting Bayesian models, and hierarchical models in particular. Hierarchical models describe stochastic population processes governing data and these processes are the real focus of scientific inquiry. This book takes the reader into the domain of Bayesian inference where complex hierarchical modelling is made possible.
Engagingly written text specifically designed to demystifying a complex subject
Examples drawn from ecology and wildlife research
An essential grounding for graduate and research ecologists in this rapidly adopted statistical technique
Companion website with analytical software and examples
Leading authors with world class reputations in Ecology and Biostatistics

355 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

William A. Link earned his B.A. in history from Davidson College in 1976 and his doctorate in history from the University of Virginia in 1981.
For twenty-three years, he was a professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, teaching courses in North Carolina history, the history of the American South, and twentieth-century American history. In 2004, he became the Richard J. Milbauer chair in history at the University of Florida.