Abstract
The success of ecological assessment depends on relevant and accurate information about the ecosystem or landscape under study. Data collected by sampling are a primary source of information about ecosystems and usually the only source of information that is specific to the ecosystem. The information value of sample data cannot be overestimated: these data directly reflect the processes and organisms constituting the system and are independent of human-held assumptions and theories. There are three general approaches to using sample data to describe ecosystems and ecosystem processes: (1) often important ecosystem components can be assessed by analyzing a few summary statistics; (2) ecosystem monitoring makes use of sample data for trend estimation and uses hypothesis testing for change detection; and (3) occasionally, ecological assessment involves the modeling of ecosystem processes, and sample data are used for model estimation and prediction.
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Steele, B.M. (2001). Sampling Design and Statistical Inference for Ecological Assessment. In: Jensen, M.E., Bourgeron, P.S. (eds) A Guidebook for Integrated Ecological Assessments. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8620-7_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8620-7_7
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