The Analysis of Biological Data: From Mind to Molecules - Hardcover

Whitlock, Michael; Schluter, Dolph

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0981519407 ISBN 13: 9780981519401

Publisher: Roberts & Company Publishers, 2008

Synopsis

The Analysis of Biological Data is a new approach to teaching introductory statistics to biology students. Whitlock and Schluter use several techniques to reach this unique audience. Throughout, they teach statistics in the context of interesting biological and medical examples; they emphasize intuitive understanding rather than an over-reliance on formulas; they focus on the data rather than the mathematical foundations of statistics; and they introduce - on a conceptual level - modern topics such as likelihood, regression, randomization, meta-analysis and the bootstrap. Instructors and students consistently praise the book's clear and engaging writing, strong visualization techniques, and the wide variety of fascinating and relevant biological examples. Contents: PART 1 INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS; 1. Statistics and samples; INTERLEAF 1 Biology and the history of statistics; 2. Displaying data; 3. Describing data; 4. Estimating with uncertainty; INTERLEAF 2 Pseudoreplication; 5. Probability; 6. Hypothesis testing; INTERLEAF 3 Why statistical significance is not the same as biological importance; PART 2 PROPORTIONS AND FREQUENCIES; 7. Analyzing proportions; INTERLEAF 4 Correlation does not require causation; 8. Fitting probability models to frequency data; INTERLEAF 5 Making a plan; 9. Contingency analysis: associations between categorical variables; PART 3 COMPARING NUMERICAL VALUES; 10. The normal distribution; INTERLEAF 6 Controls in medical studies; 11. Inference for a normal population; 12. Comparing two means; INTERLEAF 7 Which test should I use?; 13. Handling violations of assumptions; 14. Designing experiments; INTERLEAF 8 Data dredging; 15. Comparing means of more than two groups; INTERLEAF 9 Experimental and statistical mistakes; PART 4 REGRESSION AND CORRELATION; 16. Correlation between numerical variables; INTERLEAF 10 Publication bias; 17. Regression; INTERLEAF 11 Using species as data points; PART 5 MODERN STATISTICAL METHODS; 18. Multiple explanatory variables; 19. Computer-intensive methods; 20. Likelihood; 21. Meta-analysis: combining information from multiple studies; viii Contents in brief; Answers to practice problems; Literature cited; Statistical tables; Photo credits; Index.

About this title

Review

This book is the closest I can find to the course I teach. As I read through the chapters I find myself rewriting my lectures in my head - partly because so many of my favorite examples are there. The book makes you feel as if you are in Mike or Dolph's office with a cup of coffee and they are explaining these concepts at the blackboard. It s the most approachable statistics book I ve ever seen. It includes some topics that are almost completely ignored in other texts, such as odds-ratios and alternatives to linear regression. Finally, the collection of questions is fantastic. My students are always asking for more problem sets; I never have enough. I can easily see how the questions alone will transform my course. --Brad Anholt, University of Victoria

This book is engaging, intuitive, and with a coverage and pace that is perfect for a first statistics course in biology. --Allen J. Moore, University of Exeter

Whitlock and Schluter have produced an introduction to statistics that is both accessible in its content and compelling in its examples - it should be read by every young biologist. This book will convince even the most reluctant student of the importance of statistical thinking in modern biology. --Patrick Phillips, University of Oregon

This book is engaging, intuitive, and with a coverage and pace that is perfect for a first statistics course in biology. --Allen J. Moore, University of Exeter

Whitlock and Schluter have produced an introduction to statistics that is both accessible in its content and compelling in its examples - it should be read by every young biologist. This book will convince even the most reluctant student of the importance of statistical thinking in modern biology. --Patrick Phillips, University of Oregon

About the Author

Michael Whitlock is an evolutionary biologist and population geneticist. He is a Professor of Zoology at the University of British Columbia, where he has taught statistics to biology students since 1995.

Dolph Schluter is Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Zoology Department and Biodiversity Research Center at the University of British Columbia. He is known for his research on the ecology and evolution of Galapagos finches and threespine stickleback.

Edition details

• Publisher: Roberts & Company Publishers
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0981519407
• ISBN 13: 9780981519401
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 704