BOT 614 Statistical Ecology

BOT 614 – Statistical Ecology
Introduction.
Statistical methods were initially developed for use in basic and applied sciences, and later in
engineering and management. While basic statistical science is common to all areas, there are specific
techniques developed to answer specific questions in each area. Statistical thinking is an aid to the
collection and interpretation of data.
Science strives for the discovery of significant scientific truth. It is statistics that takes care of the
uncertainty of the scientific method consisting of design, analysis and interpretation, and even the
assessment of significance. And, the society in which we live has chosen to fully use statistics as a
legislative and educational instrument to deal with societal crises, whether they be related to
environment, education, economy, energy, engineering or excellence.
Statistics is the scientific study of numerical data describing/base on natural

phenomenon/variation.
(i)Scientific study: is a study that deals with objectivity in presenting and evaluating data.
(ii) Numerical data: Statistics generally deals with populations or groups of individuals; hence it
deals with quantities of information, not with a single datum.
It involves counting, gathering data, quantity observation
(iii) Natural phenomenon/variation: All those events that happen in animate and inanimate
nature not under the direct control of the investigator, plus those that are evoked by the scientist and
are partly under his or her control, as in an experiment e.g. heartbeat of rats in response to adrenalin.
DATA IN BIOLOGY
Data is defined as facts or figures, or information that's stored in or used by a computer. An
example of data is information collected for a research paper. Facts that can be analyzed or
used in an effort to gain knowledge or make decisions; information.
Data Collection
Data collection is defined as the procedure of collecting, measuring and analyzing accurate
insights for research using standard validated techniques.
OR
Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on variables of

interest, in an established systematic fashion that enables one to answer stated research
questions, test hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes.
A researcher can evaluate their hypothesis on the basis of collected data. In most cases, data
collection is the primary and most important step for research, irrespective of the field of
research. The approach of data collection is different for different fields of study, depending on
the required information.
The most critical objective of data collection is ensuring that information-rich and reliable data is
collected for statistical analysis so that data-driven decisions can be made for research.
Importance of Data Collection.
Data collection is one of the corner stones of statistical analysis. Its conduct can be determined by
success the success or failure of a research work. As an engine is to a car so is data to research work. It
collection procedure must be carefully planned to ensure overall success in any research work. It is
through data collection that a business or management or scientist has the quality information
they need to make informed decisions from further analysis, study, and research. Data
collection instead allows them to stay on top of trends, provide answers to problems, and
analyse new insights to great effect.
Data collection enables a person or organization to answer relevant questions, evaluate
outcomes and make predictions about future probabilities and trends. Accurate data
collection is essential to maintaining the integrity of research, making informed business
decisions and ensuring quality assurance.
Importance of Data Collection in Statistical Analysis
There are number of reasons why data collection is important in statistical analysis.
(i) Data must be available with which to test a hypothesis. If a Researcher wishes to investigate a
specific a specific problem, it is worthwhile to begin by sourcing or collecting or gathering
relevant data.
(ii) Data must be accurately measured or gathered. In whatever way data is obtained, there are
good data and there are bad ones. There are several factors that determine whether a set of
data is good or bad. These include: choice of wrong parameters, wrong sampling procedure,
faulty instrument/equipment, carelessness, casualness on the part of the investigator. Good
data will ultimately lead to good research work. Conversely, bad data will lead to a poor
research work, no matter the effort or cost put into it.
(iii) Data must be relevant to research purpose(s). When data collected fails to address the original
question the research seeks to answer whatever statistical analysis adopted will be
meaningless, hence meaningful statistical analysis rests on data that is relevant to research
hypothesis.
(iv) Data must be representative of the scope of research work. This is largely a problem of
sampling design. Data that is not fully representative of the scope of the research work either
due to inadequate sample unit distribution or inadequate sample size, no matter the
correctness of the statistical analysis, it will lead to wrong conclusion.
Types of Data
Data can be defined as any set of observations of population of interest e.g. chromosome number,
weight, yield etc. Data can be classified on the basis of the source. Data can be classified into two
types, namely primary data and secondary data.
Primary data is the type of data that is collected by researchers directly from main sources.
Primary data refers to the first hand data gathered by the researcher himself. For example,
surveys and focus group discussions.
On the other hand, secondary data is the data that has already been collected through primary
sources and made readily available for researchers to use for their own research. Secondary
data is information which has been collected in the past by someone else. For example,
researching the internet, newspaper articles and company reports. Secondary data might be in
form of published or unpublished work.
It is noteworthy that the difference between the primary and secondary data is largely relative.
Data which are primary in the hands of one person may be secondary data in the hands of
another. It is however, important that the investigator finds out how data were collected to
ascertain the durability of such data for the present study.
Data can also be recognized on the basis of form. The two broad types of data on this basis
area; Categorical and Quantitative. Categorical data are data that are merely observed and
classified or sorted into groups. Quantitative data are observed, measured or counted and
assigned values with intrinsic meaning. Quantitative data can be sub-divided into two: Discrete
(Discontinuous) and Continuous.

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BOT 614 – Statistical Ecology

Statistics is the scientific study of numerical data describing/base on natural

Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on variables of

Importance of Data Collection.

Importance of Data Collection in Statistical Analysis

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