Small sample size problems in wildlife ecology: a contingent analytical approach
Bissonette, J.A. 1999: Small sample size problems in wildlife ecology: a contingent analytical approach. - Wildl. Biol. 5: 65-71.
Administrative, political, and natural history constraints on the design of research studies in ecology often result in small data sets. In this paper, I identify some problems associated with small data sets and describe a contingent process for data analysis. I argue that exploring small data sets is heuristic and can be a valuable first step in the formulation of biologically interesting hypotheses.
Key words: contingent data analyses, model building, models, small sample size
John A. Bissonette, Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, U.S. Geological Survey - Biological Resources Division, College of Natural
Resources & Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5290, USA - e-mail: John.Bissonette@cnr.usu.edu
Received 3 November 1998, accepted 2 March 1999
Associate Editor: Nigel G. Yoccoz