Research questions Flashcards
The four types of sampling design
simple random
systematic
stratified random
clustered
Simple random
randomly sample across the landscape
stratified random
pick the areas where you know the animals will be to concentrate your effort there, and then randomize within that area.
Three components of research
research question
experimental design
sampling design
Science is…
Transparent, repeatable, universal
Research question must be:
Answerable falsifiable ecological process relevant spatial extent examine comparative treatments have quantifiable response variables
Experimental Design Consists of
Experimental units treatments control replicates sample size (number of replicates) effect size power analysis
Sampling Design consists of
Sample plot sample unit sample element sample size (number of elements) variance 95% CIs.
What is the essential aspect of science?
that it is based on data
What are the three ways of counting wildlife?
census
index
sampling
What is a census?
a total count
What is indexing?
counting based on an indicator such as tracks or scat
What is sampling?
selecting representitive units from a population to measure.
use statistical design to determine variance and confidence limits
What are the four types of sampling?
simple random sampling
systematic sampling
stratified random sampling
cluster sampling
What is ecology?
the scientific study of the interactions that determine the distribution of organisms
What are the six steps in the cycle of adaptive management?
assess problem design implement sample evaluate adjust
and repeat this
How is the scientific different from other ways of learning?
it is transparent, repeatable and universal
what are the three components of research?
research question
experimental design
sampling design
Three things that are essential to science
Critical thought
scepticism
protocols
What do you do once you have collected data?
plot it
What is the first thing that you do when presented with plotted data?
read the axes
What is a time series?
shows you the number of individuals at each time
What is a population rate of change?
how much the population changes in size at each time step
what is per capita rate of change?
looking at if the amount of growth in a population depends on the size of the population
What is natural history?
observing nature
commenting on your observations
What is conservation?
a social process to protect the environment
What is a model?
an abstraction of reality that captures key features of complex systems
What is social context?
the settings in which people engage with each other
It affects how we relate to each other, communicate and how governments interact with their citizens
