Table of 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.- Answers to practice problems .- Literature cited.- Statistical tables .- Photo credits .- Index.

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. Whitlock is known for his work on the spatial structure of biological populations, genetic drift, and the genetics of adaptation. He has worked with fungus beetles, rhinos, and fruit flies; mathematical theory; and statistical genetics. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is also the former editor-in-chief of The American Naturalist.

Dolph Schluter is professor and Canada Research Chair in the zoology department and Biodiversity Research Center at the University of British Columbia. He currently teaches evolutionary ecology as well as a graduate course in biological data analysis. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of London and the Royal Society of Canada and is a Foreign Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has received multiple honors including the Guggenheim Fellowship, The Sewall Wright Award from the American Society of Naturalists, the Killam Fellowship from the Canada Council, and the Darwin-Wallace Medal from the Linnean Society of London.

Reviews

"Michael Whitlock and Dolph Schluter have managed to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of writing a statistical analysis text for biology and health science students that is both rigorous in presentation and truly enjoyable to read. They avoid excessive jargon and drive home the major points with wonderfully interesting and relevant biological examples. They write in an engaging style that shows their considerable experience in teaching these principles to students. This book should be in the hands of every young biologist or health science student trying to learn the basics of statistical analysis." - John Thompson, University of California, Santa Cruz "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